What is a Building Permit?

Particular issues that the building permit process might address comprise of structural integrity of the framework, sanitation, water, zoning, and sewer lines, electrical service and fire protection.

When Is a Building Permit Required?

Not every home construction and renovation project require a building permit. In a lot of cases, simplistic repairs and replacements can be carried out by professional contractors or home owners devoid of applying for a permit. Nevertheless, projects that involve additions or significant changes to your home’s structure or its mechanical systems typically require you to apply for the proper permit from your local building department. If you are hiring a contractor to carry out the work, they usually are going to oversee the permit process on your behalf, factoring in the costs of the permit to their bid. If you are DYIing it, it is your responsibility for applying for the permit. Be wary that your building department might require that some kinds of work be carried out only by licensed contractors. Work on gas lines, for instance, might be prohibited to homeowners in some communities. The requirements for permits differ greatly by area, however, and the only way you can really know for sure if a permit is needed is to get a hold of your local building department and outline the work you are wanting to do. Some regions might require permits for just about every kind of work, like building a new fence. The decision whether to need a permit or not often is subject to an assessment of the associated risk the work might pose to present and future occupants of the house.

The Building Permit Process

If you are planning to do the work by yourself, the process of acquiring a building permit is to:

1. Get a hold of your local building department and describe the project you are wanting to do. If a permit is needed, an application is going to be provided to you that summarizes the requirements for applying for a permit. Some projects might require mor than one permit. A considerable remodeling project, for instance, might require a construction/ carpentry permit, a plumbing permit, and an electrical permit.
2. Fill out the permit application, including which additional materials might be required. Construction projects might require drawings or blueprints of the work you are planning.
3. Submit the building permit application and pay the fees that are required. The licensing department is going to then issue you or your contractor an official permit certificate.
4. When you start the project, post the certificate as required. This might mean securing the permit to a window or door near where the work is going to be done.
5. At the scheduled points throughout the work, get a hold of the inspection office to schedule for an inspector to come out to the building site and go over the quality of work. Should the inspector order any changes to the work, complete those changes, and schedule for the inspector to return to review the work once more.
6. After the inspector approves of the work, it is no longer needed to display the permit certificate.

Tip A lot of projects necessitate two inspections—a “rough-in” inspection at a scheduled point in the progress, then a closing inspection after the work is finished.

Can I Avoid the Building Permit?

It is regrettably somewhat typical for homeowners to finish home improvement projects devoid of applying for a building permit, paying the fee for the application, or having the project inspected and then approved. And whereas it is possible that some projects can be finished with high quality and to cause no issues, it is not wise to try and avoid the official permit process. The possible risks can include:

•  If you attempt to sell your house, the inspection for the buyer might expose re-modeling or additions that were done without the appropriate permits, and which might not be totally up to code. This might prevent you from selling your house and could require that you undo them, then redo the previous work and begin again—this time, having a permit.
• In case of a fire, structural failure, or significant plumbing issues, if it is uncovered the accident is the result of work that was carried out without permit or inspections, it’s probable your homeowner’s liability and damage policy might decline to cover the damage.