Why bother with permits on basic handyman jobs? Inspectors just nitpick anyway

I've been doing handyman work for 10 years now, mostly fixing up old houses in Pennsylvania where everything's gotta be up to code or they shut you down. Last week I got called out to install some new shelving in a garage and the homeowner insisted on a permit because the inspector in our county is a real stickler. I quoted him $450 for the job including materials like Simpson Strong-Tie brackets, but now they're dragging their feet on approval and I'm stuck waiting. It's frustrating as hell when a simple 2-hour gig turns into a week-long paperwork nightmare. Anyone else deal with this crap? Feels like I'm running a bureaucracy service half the time. Watched a video on that Essential Craftsman channel about when to pull permits, and even he said for minor stuff it's overkill, but here in PA you never know.

Screw the inspectors, man. They're just power-tripping on us small guys while the big contractors slide by with half-assed work. It's the same BS everywhere, turning honest jobs into red tape hell.