Building Permits and Code Inspections

Work performed by a contractor either inside or outside your house may require a building permit and subsequent code compliance inspection. The city each year updated electrical, plumbing, building, and fire codes based on national industry standards. 

These rules ensure that any work in the city is done in a workmanlike manner and is safe for you and your neighbors. Permits and inspections are not a nuisance. They protect you from inferior contract work and have done so more than a few times in the past. 

Assume that most exterior or interior changes to your house or landscaping may require a permit. House additions, remodeling work, driveway replacement, a new fence, a new roof, and patio construction - among other things - all require a building permit. 

Minor repairs do not require a permit. Minor repairs are those that put things back the way they were or that replace something broken with a similar item that do not add to or noticeably change what was there before. Examples are replacing broken appliances, fixing a rotted fence section, or resealing the driveway. If you have any doubt about whether something may be more than a minor repair, ask the building official. Do not rely and what your contractor may tell you. 

As our Building Official and police officers periodically drive through the city, they note contractor vehicles and activity at any location that does not display a permit. You risk having your work summarily stopped if required permits are not being displayed. In addition, there are fines for noncompliance.