Thanks for reaching out. We welcome questions, corrections, and suggestions about PermitCove’s building-permit guides for U.S. homeowners.
How to reach us
Use the contact form on this page (the Blogger Contact form below). You can also email us directly at ahmedkhalifa@permitcove.com.
If page comments are enabled on a guide you are reading, a short note there is fine for article feedback. For privacy or policy questions, use this Contact form and say so in the first line.
Please do not send sensitive personal information, full plan sets with addresses you want kept private, Social Security numbers, payment details, or copies of government IDs. We do not need those to improve a checklist.
Topics we can help with
- Clarifying something confusing in a PermitCove article
- Flagging a broken link, outdated .gov cite, or typo
- Suggesting a remodel or close-out topic we have not covered yet
- General process questions about how permits, inspections, or certificates are usually described in public guidance
Topics we cannot help with
- Individualized legal, engineering, architectural, or construction advice
- Whether your specific project will be approved, which fee you owe, or how to get a stop-work order lifted
- Pulling, revising, or closing a permit on your behalf
- Urgent safety, enforcement, or occupancy decisions — call your local building department or AHJ
We are an independent educational site, not affiliated with any city or county. For project-specific answers, the counter that issues your permit is the authority that counts. See our Disclaimer.
Before you write: where official answers come from
Most questions we get are really questions for a building department: "Do I need a permit for this?", "How much will it cost?", "Why did my inspection fail?" We can point you to the right place, but only your local office can answer for your address. A few places to start:
- To find the office that covers your property, use our Building Permit Lookup by State. Many cities, counties, and towns run their own departments, so the right office is not always the one in the city named in your mailing address.
- For a general sense of what usually needs a permit, read Do I Need a Building Permit? A Plain-English Guide or try the permit checker.
- If you already know you need a permit, How to Apply for a Building Permit walks through the usual steps and what to have ready.
How to report an outdated rule or a mistake
Corrections are the most useful messages we receive. Codes and city rules change, and a reader who has just been through the process often spots a change before we do. To help us check and fix it quickly, please include:
- The PermitCove page URL and the sentence or number you think is wrong.
- A link to the official source that shows the current rule, such as the city or county building department page, the adopted code section, or a published handout. A link to a .gov page or the city's online code is ideal.
- When the change happened, if the source says so, for example a new code edition or an ordinance date.
- Which jurisdiction the rule applies to (city, county, or unincorporated area), because neighboring areas often follow different rules.
We update an article only after we can confirm the change on an official source. That is also why a screenshot of a forum post or a contractor's quote, while helpful as a tip, is not enough on its own for us to change a number.
A quick example of a helpful message
"Your shed guide says sheds up to a certain size are exempt in my county. The county's updated handout (link) now lists a smaller size, effective with the new code edition. Page: (URL)."
A message like that lets us verify the change in minutes. A message that asks us whether your specific shed will pass is one we have to send back to your building department, because we cannot see your lot, your plans, or your local zoning file.
What to expect
We read messages as time allows and aim to reply within a few business days when a reply is needed. Volume varies. We may not answer every message if the question needs a licensed pro or a local official, or if it asks us to decide your permit outcome.
How we handle site data, cookies, and any future ads is described in the Privacy Policy. More about who we are and how we research is on the About page. Guides live on the homepage hub.
The rules for using this site are in our Terms of Use. To see how we source and correct guides, read our Editorial Policy, or learn more about Ahmed Khalifa, the founder and editor.
