One of the best ideas I heard at the OBOA/MVBOC joint conference was during a discussion on what constitutes exigent circumstances. A building official said simply, “I know I have exigent circumstances when the Fire Marshall or engineer won’t go into the building to discuss the matter.” I thought that was a very good rule of thumb because it’s more than an intellectual exercise. It reminded me of a Justice Potter Stewart quote (he sat on the U.S. Supreme Court). In trying to define pornography he said that he couldn’t define it but he knew it when he saw it.