Building Yurt to Permit in Los Angeles

[HawaiiYurts]

We were working with a woman who tried permitting her yurt in Cali. It had been up for quite a while as a yoga room. They got people from all over the place, lots of media attention, peacefully challenged the building department, really put up a good fight, but in the end, she lost.

The key to fighting for permitability is to

#1!!! Be working with a yurt company that has their engineering game in order. There are many that don't, so don't assume. When I mention engineering, I am talking about 200+ pages of full specs showing point loads, wind loads, structural loads... Not a cute little drawing with an official looking title on it.

#2. Don't go in with a fighting attitude. It's bureaucracy. The first 30 people you talk to won't actually have any power unless it is to make your goal harder to reach. Keep working at it. Respectfully. Keep asking what they need, who you should be talking to, and then PROVIDE IT to them, or make sure someone else does, someone who knows what they're talking about so that you don't waste the building department's time (otherwise you'll get a bad rep for yourself and yurts alike).

#3 - Don't expect it to happen quickly.

#4 - Don't take no for an answer. Prove your points with science and engineering and continue to ask them to point to areas of non-compliance. The onus is on them to clearly state where a structure does not meet code. Your goal is to get them to accept that they actually are to code, or to give up looking for ways that they aren't.

#5 - get professionals on your side. Architects, engineers, etc.

Good Luck!