All the All Pro Home Inspectors here at All Pro Home Inspectors Inc. get asked by our Ponte Vedra Beach, FL house buyers every so often if particular improvements or additions discovered (or exposed by the home sellers) must be or must have been permitted. The answer generally depends on precisely what was modified, improved or added to the home involved. Over the years and right after doing thousands of pre-purchase home All Pro Home Inspections, we’ve discovered that nearly all home buyers, house sellers, and home owners have no idea of what exactly must be permitted vs what may not need to be permitted. This particular list will help as a great place 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 aren’t needed for the following:
* Unattached one-story accessory buildings (tool sheds) less than or equal to 200 sq.ft.?* Fences less than or of about 6 feet., driveways, sidewalks, swings and play ground tools?* Retaining walls lower than or of about four feet. coming from the bottom of the footing to the very top of the wall & without any surcharge?* Water tanks on grade below or equal to 5,000 gallons & height/width ratio less than or equal to 2:1?* Tiling, painting, carpeting, cabinets, counter & similar finish work?* Awnings showing less than or equal to 54 inches from exterior wall & supported from wall?* Decks less than or equal to 200 sq. ft. & lower than or of about 30 inches above grade and not attached with house or serving a mandatory exit door
We wanted to provide this particular list of what commonly could be done to your home without a permit according to the latest IRC to help resolve a few of the confusion for our house buyers, sellers, and owners. If what you’re intending to build falls outside the list mentioned above it is safe to assume that the permit is necessary. However, the local city/county building official has got the final say concerning what must be permitted. Therefore before you build make sure to call your local building department to avoid problems and large penalties in the future.
To learn more regarding building permits in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, speak to All Pro Home Inspectors Inc. at 904-807-0939 right now!