Permitting Timelines: What to Actually Plan For
Real permit timelines from recent retail TI projects, and how to keep your opening date intact.
Permit timelines are the #1 cause of missed grand openings. Here is what we see in practice (not what the city website promises):
- Standard retail TI, no structural: 6–10 weeks
- Food service with hood and grease trap: 12–20 weeks
- Anything touching the storefront or signage: add 4–8 weeks for landlord + city + sometimes historic review
How to protect the opening date
Start permitting in parallel with design development, not after. Use an expediter in jurisdictions you do not know. Build a 4-week float into any schedule you share with stakeholders.
