Does a building inspector nail you for unpermitted work?

[oldmachinenut]

most permits are money grabs for the municipality

I was a councilman in my town this is 100% correct. The permit info is then forwarded to the county. When I had my roof replaced (permitted) the county assessment workers showed up and were measuring and taking pictures of most of my property. It is all about money.

 

[welder4956]

It's hard not to notice an ac unit imo.

True, but I doubt a concrete inspector is going to check your AC or anything else outside his area of expertise. I would not worry about it. The worst that could happen is that they would cite you and require you to pull a permit and have it inspected after the fact.

 

[larry4406]

The house I’m currently in had a poorly finished basement and at purchase we noticed it and checked with the permits office proving it was done without permit. We negotiated $$ off the sales price. The county knew it was there as they had it on the tax role.

I pulled a permit to demo the basement. When I got the permit finaled I walked over to the real estate tax office and they took it off. Coincidentally 3 years later when reassessments came, they bumped it back to the prior value.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

True, but I doubt a concrete inspector is going to check your AC or anything else outside his area of expertise. I would not worry about it. The worst that could happen is that they would cite you and require you to pull a permit and have it inspected after the fact.

That was an example. I'm going to be adding onto my building, so they'll be inside.

 

[red61cj5]

When the electric inspector checked my garage hook up, he just looked at the panel, made sure I had a ground rod, and collected his money. Didn’t care about the wiring or anything inside. He basically said “if you electrocuted yourself inside, it’s on you”.

 

[welder4956]

That was an example. I'm going to be adding onto my building, so they'll be inside.

If you are adding onto the building and will be installing AC or tapping into the existing AC, I would expect that to be checked by the inspector. Does your area require that only a licensed HVAC tech can install or modify an AC system?

 

[PoorUB]

I would not worry about a AC unit. Now a new deck, or a new shed or shop building and no permit will raise some flags.

As for getting the permit, at least in my area, get them. It can save you heart aches down the road. I know a guy that built a shed in his backyard, not permit and it was obviously not to code. Can you say tar paper shack? It was also easily seen from a busy street. Someone complained and the city came out to take a look. Today the shed is gone and so is the unpermitted wood burner in his shop. I don't know what else the found, but around here the inspectors get nasty when they find unpermitted work, at least larger stuff and tend to look over the whole property with a fine tooth comb.

Why contractors don't get permits? So they can get the job done faster and no worry about a code issues. I would not hire a contractor that did not get a permit. Depending on the area the inspectors can be tough. I worked in HVAC for years and the inspector was very tough and by the book, he was also fair and easy to work with if you did things correctly. Now on the other side companies that were hacks didn't last long, or they cleaned up there act. It leveled the playing field for contractors because the job had to at least meet codes where where there is no inspections anything goes. After I got out of the field I worked as an route salesman for an HVAC supply. Traveling out in the country where there was no inspections was scary. I have actually seen stuff so poorly done by more than one of my customers I told him to clean up their act or don't take me into their jobs because I didn't want to see it and assume any responsibility for it.

I built a deck on the back of my house. The city provides a code book in regards to decks to homeowners at no charge. When I got done I called the inspector and he stopped by for a look. He spent about 10 minutes looking it over, even crawled underneath to check the framing. He smiled and said "Nice job!" and signed off. He went on to tell me how many times homeowners get a permit, they get a copy of the deck building codes and still half as it.

I like inspectors and building codes as long as the inspections follows the codes and just doesn't collect the fees and never inspect.

 

[PoorUB]

That was an example. I'm going to be adding onto my building, so they'll be inside.

That may be an issue! But you could easily claim ignorance as you paid someone to do the job and did not check to see if they got a permit.

 

[472scout]

Stories have limited value.

People are too afraid to call their local gov. Something like this I would call and ask what's the process to correct unpermitted work. That way you know what the potential repercussions are in YOUR locale. Obviously, don't give them too many details. Tell them you were looking at a property to buy or something.

 

[Sumboodie]

The response here should make it clear that this is location-dependent. There are municipalities that will bust you for every little thing under the sun and there are those that will let you put an addition on your house with no paperwork.

Only permits needed here that I know of are for a **** tank and putting in a road/driveway off a borough road.

