Though standards vary in each municipality, I can say with near certainty that almost any renovation you do to your house probably requires one or more permits with your local government. Permits are required for the following reasons:
- towns want to make sure you are not breaking any zoning laws that can lead to problems in the future
- towns want to be able to make sure that you are doing quality work so that things are safe and house values remain constant or increase (which also protects homeowners from poor workmanship from contractors)
- towns want to reassess your taxable value so they can make more tax revenue
- towns want to generate fee income from inspections and paperwork that comes along with permits
I can't find any definitive nationwide stats, but a couple of sources I've found claim that between 60% and 70% of all work done on homes is not permitted, but should have been. Since I've owned my home, I've always gotten permits when the law required it (I think). I've always gone the official route not because I love to increase my taxes or because I like to fill out paperwork, but because I'm neurotic and can't sleep at night with the worry a neighbor will call the town or problems will arise when I go to sell the house. When I had my furnace and AC replaced, I needed three separate permits, and I suppose I feel a little better knowing it was certified by the town as installed correctly, but was it worth the $75 annual increase to my tax bill? I don't think so.
So, is there really much incentive to pull those permits? I think it depends on your level of comfort with a number of things, including
- your confidence in yourself or contractor to do a proper job
- your faith that neighbors won't report unpermitted activities they might see
- your ability to not let your conscience or worry-wart tendencies to get the best of you
Without incriminating yourselves, does anyone have any comments or experiences on this topic?
2 comments:
Huh? Permits? What are you talking about?...
When contractors are doing work on my house, I want permits. And I check their work. When it is me (the norm), I no longer pull permits. I know the codes; I follow them as closely as possible.
The times when I knowingly do not follow the codes are not earth shattering occassions...I'm still making improvements, but not at the expense of my home's integrity. Exhibit A: my stairs to the second floor do not meet current code. I modified them (eg. they couldn't be grandfathered) but did not fix the aspects that would fail them by today's standards. They're still better than they were and they're no worse than most other houses in the neighborhood.
Around here, it seems the point of permits is only to trigger an inside appraisal by the county. You know...when they knock on your door and ask to take a look around. Seems kind of intrusive.
When I purchased my first house, before I was hardcore DIY, the electrical service had to be upgraded so I could get insurance coverage. A company came in and did the work and the inspector approved the work. A few months later, I realized they totally screwed up part of the work. I trust myself more than any inspector.
(Posted Anonymously to avoid incriminating myself)
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