Bought a fixer-upper? Sprucing up your house to sell? Yes, a
building permit (and the fee that comes with it) might be mandatory for that
new fence, deck, or electrical work.
Small faucet or disposal fixes, interior painting and minor
stucco repair, as well as ordinary air conditioning maintenance, will probably need
no permit. Once you get beyond basic upkeep, though, you’ll want to call the
local building and licensing department first.
If you’re told a permit is necessary, consider calling a pro
to pull the permit and do the job. Why? A permit represents a legal
responsibility to precisely meet the code. Skipping a permit today could come
back to bite an owner tomorrow — if someone or something gets damaged, or when
the time comes to sell the home. A seller with home improvements on a survey or
title search, but without the right records, can face major problems. And sometimes
a permit makes the difference between getting homeowner’s insurance to cover a repair
or not.
Simply stated, it’s a violation of your local and state laws
to carry out work without a necessary permit. So, check with your local
building department when you’re making renovation plans. Get familiar with the
way the relevant inspection process works. Permit inspections at key phases of
the work prevent errors and solidify the value in your home improvements.
Without further ado, here are some of the most common
do-it-yourself projects that could need a permit. There are many more projects
that could, so consider this a brief intro to the topic. We hope it raises
awareness and helps guide our readers’ next major home improvement plan.
Continue reading “DIY Renovations? Everything You Wanted to Know (or Not) About Permits”
