How Pip chases stuck permits
What triggers a permit follow-up, how to approve or suppress it, and why.
Pip drafts permit follow-ups but never sends one without your approval (in Copilot mode, which is the default).
When Pip drafts a chase
A permit becomes a chase candidate when both are true:
- Status is "Submitted" or "In review"
- Time since submission > 1.5× the AHJ's median approval time (or > 21 days if no median is known yet)
Every 4 hours, the chaser runs and surfaces new candidates to the Buddies inbox.
How to handle a chase
You'll see a draft message with citations from the knowledge base (AHJ contact info, recent jurisdiction stats). Three options:
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Approve | The chase is logged and a task is created for the appropriate person. Status remains "Submitted." |
| Suppress | Pick a reason ("AHJ on vacation", "applicant holding", "already approved offline"). Suppressed for 7 days for that project. |
| Reject | Mark the draft as wrong. Pip won't re-draft for the same permit for 14 days. |
Why suppression is better than ignoring
When you suppress with a reason, that reason shows up on the audit log AND helps the next chase: Pip knows not to surface this case until the timer resets.
Troubleshooting
"I keep getting chases for the same permit" — You may be approving without resolving. Approve creates a task; the chase re-fires until the permit status changes.
"Pip didn't draft a chase but my permit is stuck" — Either the AHJ's median isn't known yet (Pip needs ~3 historical permits per AHJ), or you're under the 21-day fallback. You can manually create a task instead.