A New Spray Booth and a Bottle of Aspirin

John Q. Bodyman has decided to acquire a new spraybooth. His customer volume is steady and his operations must be expanded to meet the demand. John can look over all the different spray booths at NACE and, hopefully, make a purchase decision. He’s done his spray booth homework and he’s ready to buy.

Let's fast-forward to NACE:

There must be at least twenty different spray booth distributors here. John's like a kid in a candy store and he’s found the spray booth he wants. The spray booth distributor had a financing agent available to speak with John, who was assured there would be no problems getting him approved. A few days after the show closes, John is informed that the financing has been approved and now he makes arrangements for delivery of his new spray booth. John "high fives" his long-time assistant and starts passing out cigars. Put on the coffee pot, John - you're about to get a lot of unexpected company.

A few weeks later, John has a gleaming new spray booth in his shop and the shadow of a local building inspector is in his doorway. The inspector would like to see John's permits. The fire marshal isn’t far behind and will be interested in the paint mixing room's blow-out walls, ventilation, and other fire safety features. While he's there, the approved paint storage lockers and fire suppression system will also be high on his list. Is this a good time to mention that John will also need an air quality permit (permit to construct) for that shiny new spray booth stack on his roof? At the end of the day, John reaches for the aspirin bottle and mutters something like "Why didn't somebody tell me I needed all these things?"

Sadly enough, this scene is very common. Zoning issues, permit requirements and local inspectors can make or break the whole scenario and many shop owners are not aware of exactly how much is involved. A growing number of spray booth distributors inform their customers of the permit issues and sometimes can direct the customers to a resource that can be very helpful in the permitting process.

John could have spared himself a lot of grief had he researched the permitting/zoning requirements in his area BEFORE he purchased the spray booth. If John didn't have the time to do the research or didn’t feel comfortable with the requirements, the services of a permitting company would have help him survive the process. John could have started the permitting process and zoning inquiries sixty days prior to purchasing the spray booth, giving himself time to make any adjustments before his spray booth arrived.

Any permitting service worth its salt will know exactly what the shop owner has to do to successfully acquire all necessary permits, anticipate zoning issues and meet local and state codes (electrical, mechanical, air quality, etc.). It's money well spent by any shop owner and will keep them away from the cost of reverse-engineering and even (in worse case scenarios) fines or having the operation shut down until the necessary permits can be obtained. A shop can increase its chances for success by retaining the services of folks that can assist them in the permitting process and help shop owners do it right the FIRST time.

Copyright © Tara L. Munro. All Rights Reserved.