Skip to main content
Before They Build™

A handbook for prepared neighbors.

How it works3-Question GuideCommunity GuideEvidenceMy RecordResourcesShopSupportAboutContactStart here
  1. Home
  2. /Investigation
A tool. Investigation checklist. · Document · Binder Tab C — Research · Companion: Research a Project Handbook
CBinder C · Research

Tool · Investigation

Investigate a proposed project.

Six steps from rumor to record. Private to this device. When you finish, print a one-page summary for your binder.

≈12 min read

Progress

0 of 6 steps

1

Identify

2

Document the site today

Photos themselves live in your Evidence record.

3

Search public records

4

Contact planning staff

5

Verify against the record

6

Decide

My position

All of the above stays on this device. Read the framework in The Research a Project Handbook.

Next step

Where readers usually go from here

Open the Research-a-Project HandbookStep-by-step companion to the checklist.
  • Save findings to your Record →Keep what you found, where you found it.
  • Confirm jurisdiction in the Agency Directory →Make sure the right office actually decides.
Investigation Summary · August 3, 2026

Project investigation

Approval type pending

1 — Identify

Parcel / address
Applicant
Application #
Type of approval
Hearing date

2 — Documented

Not yet documented.

3 — Searched

  • — none yet

4 — Contacted

No contact yet.

5 — Verified

Ordinance cited
Staff recommendation

6 — Decision

Position—
Key fact
Key concern
Acceptable condition
Deadline to act

Generated August 3, 2026 · Private to this device · beforetheybuild.com/investigation

Back to the handbookBackBinder Tab C — ResearchSave to my RecordNext

Reader-supportedFound this useful? Chip in to keep it free for the next neighbor.

$3$5$10Why give? →

Community Record Series · Vol. 01 · Founder's Edition · V1.0

Prepared for neighbors, communities, and local decision-makers.

Before They Build™A neighbor education project

Understand. Prepare. Participate.

A neighbor-friendly guide for understanding, documenting, participating in, and preserving the decisions that shape your street.

Prepared Neighbor Checklist

  • ✓ I understand the proposal.
  • ✓ I know the important dates.
  • ✓ I know who makes the decision.
  • ✓ I have gathered the facts.
  • ✓ I am prepared to participate.

The Library · Civic Canon · Best of · Sitemap · Binder Map

Start here

  • First Steps
  • Shop
  • Editions
  • Series
  • Community
  • Institutions
  • The Civic Library
  • The Civic Canon
  • Field Reports
  • Collections
  • Field Guides

Use the platform

  • My Community Record
  • Civic Workbench
  • Group Workflows
  • Meeting Packets
  • Civic Toolkit
  • Evidence Bundles
  • Project Trackers
  • All Handbooks
  • Response Directory
  • Agency Library

About & Trust

  • Our mission
  • Editorial
  • Trust Dashboard
  • Where this is going
  • Corrections
  • Impact
  • Contributors
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Plate Registry
  • Edition log
  • What's new
  • Edition 13 changes
  • Glossary
  • Press kit
  • Outreach kit
  • Partners
  • Friends of the Record
  • Sponsor Criteria
  • Refund policy
  • For librarians
  • For teachers
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • System status
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
  • Terms

Before They Build Newsletter — monthly publishing notes

New editions, jurisdictions added, corrections of record, one civic case study, one practical tip.Read the archive →

Before They Build Newsletter · Monthly

Monthly updates on local government, public notices, new handbook editions, and practical civic resources.

One email a month. Unsubscribe in one click.

Legacy

  • Public Hearing Handbook
  • Hearing Survival Card
  • Rezoning Handbook
  • Meeting Helper
  • Public Records Handbook
  • Research a Project
  • Easement Handbook
  • Understanding Local Government
  • Noise & Construction
  • Water & Wetlands
  • Wildlife
  • Understanding Permits

Helping communities understand local decisions before they become permanent.

Before They Build Press · An imprint of ShellMiddy Inc. · Independently published. No advertisers. No partisan funding.

Before They Build™ is supported by readers and mission supporters. Core educational resources remain free. Support the mission.

Everyday note. Before They Build is a civic handbook for prepared neighbors. For decisions involving money, property, or rights, confirm with a local attorney or the appropriate office. Published by ShellMiddy Inc.

© 1970 Before They Build™. All rights reserved. · Permissions · Last updated January 1970.

Founder's Edition · V1.0 · July 2026 · launch note · roadmap · feedback welcome

Set in Fraunces and Source Serif. Printed for the public record.