Lack of building permit
 

It will vary a lot depending on local laws and local enforcement. For
instance, the guy in Chicago who built a porch that played a role in the
death of 12 people and didn't get a permit is looking at $250/day fine
retroactive to 1998. But most likely your fate would be less unpleasant.
They want the fee, they want any extra taxes due to assessment, and they
want your respect.

You are probably exposing yourself to liability claims to some extent. You
should consider just going in and saying you are sorry, you didn't know
there was a permit requirement, and what should you do. But ask around first
before you do that--they can make you tear down any construction built
without a permit if they feel like it. If your local building department
has a reputation for being vindictive, then it isn't so clear. You could
spend $50 and talk to a lawyer.


"Jack Symon" wrote in message
m...
I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

Lack of building permit
 

Jack Symon rambled on about something in
:

I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

It varies from town to town. Here, I would need one for any changes
(Addon, removal, or changing an existing structure), but not to
repair an existing structure. At my brothers, you don't need one for
a deck, but you do need one for everything else.

I would suggest checking into the rules for your area...

NOI

Lack of building permit
 

Jack Symon wrote:

I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?
depends on where you live.. where i live you dont need permits for alot
of things you just do it and if no one complains then you dont worry
about it.. in the next county you need a permit for just about
everyhthing you could do to a house, fence, paint, etc....... and in
this area they do go around and look for violators...................

Lack of building permit
 

"Jack Symon" wrote in message
m...
I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

Don't know, but reminds me of what happened near where I live. Person built
a large 2 story log cabin. He cut down trees on BLM land (Bureau of land
management) without a permit. Three years later BLM came and took there logs
back, tore down house.

Lack of building permit
 

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 02:37:52 GMT, 'nuther Bob
wrote:

On Thu, 3 Jul 2003 21:09:15 -0400, "donald girod"
wrote:

It will vary a lot depending on local laws and local enforcement. For
instance, the guy in Chicago who built a porch that played a role in the
death of 12 people and didn't get a permit is looking at $250/day fine
retroactive to 1998.

If it's built to code, it's unlikely you could be held liable
regardless of the lack of a building permit.

Code doesn't negate liability, and a permit doesn't ensure code
compliance. If your deck falls and kills someone, you'll get sued
regardless. :)

Jeff

Lack of building permit
 

On 3 Jul 2003 17:36:33 -0700, (Jack Symon) wrote:

I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

Locally, you may be required to obtain a permit at two to four times
the original fee. You then have to pass inspection, and if the deck
is non-complaint, it could meaning ripping it out and redoing it, or
even ripping it out and not having one depending on your local codes.

Jeff

Lack of building permit
 

Jack Symon wrote:

I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

This is simple, Jack. Just ask the building department or
whatever department issues building permits in your area
(actually you should have somebody else ask). I asked when
I had to reroof my house and here it is two times the
building permit (by the way that includes the building
permit) so $50 for a permit to build, $100 dollars if caught
building without the permit. Just make sure you follow
code. It's too late now, so just don't say anything, unless
they are really on top of things they will never catch it.
BTW my building department says they were protecting me, the
owner (from whom?) by having to have a building permit.
They never could explain how they were protecting me. Ba!
Building permits are just a way of collecting money.

This isn't a rant against building permits. Standards need
to be followed, but I don't believe homeowner repairs or
small projects should be included. I also got a building
permit for a small building that I put up, but my neighbor
and I put up a fence and later found out that a building
permit was required. I think they would have a hard time
enforcing that after 25 years.

Lack of building permit
 

I would apply for a deck permit as if it were not built yet. If you built it
according to code and you can get permit for building it you can have it
inspected AFTER getting a permit. Even if you did something minor wrong when
building your deck you will be able to correct it before inspector visit.

"Jack Symon" wrote in message
m...
I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

Lack of building permit
 

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...


Jack Symon wrote:

I have built a deck on my house without getting a building permit.
Does anyone know what kind of penalties I can face?

This is simple, Jack. Just ask the building department or
whatever department issues building permits in your area
(actually you should have somebody else ask). I asked when
I had to reroof my house and here it is two times the
building permit (by the way that includes the building
permit) so $50 for a permit to build, $100 dollars if caught
building without the permit. Just make sure you follow
code. It's too late now, so just don't say anything, unless
they are really on top of things they will never catch it.
BTW my building department says they were protecting me, the
owner (from whom?) by having to have a building permit.
They never could explain how they were protecting me. Ba!
Building permits are just a way of collecting money.


This isnt a flame but, think of it this way...
Your homes gonna be around a long time, prob.....
You wont be.