 

[marinusdees]

Say he's there to inspect a driveway or give a permit for a driveway and sees you have an a.c. unit that wasn't permitted. Is he going to make you get a permit for it?

Years ago, I was told they have "tunnel vision". At least where I live, and at that time. By the contractor.

 

[jkuro]

Most municipalities don't require a permit if the work being done is by the home owner. If a contractor is to be used then a permit is required. Check first before work is started.

 

[mike93lx]

Most municipalities don't require a permit if the work being done is by the home owner. If a contractor is to be used then a permit is required. Check first before work is started.

Source?

Some, sure. Most? Not from what I've seen

 

[jkuro]

I disagree, it's IMPRESSIVELY true!

 

[manwithtools]

I disagree, it's IMPRESSIVELY true!

If you say so

 

[IBEME]

I once had a neighbor that put an extension on their house, maybe 20x20. Years later the inspector came by
and threaten to have the walls opened up because he said they did not get a permit. Lucky for them they kept
a log and had all of the work permitted and had the log signed by the inspector as the work was completed.
It was the same inspector.

 

[jkuro]

I do say so!

 

[jkuro]

I say so IMPRESSIVELY!

 

[Wrench97]

Most municipalities don't require a permit if the work being done is by the home owner. If a contractor is to be used then a permit is required. Check first before work is started.

Around here you need a permit to change a kitchen faucet and a licensed plumber.................
It's about the tax money you improve the property they reassess and collect more in taxes, pools decks, sheds concrete work any excuse will do.

 

[ozyborn]

Have not pulled a permit in 20 years, not going to start now. Do the work right to begin with and do not worry about it. Just a way for the county to raise your taxes even more.

 

[TRWham]

We permit all additions, decks and any projects involving structural modification that requires engineering. All others we leave up to the client to choose. There is cost associated including the permit itself plus PM time waiting on inspectors. All work is done to meet or exceed prevailing code within the jurisdiction regardless of permit.

 

[LeonardY]

Just a bit of a side story about permits.

Neighbor is a commercial real estate guy. He decided to cut back an engineered slope without a permit. The day the four concrete trucks showed up so did a building inspector to inspect a deck next door. All four trucks were sent back and the the guy was fined. He still did it only with a permit. There was a inspector there daily.

I found out later that he had ticked off the concrete supplier and they were the ones that alerted the city.

 

[driftpin]

In S.E. FL an unpermitted job discovered usually means 'double the fee.' You pay 2X the permit fee, and they pull your record of permits, their status and they compare what's there now with what had-been done previously. Discrepancies are to be rectified.

 

[Wheelingit]

It really depends on your location. I extended and screened in my deck two years ago. Also installed electrical outlets in ceiling and fan. Permit absolutely required but I did it without it anyway. However all done to code. When I installed my garage last year I got a permit since a new building would be quite obvious. Inspector came out and never even looked at the enclose deck 50 feet away. He asked if I was going to put electric in the garage. I said yes at a later date. He gave me the final inspection and signed off on all. I had an electrician friend wire the building without a permit. All done to code. So that is how I flew. If I got nailed, all would have passed. If you don't get a permit be sure you do all to code. You don't want problems down the road if you sell.

 

[danfromsyr]

this is because they need to make sure that the smoke alarm was installed as code required
on a non-switched circuit. can't have it on/off with a light switch.. as some people inadvertently would likely do if there was no nanny inspection required.

I think it really depends on the inspector and how hungry the city/county/state is for money.

When I lived in St. Paul I didn't pull permits for a furnace replacement, partial roof replacement, remodeled bath, electrical, etc. and had no issues when I sold the house. House was inspected per city requirements when I sold and nobody cared that there were no permits.

