It's all about money. With times the way they are these guys need to drum up cash anyway they can.
Here's my wonderful code experience:
I rented a small 1,000 square foot warehouse. Contract required an occupational license which probably triggered a fire inspection.
Fire inspector shows up Aug. 14th and is impressed by all my extra extinguishers, safety measures etc. He then compliments me on how nice the space looks. He says it's "too nice" and fails my fire inspection until I can show permits for mezzanine. How any of this has anything to do with the fire inspection is beyond me. Of course, his inspection cost $100.
I then find out from the building dept. in order to get everything "approved" I have to permit EVERYTHING and submit two copies of plans signed and sealed. I hire someone to do this for $1,100 and submit the plans end of August. The plans just TODAY made it thru approved. Now I have to schedule all the inspections. All of this for a small mezzanine and some lights. The only thing worse than how slow the process moves is the total lack of common sense. I still don't understand why someone from the city couldn't just come out and give a quick inspection with a "to do" list of grievances.
I am being punished but no one else is. They indiscrimantely enforce the rules yet all my neighbors have junk, fuel filled death traps. The building dept. supervisor told me if they actually inspected the warehouse areas 90% of them would be shut down and out of business. He failed to explain why I have to follow the rules but no one else does.
Thankfully I did everything to code so I shouldn't have any major headaches but some of the stuff they come up with for an industrial space is laughable. The space had an existing bathroom and they were going to have me make it handicap accessible despite the fact that it isn't open to the public. In my town you need to get permit to change an existing toilet! Can you believe that? I had to submit a separate permit and wait on the plumbing dept. to approve my toilet change out. At this point it wouldn't surprise me if I couldn't change a light bulb without a permit. Oh, every step of the way they want money, money, money!
The whole thing is frustrating and has cemented my belief that ANYTHING run by our government, state or federal, is a joke.
Truth be told both my landlord and the president of the association told me prior to signing the lease that any mezzanine less than 1/3 the size of the warehouse did not require a permit. I should have know better. The real kicker is that the building dept. head told me to just "walk away from the lease and stick it to the owner since they are liable anyway". I guess that's just our new national anthem now.
I'm too hard headed. In the end it's my fault for not doing my due diligence and I'm going to see it through. Next time I'l be sure to check the building dept. records before renting anything.
I think the suggestion of calling the building department is a sound one. That would tell you the answer as to whether or not you need a permit. As has been said, more than likely, unless you are in the sticks, you probably need a permit, and they have the right to come tell you that. 
" Goes in your file
but they aren't supposed to do anything until property changes hands, then you must deal with it.