CB has been an absolute life saver. The permitting process in City of Austin is extremely a nightmare, and its 100 times worse when the permit is for a grease trap for a daycare kitchen. CB got my plan approved less than 2 months after I had struggled for over a year and half. He is also a gentleman and goes out of his way to guide me step by step after I had permit on hand, checking on the project periodically to make sure all the construction / installation went smoothly. The grease trap just passed City of Austin final inspection! I can't wait for the day we start serving hot & healthy food to our little friends! Thank you, CB, for your wonderful work! read more

CB Ellis is the only permit expediter you should ever work with. Full stop. The City of Austin's Dept of Development Services is a mess of sub-departments run by people who all have different answers, interpretations of code, etc. Unless you're a large company and/or rich, the permit process can completely wipe you out, financially and emotionally. For our small business, what should have been a simple series of small hoops to jump through became a full-on nightmare, with us being sent on a wild goose chase of emailing, calling, video conferencing with people in permitting. We were given completely different answers at every turn, and none of the other permit expediting services we contacted responded to our pleas for help. Except for CB. He knows the ins and outs of permitting in Austin, he's personable and honest, he's not here to rip anyone off, and he makes you feel like he's on your team during a very stressful process where it seems like everyone else's job is to make your life hard. I'm just echoing what all the other reviews here say, but it's all true. CB Ellis is a magician. read more

I spoke with C.B. in fall of 2018 about a large residential renovation project involving a number of trades. First, he was an absolute gentlemen the whole time. Second, he gave great insights about how sub contractors and the city would likely react given a similar set of facts. Lastly, he took the time to walk me through why he'd recommend i not hire his firm (because of an ETJ issue) but would be glad to have my business. He was able to draw on his experience from a substantially similar project he'd done two streets over. The construction industry in Austin is 50% wild-west and 50% boomtown mentality. It's tough to find a seasoned area professional who provides impartial, strategic advice about a build. The risk/reward of permitting in Austin is pretty extreme compared with other cities in Texas. C.B. is well respected because of the reputation he's built here. I strongly recommend working with C.B.. read more

I was in a mess, because I worked with a team of completely incompetent contractors on a gut remodeling project and CB saved my life! CB is the kind of person you want to have on your side when you are facing a tough situation, he is an old fashion professional, no bullshit ! great values and reliability! Thank you cb for your help and support! Giuseppe R read more

I had to get a City of Austin permit pulled to add a bathroom to a condo in Austin, but I was quickly caught up in the City of Austin bureaucratic quick sand and had no idea how to escape or proceed. Enter Mr. CB Ellis of Austin Plans for Permits! I ran into CB quite by accident but man, I am so glad that I did. For a very reasonable fee, CB took control of my permit project and in just a few days he had the permit issued, pulled and displayed at my property. Damn - this man is good! And, he knows how to quickly maneuver through the City of Austin maze of paperwork and regulations to get your permit issued. (Go ahead, just try to figure it all out yourself - good luck!). Honest with integrity (and a very good looking family largely composed of well-mannered boys - imagine that!), CB is your go-to guy if you need a permit pulled for a home remodel or construction project. I should add that CB does a lot of commercial permits but he will do small residential permits as well. Love this guy! read more

CB Eliis is a Dream to work with! So experienced and resourceful. He is professional and friendly and very easy to talk to. I needed help manifesting a Pool House in my back yard. I could not make heads or tails of the City of Austin Website for building permits ( I really DID try) and I could not get any info on how to get something built in Austin. Once I got on to CB, everything started falling into place in an easily understood manner. He handled the Permiting process from start to finish (very complicated) He introduced me to a Lovely Architect and Engineer to accomplish what is required for the Permit (Proper licensed plans) and recommended several builders, one of which I hired. Everything was so transparent and CB answered my many questions patiently. I absolutely would not have been able to accomplish this project without CB. If you need any kind of help with a build, beginners & Contractors alike, Call CB Ellis at Austin Plans for Permits. You will be so very glad you did! LWS / Austin Texas / June 2022 read more

I could not have been more happy with Austin Plans for Permits! CB was extremely responsive and took on my project right away! He is extremely knowledgeable with the City of Austin requirements, and helped us get our Interior Remodel Permit! He handled everything, which really helped. Permitting made easy- thank you so much CB! read more

Got bids from four different architects CB included. All seem professional and the bids matched up well. i did some more RESEARCH. I visited the City of Austin Department of Development Services commercial mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building, etc departments to look into the cost, paperwork, time, etc.. the entire process of my tenant finish out project. While visiting i asked several employees if they knew any of the four architects. Several employees know who CB is on first name basis, last name, company name, they know his assistant, they even know his daughter. No one knew the other three architects. I hired CB. I got my permit in good time. My research paid off. CB is on point. read more