My brother lives across the park from where I lived and contracted to have a new roof and addition added to his house. The inspectors, as well as the contractor, were a royal pain but the worst was that the inspector saw a wired smoke alarm per city code and went back to see if a permit was pulled to install it. The smoke alarm was already wired in when he bought the house but apparently wasn't done under permit by the previous owner. The city made my brother pull a permit to wire in the smoke alarm. He did nothing other then call for the inspection, they came out again and said yup, it is there and closed the permit.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Looks like the code says two structures have to be 20ft apart unless it's used for residential purposes they only have to be 5ft away. They have it worded weird. I think I'll just put them 5ft away miggt as well be the same as being connected then tell them I'll do the electrical later and have my buddy wire up some lights and maybe a couple outlets. The inspectors shouldn't even need to come inside the existing building then or even come inside the fenced area. Spent the day cutting the grass today and I think just putting the new building next to the existing one seems to be the best option. There's an abandoned septic system pretty much in the middle of the property that I don't want to mess with. Plus there's like 3 good sized trees that would probably need to be removed.

 

[jmiller_2308]

this is because they need to make sure that the smoke alarm was installed as code required
on a non-switched circuit. can't have it on/off with a light switch.. as some people inadvertently would likely do if there was no nanny inspection required.

Ok, sure I can see the need to be sure it is installed correctly but then the question is why didn't it get checked when my brother bought the house as it was already there and the city inspections are supposed to ensure that everything is up to code before the house is sold.

Additionally, his inspector did not check any wiring to make sure the alarm wasn't on a switch. They simply looked and said, "yup, it is a smoke alarm that has wires going to it".

So good theory but ultimately I believe everything still depends upon the inspector and perhaps how much revenue is needed.

BTW: I have become a boy scout and dutifully pull all permits now. I've found most of my inspectors to be good people with some good advice to share but I've also had a few less than stellar ones as well. I've paid a lot for my permits and only about 1/2 of the time do the inspectors seem to do anything other than say "yup, XYZ is there". Oh yes, my property value at the city does seem to always precipitously go up after closing a permit.

 

[mike93lx]

Ok, sure I can see the need to be sure it is installed correctly but then the question is why didn't it get checked when my brother bought the house as it was already there and the city inspections are supposed to ensure that everything is up to code before the house is sold.

Additionally, his inspector did not check any wiring to make sure the alarm wasn't on a switch. They simply looked and said, "yup, it is a smoke alarm that has wires going to it".

So good theory but ultimately I believe everything still depends upon the inspector and perhaps how much revenue is needed.

BTW: I have become a boy scout and dutifully pull all permits now. I've found most of my inspectors to be good people with some good advice to share but I've also had a few less than stellar ones as well. I've paid a lot for my permits and only about 1/2 of the time do the inspectors seem to do anything other than say "yup, XYZ is there". Oh yes, my property value at the city does seem to always precipitously go up after closing a permit.

A city/county checking things over before a sale is not normal. All that will often happen is your attorney should make sure there are no open permits.

In MA, you write up a disclosure, noting any unpermitted work. Mine was a solid couple paragraphs of notes. Buyer beware. It's on the buyer to perform inspections, if your contract allows. The buyers of my last house waived all inspections (which was necessary due to how hot the market was. I wouldn't have accepted a contract with inspection contingencies).

In VA, I didn't even get a disclosure. Same deal, buyer beware.

I would never allow a town/county inspector in my house unless required by law

 

[Mainiac Mat]

Here in small town ME, they're pretty lax. Our code inspector has gone so far as to consult me how to "technically comply" and then make changes later without telling anyone. He's a good guy and I try to make sure I pull a permit for anything major.

I personally wouldn't want to live in a nanny-state environment with the CEO's office acting like an overly aggressive HOA.

 

[nadogail]

The short answer is "it Depends". Depends on the community, the Inspector, the property owner and everyone's disposition and attitude.

 

[jmdirk]

Well, if it's a work in progress, (i.e. in the middle of building a deck) and they come to inspect for your building (just as an example), I can see a inspector asking if you have a permit for the deck. But for work that is complete, I doubt they'll even notice it. They'd have to go through the entire history of permits for the property to see if the A/C was permitted separately or part of a bigger job - or even included in the original permit for building the house.

Unless someone is really bored and/or has a vendetta against you, I doubt they'll be too concerned about coming in to see that every single this on the property has been permitted.

 

[engineer2]

Our local building department told me "A permit is required for ALL work on your home, no matter how minor, but we can't really control what people do inside their home." Village employees drive around looking for signs of construction and many neighbors rat on each other.

Someday I'm going to go down there with a nail and tell them I need to fix a loose fence picket to see if they hit me up for the $35 permit.

