What I’ve Learned from 500+ Projects: A Field-Tested Playbook for Smooth Permitting

After more than 500 projects, one truth stands out: environmental permitting can make or break a project.

Too often it’s treated as red tape or a late-stage box to check. But in reality, it’s where projects live or die. Over the years, I’ve seen both sides: projects derailed by surprises, and projects that sailed through because teams got it right.

Here’s my field-tested playbook — five rules I live by on every project.

Note: Client names and project identifying details removed to maintain client confidentiality.

Rule #1: Bring Permitting in on Day One, Not Day 100

The Miss

A team closed on land after only a short due diligence window. Very little environmental review, no site recon. Later, they discovered wetlands that sliced the property into multiple pieces. A third of the site was unusable, and connecting them would have triggered a federal nexus — years of permitting and major costs.

The Win

On another deal, a Phase I ESA flagged a leaking petroleum storage tank as a Recognized Environmental Condition. Instead of walking away or swallowing the liability, the team negotiated an exclusion with the seller and kept the project intact.

The Lesson

If permitting isn’t part of your kickoff, you’re already behind.

Rule #2: Environmental Review Is a Design Tool, Not a Checkbox

The Miss

I’ve seen teams design first and figure they’d “deal with permitting later.” On one solar project, the array layout cut straight across a karst feature. By the time it was discovered, redesigning meant weeks of delay and cost thousands.

The Win

Another project completed a jurisdictional feature delineation up front. That allowed the design team to avoid areas that would have triggered USACE permitting and caused environmental degradation. Instead, avoidance became the strategy. Water quality BMPs were implemented, and the environment was further protected.

The Lesson

Design with the site, not against it. Aligning with natural conditions lowers costs and safeguards the environment.

Rule #3: Agencies Hate Surprises

The Miss

On a roadway project in the range of a known endangered species, crews broke into a cave mid-construction. Endangered invertebrates were found inside. Despite our strong recommendation, the project team never consulted with USFWS ahead of time. The discovery forced a shutdown, a redesign, years of delay, and millions in added cost.

The Win

On a sewer interceptor tunnel, we coordinated with city and state agencies before excavation. Together we developed classifications of karst void sizes and morphologies, each tied to pre-designed engineering mitigation measures. When the TBM broke into voids, we immediately contacted the agencies, identified the class of void, confirmed the pre-approved mitigation, and kept moving. Because everything was documented and agreed upon in advance, approvals came quickly and the project stayed on track.

The Lesson

Surprises stop projects — but when regulators help write the playbook in advance, they’ll back you up instead of hold you up.

Rule #4: Local Knowledge Saves Time

The Miss

A national consultant was hired to complete an environmental constraints analysis on a site where they had no local — or even regional — experience. They overlooked important county floodplain regulations. The developer moved forward with design, only to find out months later that large portions of the “buildable” area were excluded under the local rules. Months of work had to be scrapped.

The Win

On a West Coast project, where stringent state wildlife protections applied, a consultant with strong PUC experience was brought in early. They reviewed areas mapped as protected habitat and determined the state’s GIS-based mapping had erred on the side of caution. Field-based verification showed the habitat wasn’t present, and a project that initially looked undevelopable was cleared to move forward.

The Lesson

Local knowledge turns hidden pitfalls into clear paths forward.

Rule #5: Fast Doesn’t Mean Sloppy

The Miss

I’ve reviewed plenty of Phase I ESAs that were rushed and it showed. Some consultants had no real systems in place — every report was written from scratch using an old Word template. Corners got cut, important details slipped through (like a leaking petroleum storage tank that was thankfully downgradient of the site), and the reports were littered with misspellings and formatting errors. We never considered working with those consultants again.

The Win

In a previous role, I spearheaded a shift away from Word templates to a semi-automated report authoring platform. We also restructured how report prep, technical editing, and senior review flowed. The result was significant efficiency gains, sharper report quality, and reduced costs for the company — all without cutting corners.

The Lesson

Efficiency and quality go hand in hand — the right systems make you faster and better.

Closing Thought

After 500 projects, my biggest takeaway is simple: permitting doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Done right, it’s not just risk management — it’s strategy. The best teams don’t react to problems; they anticipate them. They build smarter, move faster, and protect both their projects and the environment.