If you’re going to do significant improvements or renovations in your home, you might need to pull a building permit. A building permit gives you permission from your municipal or county government to perform work on your house. You’ll need to get one before you start the work, and you’ll need to have the work inspected by a city official. A large job might require multiple inspections, as the inspector will check your work at each stage of construction.
When you’re hiring a contractor to do work on your house, you can have the contractor pull the necessary permits – and this is usually a lot easier since contractors are familiar with the building codes and the permitting process. But if you’re doing the work yourself, you’ll have to pull the permits yourself. Here’s what you need to know.
When to Pull a Building Permit
Not all home renovations or improvements are going to require you to pull a permit. You can usually replace things like-for-like inside your home without a permit. You can replace a broken light fixture or a dripping faucet without a permit. Moreover, you can paint the walls, change the flooring, and put in new kitchen cabinets without a permit.
If you’re doing anything that changes the structure of your home or affects its value will require a permit. You’ll need a permit for some wiring and plumbing work. If you want to finish a basement or convert a garage into a bonus room, or put on an addition, you’ll need a permit for that. Moreover, if you’re building a deck or adding or removing walls, tearing down a part of your house, putting on a new roof, or rewiring or changing the piping, you’ll need a permit. If you’re not sure whether or not you need a permit for a specific job, call your local building inspection office and ask. It’s a good idea to ask even if you are sure. You might be surprised – some municipalities require permits for relatively small jobs but do not require permits for relatively larger endeavors.
How to Get a Building Permit
To get a building permit, you’re going to have to go to your local building inspections and permitting office, which is usually located in city hall. Many permitting offices these days are making resources available online to help homeowners find answers to their questions about building permits and the permitting process, and many are even using building permit software to help homeowners submit permit applications electronically.
Fill out a permit application and pay the permitting fee. The average fee for a building permit is $448 to $2,398, but keep in mind that many permits are issued for $100 or less. The more complex the job, the more permits it will need and the more they will cost. Depending on the size and complexity of your project, you may need to prepare a site plan, possibly with the help of an architect. You may need to meet with someone to clear up any corrections and revisions and get the permit approved, or you may simply have to wait while the permit moves through your local bureaucracy, which can take a few weeks. Once you have your permit, you can start construction. You should make sure to schedule inspections at appropriate intervals during the project. Usually, there is an inspection at the rough-in state, so the inspector can see what you’ve put in the walls, and one after the work is finished.
Why You Shouldn’t Go, Rogue,
It can be tempting to save the time and trouble of getting a permit and doing your work unpermitted, especially if you’re doing the work inside your home where no one can see you doing it. You will get caught if you’re trying to build an addition or a deck or something outside your home. Moreover, you could be placed under a stop work order, punishable by jail time, while the city inspects your structure. You will have to buy a permit anyway and the fees will be greatly exaggerated. Even if you somehow manage to get your renovation project done without a permit, potential buyers may be turned off if they discover that your home has unpermitted work.
As a homeowner, sometimes you need to do a big renovation project, and you need to pull a building permit. Don’t be intimidated. Most people at the local building inspections and permitting office want to help you perform your renovations properly. Keep an open mind, and you could learn a lot from city officials and inspectors.