Another reason to follow code...and think about it...while YOU might be able
to do things to code, there are some out there that have a blatent
disreguard for codes, and why they exist. Would you want to live in a home
that was owned by such a person?

I would not.



This isn't a rant against building permits. Standards need
to be followed, but I don't believe homeowner repairs or
small projects should be included. I also got a building
permit for a small building that I put up, but my neighbor
and I put up a fence and later found out that a building
permit was required. I think they would have a hard time
enforcing that after 25 years.

Lack of building permit
 

CBHvac rambled on about something in
:
This isnt a flame but, think of it this way...
Your homes gonna be around a long time, prob.....
You wont be.

Another reason to follow code...and think about it...while YOU might
be able to do things to code, there are some out there that have a
blatent disreguard for codes, and why they exist. Would you want to
live in a home that was owned by such a person?

I would not.

I am. It's amazing how much time and effort I've spent, making
things right. Even small, irrelevent things, such as replacing 3 good
black colored wires in conduit that were used for hot, neutral, and
ground. Hunting down every junction box and putting a cover on it.
And my all-time favorite...Replacing a floor joist that the previous
owner cut clean thru, to run plumbing.

If you (In general) are going to do a job, it's best to do it right
the first time. Saves a lot of future headache...

NOI

Lack of building permit
 

This is simple, Jack. Just ask the building department or
whatever department issues building permits in your area
(actually you should have somebody else ask). I asked when
I had to reroof my house and here it is two times the
building permit (by the way that includes the building
permit) so $50 for a permit to build, $100 dollars if caught
building without the permit. Just make sure you follow
code.

One major issue is that once you get the permit aftert the fact, the
inspector may require removal of a portion of the work to inspect it.
In the case of the OP, that might mean proving the footings are to
code.

It's too late now, so just don't say anything, unless
they are really on top of things they will never catch it.

Most oftne it's a neighbor that rats you out. :)

BTW my building department says they were protecting me, the
owner (from whom?) by having to have a building permit.
They never could explain how they were protecting me. Ba!
Building permits are just a way of collecting money.

First, building permits *have* to generate revenue. That's what pays
for the building department. Permits protect you from future
litigation due to code violations. They do not esnure quality
workmanship, just that the work meets the current codes at the time of
the inspection.

This isn't a rant against building permits. Standards need
to be followed, but I don't believe homeowner repairs or
small projects should be included.

Repairs normally don't require permits. Neither do small projects.
For example, locally a concrete walk under 100 square feet doesn't
need a permit, but a larger walk or driveway does. Fences less than
50' long don't require a permit, and sheds under 100 square feet don't
either. Less than 1 sqaure of roofing doesn't require a permit, and
there's a provision for emergency work on roofs to repair storm damage
that allows permitting after the fact.

Of course here, a lemonade stand needs a permit... :)

I also got a building
permit for a small building that I put up, but my neighbor
and I put up a fence and later found out that a building
permit was required. I think they would have a hard time
enforcing that after 25 years.

You might find a contract for sale with a clause that states all
additions have been done to code and required permits obtained. You
can always strike it out though.

Jeff

Lack of building permit
 

clipped

Repairs normally don't require permits. Neither do small projects.
For example, locally a concrete walk under 100 square feet doesn't
need a permit, but a larger walk or driveway does. Fences less than
50' long don't require a permit, and sheds under 100 square feet don't
either. Less than 1 sqaure of roofing doesn't require a permit, and
there's a provision for emergency work on roofs to repair storm damage
that allows permitting after the fact.

Of course here, a lemonade stand needs a permit... :)

In our city, you can do tile, kitchen cabinets, soffits and fascia without
a permit. Any electrical or plumbing or structural or reroof needs a
permit. Electrical or plumbing work requires a license unless it is done
by a home owner for his own use. If done for a home that will be rented
in less than a year, it has to have licensed work. Theory probably is,
you can place yourself at risk, but not another family. Very loosely
enforced. Reroof inspections are probably eyeballed from the ground; city
inspections almost worthless, but they have the authority to make life
miserable. Being reported for work done without a permit can bring a
penalty of twice the original permit fee, unless the city escalates by
requiring the homeowner to remove the changes, then it can get scary.
Their focus is mainly on cosmetic issues where I live.

Lack of building permit
 

Jeff Cochran ) said...

Code doesn't negate liability, and a permit doesn't ensure code
compliance. If your deck falls and kills someone, you'll get sued
regardless. :)

True, but build it without the proper permits and inspections, and you
are just making the case for the plaintiff.

Why make it easier for them?

--
Calvin Henry-Cotnam
"Never ascribe to malice what can equally be explained by incompetence."
- Napoleon
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: if replying by email, remove the capital letters!