Official sources first. Uncertainty stays visible.

01 · Source hierarchy

The issuing authority is the starting point.

• Official city, county or state department pages
• Adopted codes, ordinances and official amendments
• Official forms, checklists, fee schedules and inspection instructions
• Documented clarification from the authority when public material is incomplete

02 · Secondary material

Third-party material generates questions, not final authority.

Contractor pages, forums and aggregators can help identify language people use or issues worth researching. They do not establish a permit rule unless the claim is independently supported by an official source.

03 · Evidence labels

A department link is not the same as a project-specific rule.

Each guide links to the primary authority and labels the source scope. Until a project condition has a direct citation, HomeRulebook does not publish a local yes/no conclusion and keeps that combination out of the public search sitemap.

04 · Review process

Dates describe source review, not a guarantee.

Review dates show when the linked public authority page was last checked. Rules can still change between reviews, and a project can require approvals outside the primary building department.

05 · Responsible scale

No spun city pages and no synthetic certainty.

A new local guide must add a verified rule, local exception, applicant path, inspection path or operational link. Templates provide navigation consistency; they do not substitute for local research.

Automated source monitoring detects technical changes. A human comparison is required before facts, conclusions or review dates change.

06 · Independence

Commercial relationships do not change permit conclusions.

Future advertising, referrals or partnerships will be labeled. They will not determine evidence status, wording of permit conclusions or the inclusion of an official source.