All of the All Pro Home Inspectors here at All Pro Home Inspectors Inc. get questioned by our Ponte Vedra Beach, FL home buyers every now and then if particular improvements or additions identified (or disclosed by the home sellers) must be or must have been permitted. Our answer generally depends upon precisely what was altered, improved or added to the house in question. Through the years and right after doing thousands of pre-purchase home All Pro Home Inspections, we’ve found out that almost all house buyers, home sellers, and homeowners do not know what must be permitted vs what might not need to be permitted. This particular list will help as a good way to start in determining if the addition or modification must be permitted according to the latest International Residential Code (IRC) manual.
According to the IRC, permits are not necessary for the following:
* Detached one-story accessory buildings (tool sheds) lower than or of about 200 sq.ft.?* Fences less than or equal to 6 feet., sidewalks, driveways, swings and playground tools?* Retaining walls lower than or equal to 4 feet. from the bottom of the ground to the top of the wall & without any surcharge?* Water tanks in grade lower than or equal to 5,000 gallons & height/width ratio lower than or of about 2:1?* Tiling, painting, carpeting, cabinets, counter & similar finish work?* Awnings projecting lower than or equal to 54 inches from exterior wall & supported from wall?* Decks less than or of about two hundred sq. ft. & under or equal to thirty inches above grade and not attached to house or serving a required exit door
We wished to provide this list of what normally could be done to your house without having a permit according to the current IRC to help resolve some of the confusion for our home buyers, sellers, and owners. If what you’re planning to build falls outside the list mentioned above it is safe to assume that a permit is needed. However, the local city/county building official has got the final say regarding what should be permitted. Therefore before you decide to build make sure to contact your local building department to prevent troubles and large penalties in the future.
To learn more about building permits on Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, contact All Pro Home Inspectors Inc. at 904-807-0939 today!