Publication date: 02/05/2010

First home project step may be a permit

When I talk with people about home remodeling projects, the conversation usually gets around to whether or not they need to get a permit from their city or township for the project. Unfortunately, too many people don't understand the permit process or try to avoid "pulling a permit" because they don't want to incur the costs of permit fees.

It is important for homeowners to know when they need to get a permit and to understand the process because it is designed to protect the consumer. Before you begin work on your home, take the time to understand your city or township's permit process. While it may add some cost or time to the home remodeling process, it can help you avoid bigger problems.

Building permits are administered through your local city or township and are designed to ensure that work being done on your home meets both the state building codes and local ordinances.

According to Pete Wizniuk, assistant director for the City of Warren's Division of Buildings and Safety Engineering, (586) 574-4504, www.cityofwarren.org, the common excuse that he hears from people that don't get a permit is avoiding the permit fees. And others don't even realize that a permit is needed.

"Many people think putting new gutters on a home is too minor a job to need a permit, but Warren does actually require one for that," Pete said.

Contact your city about permits for such things as decks, roofing, heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical, sheds, gazebos, pools and fences. The good news is that most municipalities have detailed information and applications available on their Web sites. But if you are not sure about your project, it is always better to talk with someone at city hall. Make sure to write down the day and time of your call, and also the name of the person you talked with.

Pete explained once a project is completed, a city inspector will go to the home to make sure the work is up to code and doesn't violate any city ordinances. If it doesn't pass, they will tag it with instructions on how to bring it up to code, and then re-inspect the work after it has been fixed properly.

In addition to knowing when they need to get a permit, homeowners need to remember that they should never pull the permit themselves unless they are actually doing the work. Instead, let the contractor pull the permit from the city. If a contractor asks someone else to pull a permit, they either may not be correctly licensed to do the work, or they may be trying to absolve themselves from liability.

"If something happens to a home as a result of faulty workmanship, the insurance company may not cover the damages if you didn't get a permit and have the work inspected and approved by the city," says Mike Bratcher of Brachter Electric, (734) 722-0037, www.bratcherelectric.com. "That's particularly true with electrical work, because faulty workmanship could lead to an electrical fire in the home."

So from now on, when a contractor gives you the overall job pricing sheet, make sure that all permit fees are included in the price. That way you'll really have the total cost of the job.

Note: This article was accurate at the date of publication. However, information contained in it may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.

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