PP- What a bitch! If you're the OP then I'm not surprised he's being unresponsive. And, no, this is not June.

Hello June,
For future reference try reading the whole thread before you reply. Dont be lazy here.

It is on the engineer who signed off on the plans. The builder has already told you what to do.

Find a new contractor!

Did you hire an architect? I am trying to understand the dynamic here. Or is the engineer an 'in-house' employee of the contracting firm?

Replied in the refi topic above by mistake.

OP here. I am trying to find out how others have handled similar situations. The contract specifically states that the contractor is to obtain the permits (there is fee built in for that) Instead, he refuses to communicate with the engineer to resolve the issues, leaving us with having to do it by ourselves. There have been some transparency issues that have made the process extremely frustrating. Yes, I am aware that the contractor cannot sign or seal the drawings, nor can he made extensive changes, but he assured us that the drawings "looked" fine when in fact they were missing very obvious and important pieces. (Which would bring us back to the poor and incomplete work from a structural engineers)

If this was just about waiting until the permits come through (i.e. lack of action from the reviewers) I would agree to just settle down and wait, but there are actions required, and without a response from BOTH the contractor who supposedly "handles" the permit application and the engineer we're left in limbo causing even more delays. IF our contract stated that permits were the home owner's responsibility, this would be a different story.

And yes, of course, we checked references which were all positive.

The title of this should have been in over my head homeowner. In one case you say the contractor is unresponsive yet in another you say he refers you to the engineer. Cant have it both ways. Until the permits are ready there is nothing for the contractor to do or respond to. Please explain exactly what the problem is with the contractor and what it is thats not being communicated with you at this stage. My guess is you are trying to keep contact with the contractor on a daily basis and its starting to get irritating. You probably just need to settle down and wait for the permits to come through.

but because he did not sign and seal the drawings he refers us back to the structural engineer

Contractor can not do this. Only a licensed/registered architect or engineer can do it. Call the engineer and find out what is going on.

Did you give him any money upfront? Did you ask for references?
I would leave a message, and, in no uncertain terms, tell him that nothing happens until he calls you back. What else is your re-course? Really, other than hiring another contractor, nothing. Sorry OP

What do you do if your contractor does not respond to emails or phone calls? We're still stuck with getting permits, which is part of our agreement with the contractor, but because he did not sign and seal the drawings he refers us back to the structural engineer and does not respond to our emails at all. I am starting to get paranoid...