All You Need to Know about Velocity Track Permit Approval from DCRA

Currently, DCRA (District of Columbia’s Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs) is providing a velocity track permit, which is a fast-track permit review program for building owners. This endeavor is taken by the DCRA for streamlining the construction plan reviewing and the permitting processes in Washington DC. The velocity track review program abides by the goal of accelerating building plan reviews and getting faster permit approval for construction, including different types of building projects.

2 levels of the Velocity Track Program in DC

The Velocity program of DCRA is divided into 2 levels of services including Velocity and Expedition.

·         Velocity Service is meant for customers whose building design concepts and plans are completed and ready for submission.

·         Expedition Service is intended for clients whose plans are currently in the design phase. Meetings coinciding with the typical milestones of an architectural development encompass 30%, 60%, 90% & 100% drawings. These are alike the Velocity Service in that all Registered Design Professionals should attend and partake as a state of acceptance. Likewise, all the plans attended by the examiners, problems related to the discussed code, and potential code violations should be amended before the subsequent meeting.

Fees for the Velocity & Expedition Program in DC

The Velocity and Expedition programs entail a separate fee over the typical DCRA permitting fees, which is calculated as per the size of the construction project. Expedition suite starts at $12,500 and the velocity track program starts at around $50,000.

Process of Submitting Building Projects for accepting into the Velocity Track Program for Permit Issuance

A plan submitted for review through the Velocity program often gets approved by DCRA within a day. Nevertheless, there is a procedure for submitting a building project to be accepted into the Velocity program. They include Consultation, Payment of Fees, and Pre-Submittal Review Meetings.

·         Consultation: During the consultation stage, you have to discuss the scope of the building project submitted along with the timeline, and the budget individually, through a web conference or over the phone. Sometimes, you may need to submit an application and a detailed project description at this time. As soon as the consultation is undertaken by the building project, the DCRA advises whether the project can be applied for the Velocity program.

·         Payment of Fees: Just once the project is accepted in the Velocity program, a $5,000 needs to be deposited for proceeding with the program.

·         Pre-Submittal Review Meeting: The Velocity program involves a pre-submittal Review Meeting with DCRA plan reviewers, entailing the presence and partaking of all design professionals working on the building project.

·         Second Plan Review Session: As soon as the comments are addressed by the design professionals from the Pre-Submittal Review Meeting,  a second plan review session is conducted, at the end of which the DCRA approves all the plans.

·         Permit Issuance: Building permits will be ready for issuance just after the final plan gets approved. Applicants get an invoice requiring the payment of the Standard Permit and the Fast Track Plan Review Fees. Once you make the payment, permits will be issued for your building.

Key Benefits of Availing Velocity Track Permit Program

The main benefit of availing of the Velocity program is to avoid project delays and speed up project timelines. Velocity seems to be the new standard for fast-paced projects with large budgets in D.C. If a Velocity program is not used, a large-scale construction project in the DC area may take a minimum of 2 months for processing the paperwork.

Contact Expert Permit Expediting Service Providers in DC

For any queries about an upcoming building project in Washington, D.C. get in touch with the veteran permit expeditors of Tejjy Inc. Be it for a  renovation or a new building, Tejjy Inc. helps you get a fast-track permit for your construction by getting involved at the commencement of the project for aligning the project team and determining a strategic filing plan. The expert permit facilitators coordinate the pre-screen as well as the plan review meetings for ensuring the submittals required for the program’s eligibility and setting up the project in DCRA’s online permitting scheme. By playing an active role in the permitting process in DC, Tejjy Inc. can complete building projects within a time of just three weeks.

Call 202-465-4830 or write to info@tejjy.com for managing the construction permit process from the initial stage and making DCRA Walkthroughs accepted.