Is it required to get building permits before starting a remodel?

Many house renovations and repairs are carried out by homeowners and even some professionals without the benefit of legally needed building licenses and the mandated inspections that accompany them.

The reasons for avoiding these laws might be that a homeowner or contractor wants to avoid the cost of the permit or that they are concerned that taxes would rise if modifications are formally cataloged. Reasons differ from person to person.

However, many of the concerns regarding the permission procedure are unfounded. Furthermore, there is a high risk of difficulties if you do not apply for and obtain the necessary licenses.

What Is a Building Permit?

A building permit is a certificate issued by a local governmental body certifying that work was completed to a specific standard. Because it is referred to as a permit (that is, a permission), it must be secured prior to the start of the job. The permit is closed out and authorized once the work is finished properly.

Building permits are only valid for a specific period of time. Once a building permit is issued, you do not have an infinite amount of time to begin and finish the work. Typically, you must begin within six months or a year. Typically, projects must be finished within a year or 18 months.

Permit Usually Required

Permits Aren't Always Necessary

Some homeowners may believe that each repair or enhancement they make to their home will be examined with a fine-tooth comb by an inspector determined to find every defect.

In actuality, numerous repairs and upgrades may be carried out without the need for a permit. The laws for this vary greatly from town to community, and the same project that need a construction permit and regular inspections in one jurisdiction may not necessitate them in another.

In general, you can replace many existing parts of your home on a one-for-one basis without obtaining a permission. A permit is required for any work that alters the structure of your house or represents a real estate improvement.

A broken light switch or a leaking faucet, for example, may be replaced without a permit, but adding a deck or a room expansion requires one. There may be online tools in your town that clarify what sorts of work require permits and inspections, or you can phone the permit office and ask to speak with an inspector.

You Can Contact the Permit Office

Calling the local building inspections and permit office for permitting guidance is typically possible, and you may often do it anonymously.

While permit offices are increasingly encouraging individuals to seek assistance online, there are just too many variables and gray areas that can be resolved with online assistance.

The permit office serves to guarantee that house modifications are done safely and without putting homeowners in danger. Inspectors who are in the office and available to address inquiries should be available. If there isn't an inspector accessible right now, one will call you back.

Permit fees might be too expensive.

A building permit usually does not have a predetermined charge. Permit prices might vary depending on the project's projected cost and complexity.

Construction a fence, for example, may need a $55 permit, but constructing a huge new house may necessitate a $2,000 building permit.

In 2020, the national average building permit cost is around $1,327, with an usual range of approximately $400 to approximately $2,200.

However, these typical costs reflect numerous permits for new house construction, and there are many projects for which building permits cost $100 or less. Permit fees are frequently calculated as a proportion of the project's estimated cost. If you're dealing with a contractor, the permit charges are generally included in the quotation you've received.

Permits for the owner/builder can be issued.

Local inspection offices frequently grant permits to homeowners to perform various types of work on their own, including acting as a GC (general contractor) when building an entire house. Your town may grant an unique owner/builder permit for this type of project, allowing you to inhabit the house for a set length of time (typically approximately a year) while subcontracting out the various jobs for the construction.

Instead of employing a general contractor, you act as your own as an owner/builder. This allows you to avoid the unpleasant 15- to 25-percentage-point cost levied by GCs.

However, you must also bear the load of possible obligations, many of which might be severe. Hiring a qualified, insured, and bonded contractor protects you from these risks.

It's essential to understand that owner-builder permits do not enable you to work on properties you don't own.

Easements Can Have an Impact on Your Project

You presumably have an easement when a power line, sewage main, walkway, or other common-and-continuous service channel crosses through your property—a legal limitation that bans you from making improvements that impact or restrict these utility lines or other features.

In some cases, a piece of your land may be set aside for a prospective future road. You will be unable to construct on any section of your land where an easement is recorded.

Check your property plat, which is accessible online or at your county assessor's office, to learn about any easements that are in force. Easements are generally not allowed to be built on, unless they are for small improvements such as fences.

Property setbacks are important.

Setbacks are regulated buffers between property borders and permanent structures that assist communities preserve a sense of openness while also providing safety margins in the case of a fire.

For example, if you are expanding the side of your house, you must be aware of the setback distances needed by your local building code. There will very certainly be setback regulations for extending a property to the front and back of a dwelling.

This usually entails keeping a minimum space between the edges of structures and the surveyed property borders. These setback requirements might apply to structural house extensions, garages, sheds, and decks. Again, your local building inspection agency can inform you of the current setback rules.

Variations are possible.

While easements are seldom waived, breaches of setbacks and other zoning restrictions are occasionally permitted through the legal process of requesting for and getting a variance.

A variance is a legally sanctioned deviation from zoning regulations. Variances are most often obtained when a homeowner seeks to build a larger residence on the property than is permitted by zoning laws.

By seeking a variance, the homeowner may be able to construct that larger home or finish a room expansion that violates setback rules. When a deviation is requested, the permit office may speak with neighbors, and their agreement may be critical to securing the variance.

Approval is required for standard building plans.

You may believe that any published or developed by an architect home design or blueprint, or any published building plan for a shed or garage, is automatically adequate to acquire a permit. After all, there are a plethora of stock construction designs available on the Internet.

However, your local building permit authority will need to evaluate these drawings before accepting or rejecting them. Even if the stock plans were designed by an architect, your office may demand that the plans be prepared by a licensed architect in your state.

Restrictions Can Be Added by CCRs

Conditions, covenants, and restrictions (CCRs) that are commonly found in planned communities, subdivisions, or planned unit projects can also be a stumbling block when applying for a permit (PUDs). CCRs function as shadow zoning regulations—ordinances inside ordinances.

These limitations are in addition to local regulations, and you must comply with them in order to avoid breaking your contractual agreement with the neighborhood association.

Inspections are mandatory.

The inspection is an essential component of the entire permit procedure, and you or your contractor should never skip it.

Some projects will even have two inspections: one during the rough-in stage and one at the end. The inspector's job is to ensure that the work is done in compliance with local codes.

It is frequently a quick, inconsequential visit. When an inspector is already familiar with the work of a contractor, the inspection can be quick yet comprehensive. If the repair was done by a homeowner, inspectors may spend extra time on the inspection.

Failed inspections can be re-inspected.

One reason homeowners delay applying for building permits is fear of failing an all-or-nothing inspection.

In most situations, you will be able to rectify any errors that have been identified. Once the work is completed to his or her satisfaction, the inspector will return for a second inspection (or more, if required) and sign-off (or close) the permit.

Ignoring the Permit Process Can Have Serious Consequences

It might be quite tempting to disregard the permission procedure and hide the work you are performing, especially if it is within your house where you can operate without anybody noticing. While you may be able to get away with it, it is equally possible that such shortcuts will cost you dearly in the end.

If it is discovered that you performed work without a needed permission, you may be obliged to apply for one after the fact, at a much higher cost. In order for the job to be examined, you may even have to pull out walls or ceilings. If you make any mistakes, you'll have to scrap the entire project and start again.

Your homeowner's insurance coverage may be impacted as well. For example, if you have a flood or a fire caused by faulty plumbing or electrical work, your insurance policy may reject coverage if the work was done without a permit.