In our town they hire an inspection company instead of having inspectors on the payroll. Nice folks and I've educated a few when they admitted they had no familiarity with what I was doing.

The next town over is very strict because they've had issues with shoddy DIY work on already crappy homes. If they see tools outside, you'll have an inspector stopping by within hours to see what you are up to.

 

[jar944]

No.

Unless whomever built or installed something is so much of a hack that the sight of the work is so egregious the inspector (or anyone with common sense) is stopped in their tracks while letting out a audible gasp followed by "what in the **** is this ****"

Otherwise like I said first.. No.

 

[L5wolvesf]

We had an inspector here to look at fixing an non permitted add on the previous owner had done. In the process he noticed that the electric panel was in a place it was no longer allowed to be. He suggested as part of the permitting we move the panel. He didn't write it up but we added that to the job and it wasn't a big deal.

 

[Bert_]

It's hard not to notice an ac unit imo.

I might worry if it was a whole new building that should have had permits. No way is somebody going to notice an ac unit.

 

[TractorJeff]

My neighbor pulled a Permit 20 years ago to rebuild the Front Porch on his House. 6 years later the "temporary" winter plastic walls became a screened in Porch. 6 years ago, the Porch got totally enclosed to become a finished room without a Permit. 2 years ago, after 45% of his Circle Drive was Concrete, the Building Inspector showed up with a "Halt and Desist" Notice! The Neighbor pleaded ignorance that the Concrete Contractor was supposed to have pulled the Permit. He paid double the Permit Fee cost and was issued a Permit.
POINT IS, Nothing was ever said about the Porch becoming a Finished Room which means previous Permits were never checked!
Here the County annually flies over to photograph for Tax purposes, If the foot print isn't growing, then they don't know what has changed.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

Looks like the code says two structures have to be 20ft apart unless it's used for residential purposes they only have to be 5ft away. They have it worded weird. I think I'll just put them 5ft away miggt as well be the same as being connected then tell them I'll do the electrical later and have my buddy wire up some lights and maybe a couple outlets. The inspectors shouldn't even need to come inside the existing building then or even come inside the fenced area. Spent the day cutting the grass today and I think just putting the new building next to the existing one seems to be the best option. There's an abandoned septic system pretty much in the middle of the property that I don't want to mess with. Plus there's like 3 good sized trees that would probably need to be removed.

The setbacks in my area are 5 feet, which if you have a neighbor implies 10 feet between adjacent structures.

My brother-in-law is in a weird position where a neighbor put a shed in his backyard within his property boundary. Then he put up a fence and the company went 5 feet around their shed since there's supposed to be 5 feet. However due to the placement of the shed, that one fence line ended up encroaching between 1-2 ft over his property line. He wasn't paying that much attention at first, but noticed it after the fact. Whatever inspection process was or was not done didn't catch it.

He hasn't done anything about it, but just something to think about if your neighbors (or future neighbors) are not quite as nice about it.

 

[Ralf11]

Im certain it's a regional thing as well as the mood the inspector is in

yup - and they might gig you for 2x the original permit fee

can you hide it?

or say "that's been there forever, it was there when I bought the place"

 

[jar944]

The setbacks in my area are 5 feet, which if you have a neighbor implies 10 feet between adjacent structures.

My brother-in-law is in a weird position where a neighbor put a shed in his backyard within his property boundary. Then he put up a fence and the company went 5 feet around their shed since there's supposed to be 5 feet. However due to the placement of the shed, that one fence line ended up encroaching between 1-2 ft over his property line. He wasn't paying that much attention at first, but noticed it after the fact. Whatever inspection process was or was not done didn't catch it.

He hasn't done anything about it, but just something to think about if your neighbors (or future neighbors) are not quite as nice about it.

Around here ther is no permit needed for the shed or fence (under certain sizes)

no permit, no inspection, no problems?

 

[Ralf11]

govts. use permits to see if your property has been improved so they can get more tax bucks

BUT permits are important to make sure some numbskull doesn't build somethings dangerous (say, a deck in WV) not just to the current or next homeowner, but to prevent a fire in the city or a big sewage flood onto the neighbor's place