The truth is pulling a residential building permit when required is the right thing to do for your customer and it minimizes your liability as a contractor.
It is exciting to see trucks rolling, hammers swinging, and a lot of contractors participating in the estimated $450 billion home remodeling market in the U.S. And while being busy, with a backlog, is preferred by most contractors, rushing from job-to-job to handle a bulging workload is not a reason to ignore obtaining a building permit.
Calls to our toll-free number suggest that some contractors seem to be having challenges with permitting. Questions like the following have been asked by homeowners:
- How do I respond to the pages of city permitting rejection comments?
- I have been to the city twice and still not closer to obtaining permit. What are my next steps?
- Do I pull a city permit or is my contractor responsible for obtaining permit for remodel?
A residential building permit is required for new additions, structural changes and for work that impacts the home’s foundation. A few examples of projects needing a permit include garage additions, pools, driveway replacements, patios, expansions and moving load bearing walls.
It may not be a fun experience going to your local jurisdiction or taking time to figure out how to upload the files for submitting online, but pulling a building permit ensures that your residential construction remodeling job is being built to code and is safe for your customer.
So, what is some advice to follow when you are busy and struggling to manage your time on construction jobs? Listed below are five tips to help you with pulling building permits during the peak housing remodeling season.
- Check before starting construction with home associations building requirements and obtain necessary permit
- Visit permitting jurisdiction web site in advance to review building codes and changes in permitting process
- Schedule a meeting with jurisdiction plan reviewer to review project scope if have concerns in ability to meet building codes
- Review project scope of work with your customer and make sure to note on job estimate the responsible party for obtaining building permit – contractor or the homeowner
- If scope of work dictates a building permit is needed, indicate kind of building permit required on job estimate along with approximate cost of permit
Also, as a reminder, post the building permit on the construction project site where it is visible to customer, your trades and to City Inspector.
In Conclusion
Peak season is a great opportunity to grow your home remodeling business and pulling the proper building permits builds safe structures for your customers. The above-noted five tips are meant to be a quick checklist for using before starting a residential project. If you have questions about permitting your next residential project, call 1.844.PERMIT.4. #BuildSafe