I decided to open a cafe this year in East Austin, and didn't know anything about how the permitting process with the city worked. After talking to a few different permitting companies I was intro'd to c.b. and Austin Plans for Permits. He put together the drawings for our space based on my rough plan, managed moving everything through the city, handled the (inevitable) complications that came up from dealing with the permitting departments, and has continued to be a really useful resource even now that the permitting is done. When we (hopefully!) open other locations, I'll definitely want to work with him again. read more

CB is extremely knowledgeable about the permit process and helped me immensely. I actually tried getting a permit myself and didn't really know what I was doing. I spent a few days getting bounced around different departments and didn't really get anywhere. But CB was able to tell me exactly what to do and who to talk to which helped make the process extremely easy. I got my permit in one day by following his advice. Thanks CB! read more

This was my first time trying to secure a permit in the City of Austin. I attempted to navigate the process myself by soon realized that the city website was not "user friendly". CB Ellis was recommended by a fellow realtor and I am so glad I contacted him. He explained the process, recommended a necessary engineer, and submitted the appropriate paperwork. I highly recommend him to avoid wasting time trying to do it alone! read more

I thank my lucky stars that CB is working on our buildout project. He is so helpful, knowledgeable and just a really nice guy on top of it all. I literally wouldn't want to navigate The Austin city permit system without having CB on the team! He's amazing. read more

Austin Plans for Permits is a lifesaver. Seriously. I can't recommend this company highly enough! Our HOA asked for us to get a letter from an architect regarding our decking, and were having a hard time finding an architect that would help us. It was kind of an odd request, and every architect we talked with kind of directed us elsewhere. Finally, we called Austin Plans for Permits, and CB is the most helpful person on the planet. He put us in touch within a week with the right person, who gladly wrote the letter for us. CB must know everyone in Austin. I can say that I will never consider going with anyone else for my permit / construction needs. CB is really incredible. If you ever need a reference, please feel free to contact me and I will absolutely vouch for how awesome this company is. read more

I can't say enough about CB. He will offer you the personal attention and timely execution you're looking for. His fee to solve your problems and navigate city hall efficiently and effectively on your behalf will pay for itself many times over. My experience with CB from start to finish was outstanding and if I could give him more stars I would. Consider yourself fortunate to know about CB....good people. read more

CB is a life saver! We contacted him November 23rd (the Wednesday before Thanksgiving) for help. Over the holiday, he completed plans and resubmitted to the city bright and early Monday morning. We had our permits by Wednesday, November 30th!! He accomplished an amazing feat in 7 days. Our builder, "Rostrata Builders" had been trying since August 2016 (for 3 1/2 months) to finalize permits. Even our builder realized the gem CB is and offered to pay for his services to get our project back on track. Contact CB if you need help with permits in the City of Austin. It is worth it! We found his information months ago and hesitated to call. DO NOT HESITATE, call CB immediately!! read more

C.B. Ellis is an angel sent from heaven. We needed to obtain retroactive permits for a master suite addition in order to sell our house. Needless to say he got it done with time to spare. He kept us updated throughout the whole process and is highly skilled. I highly recommend Austin Plans for Permits. Thank you C.B.! read more

I was contracted to represent the Owner in a fast-track tenant build-out in an Austin shopping mall. Having no plan or estimate, this project like many needed a miracle just to even get close to meeting the move-in deadline expectations of the Owner. With my 30-plus years in the commercial construction industry working for large general contractors and design-build contractors lead me to understand the problems with getting projects underway is difficult, especially when projects are in unfamiliar cities. I was fortunate the Owner approved hiring CB Ellis's company, AUSTIN PLANS for PERMITS, early in the process. Having reviewed the existing tenant space, CB immediately understood the problems with getting the design completed and most importantly, what the City of Austin needed to make this a quick turn-around [QTA] permit so the construction could begin. Given certain existing conditions, especially if the designer is in-experienced, or too busy to spend the time needed, many remodel projects encounter delays, and certainly have cost over-runs. This is considered more the norm for today's standards. But CB's approach is different. He welcomes ideas and follows up on finalizing/securing pre -approvals in his design process. Never have I worked with a designer who is more diligent than CB in uncovering all the potential problems and resolving them during the design/permit process. Most professionals working in these areas make too many assumptions and have the attitude that if problems happen they can be handled then. I can tell you from experience, I have had to re-design and work with code officials many times just to get permits issued, and certainly have lots of experience in facing Owner's anger in encountering cost over-runs later on during the construction phase. If you need a design and related permit, hire CB, so you can trust that the design will pass the permit stage and reduce some of those dreaded cost-over-runs. read more

We were referred to CB from our contractor & it was the best business decision we made to work with him. He completed the plans and permitting for our space at the Domain and he successfully took our project "from concept to permit". We would recommend him to any business owner! Thanks CB! Look forward to working with you on our next location! read more