Make sure your land is zoned for the type of structure you're wanting to build by calling the city/county planning and permits office. 

And make sure they can and will pull all necessary permits.  

Go check different renovations around,or check the permits of the recent flips etc... or go home depot in the morning and check who comes there at 6, anf get their info.Pro desk should have plenty of them.

During that time, I received a letter from the City of Lorain about some violations, including overgrown grass, missing handrails, window frames, and not pulling the necessary permits.

.- 5 month permitting (Much longer than anticipated)- 160 days of vertical construction - The storms set us back on a few builds because it caused us to delay our septic instillation.

I know its expensive but you will be well protected :)Or you save a lot of money and be better protected by doing this consistently and well:-carry appropriate types and amounts of insurance-sign contracts with indemnification provisions- obtain all necessary licenses and permits to operate your business-ensure all vendors/contractors are licensed and insured and list you as additional insured-sign well drafted and fair leases and be a responsive landlord -be an active owner or hire an active PM  who avoids or at worse timely eliminates premises liability exposure The strategies you often read about are sold by alarmist asset protection companies who fail to disclose how impractical they are.

Poor management of contractors, permit delays, or running out of funds can extend the rehab timeline, costing you money.

However; some cities require a contractor to be on the application for permit.

These items are not permitted to biodegrade in traditional septic systems.Plumbing pipes are sensitive and must be checked regularly by scheduled plumbing professional.

I would at least get the permit to build as many units as possible.Then, you can decide to either build, package the whole deal to sell and roll the equity into something else, or refinance and buy something else.