A Horrible Mess with a Construction Project

I bought a 10 acre lot roughly in the mid-west of California in 2001. It took almost a year to get my first appointment with the planners and 3 more years to work the permits through an overloaded and not-very-competent (putting it very mildly) county. I finally had all the permits and I was about to start construction when I discovered that there was no electric supply at the lot, despite what the realtors had told me and what was on the sales fliers and the underground 3/4" cable in a concrete box by the road-side. I tried to settle the situation amicably by offering to pay 1/3 the cost of getting the supply to the lot. Both realtors refused the suggestion. It was then litigated for several years. During that time the county sent me an email indicating that the permits were about to expire but they still could be revived several times if they expired. I have that email. I agreed to let them expire and when the litigation was complete I contacted the county and was told that I would have to start from scratch and pay the fees again.
I offered to bring all the documents up to the then-current code but they insisted that I had to go through the whole process again. I am struggling to find a way out of this mess, since the county has no sympathy for my situation. I am trying to get all the documentation up to date and then sell the lot with the plans and let the new owner handle the permit applications.
This is where this group may be able to help. I have visited the web site: http://www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov/Code/default.htm and it gives lots of details of the changes but most is very irrelevant to my needs. Does anyone know of documentation that gives the actual down-to-earth changes in the process since 2002. I did all the design and drafting for the project. I had the services of a soils engineer, a septic system designer and a structural engineer. Apart from those I did almost everything else. I now have all the tracings in TIFF format on my computer so, no more pencil and drafting board for me.
Advice will be much appreciated.
TIA

Sounds like not securing the power supply early on in the sale was the major problem. A contingency on having a septic permit, water, power, phone, cable, and Building Ability would have been a wise move. I know many people who buy properties always seem to tie it up with a contigency.
The Building Dept. is very difficult to deal with and I know. I live in Northern Calif. and have lost jobs at the wait, for approval from all the necessary authority. Another not, we have a new inspector and he does his job so well it causes problems. I was getting a final, and he wanted to see the toilet caulked and a few more antisiphon valves installed on the existing house. He also looked in the existing house, that we put windows in, and wanted 3 new smoke detectors intstalled.....He would not take my word that we would do this, and I had to arrange for him to come out another day..... He did not bother to inspect to see if the detectors were installed on his second visit.......? The toilet was going to get caulked by the painter after they painted the concrete floor............so we caulked it prior to painting......to get a final.
Anyway, I am glad it is over.....and see your dilemma....... unfortunate......lots of work up in smoke so to speak. All you can do is go to court and try to get the judge to agree with you, but that would cost........... jloomis
The other problem is not keeping the past permits current.
What a mess.........
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Since I participated very much in the decision end installation towards my home (electric/water well/septic system). I understand your dilemma.
I do not understand how you did not know that electric supply was not available on the lot. You seem to be participating from a desk, instead of on-site. Since the electricity source is paramount over any other support system, and needed in many cases to support those systems, its priority is primary. I added 1 and 3 and came up with 4 years that this little unknown was not verified in person.
Most realtors have no idea what's on an individual plat of undeveloped land or lot other than its dimensions and obvious foliage. To have electricity available for immediate use, a temporary or permanent meter loop must exist on the property, not roadside. The meter loop allows the seller of the electricity to monitor use of that, and bill the appropriate person for that use.

Dioclese wrote:
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First, this is a private area with 10-acre residential lots, and the utilities were supposed to be running along a private road right by the building pad. The water line was already installed at the pad. There was a concrete box on the roadside with a very heavy lid. I pried it up far enough to see a 3/4" diameter cable lying at the bottom. What would you think it was for? TV, phone, fiber optic, fruit juice? :-)
In CA, the regulations do not allow PG&E to make ANY installations until all permits are approved and construction is ready to start.

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You may be able to BS some of the readers, I know better.
You answered your own question regarding electrical availability in the PG&E reply. Sad, that means you can't even have a temporary meter loop for your own use without intentions to build and plans approved for same. Very odd indeed. Also find it either totally false, or, BS CA way.
Either way, the PG&E availability after all is approved. Which answers your orginal question. Why are you here? I have no pity for anyone living in CA, just move, forget the tea party and Hollywood politicians.

On Apr 15, 8:36 pm, "Dioclese" <NONE> wrote:
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?
The OP didn't have a question about the electric availability. His question was about updating his drawings to conform to new requirements. I did find it odd that the OP asked a question and didn't use a question mark, but it was still clearly the only question he posted.
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Why is the OP here....hmmm, that's a tough one. I'll take a stab at it. Maybe because he has some questions about how to update his drawings to conform to the new requirements?
R

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?
The OP didn't have a question about the electric availability. His question was about updating his drawings to conform to new requirements. I did find it odd that the OP asked a question and didn't use a question mark, but it was still clearly the only question he posted.
No, go back and read the original again.
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Why is the OP here....hmmm, that's a tough one. I'll take a stab at it. Maybe because he has some questions about how to update his drawings to conform to the new requirements?
R ----- Still don't see that anywhere. Maybe you can point that question out someplace in the thread?

On Apr 17, 6:54 pm, "Dioclese" <NONE> wrote:
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I did. Same result. He only asked the one question (sans "?" (see below (or above))). His second post addressed your questions and slights. Then you told him he was BSing.
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Okey dokey. Here you go: "This is where this group may be able to help. I have visited the web site: http://www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov/Code/default.htm and it gives lots of details of the changes but most is very irrelevant to my needs. Does anyone know of documentation that gives the actual down-to-earth changes in the process since 2002."
See? He left out the question mark after 2002...maybe there's a shortage where he is.
In any event you're dragging the thread off topic, beat up on somebody that you don't know, apparently because you know his situation better than he does.
At least that's the view from the cheap seats. So, if it's not that - what are you trying to do? Vent?
R

RicodJour wrote:
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Thaaaaank you Rico. I owe you a beer at least :-)
As is well known, building regulations change on a regular basis. The new regulations are spewed out sporadically, but I was not able to find any documentation on the actual changes from the regulation I used in the original design - in 2001 to 2003. That information would make my present task much easier. It would be very laborious to have to go back over the old regulations [planning, grading, energy, plumbing, electrical, .... ] and then read the present ones to find the modifications that I would need to make.
My guess is that the state and county bureaucrats have no interest in making a list of the practical changes so I am hoping that someone knows, or that I can find a book on the changes.
Thanks again for the support. Please tell the other guy to hitch a ride home ;-) Have a great weekend!