Occasionally a homeowner will alter his or her home in some manner and disregard the necessary building permit. Sometimes the contractor they hire will, for one reason or another, fail to obtain the required building permit. Actually, most work is regulated by the model building codes which have been adopted by the State of Utah as well as your municipality. There are very few exceptions to the building permit requirements.

But why should I bother obtaining a building permit?
It is just another way for the government to take my money. My neighbors never bought a building permit. I know what I am doing. My contractor has been in the business for twenty years. The building inspector will make unreasonable demands which will drive up the cost of my construction project. There is no harm in what I am doing. If I do get caught, then I'll pay their silly fee.

All of the above are common excuses used after people get caught. On the surface, most seem valid. But sometimes the end result is 100 times more expensive (or more tragic) than the rather inexpensive cost of a building permit. Let me try to illustrate the potential for problems.

Mr. Smith decided to install a wood burning stove to reduce his heating bill. He did this installation himself, without a building permit. He was given some verbal instruction from the salesman concerning woodstove installation when he purchased the appliance. After a few weeks of use, the home caught fire because of a faulty installation. For a $20.20 building permit, Mr. Smith would have been told minimal clearances required from the stove and pipe to combustible surfaces. He also would have been given methods for reducing those clearances if needed. In addition, a building inspector would have inspected and approved the installation. Since Mr. Smith did not obtain a building permit and get the necessary inspections, his insurance company will not cover the fire damage.

Mrs. Jones hired the friend of a friend to finish her basement. Although the fellow was not a licensed contractor, he had a good reputation as a handyman, and his bid was quite reasonable. The "handyman” removed some 2 X 4 studs from the basement bearing wall. He supported the new wall opening with a beam, which he, personally sized with his long-standing "rule of thumb" method. The 3 foot door opening was now 10 foot wide, making one large recreation room from two smaller rooms. The finished basement turned out well, so Mrs. Jones paid him immediately. However, after about a month, Mrs. Jones noticed that the new 10 foot beam appeared to be sagging. It had developed a 1" dip in the center of the span. The "handyman” just shrugged his shoulders and claimed it was just the house settling. This was not only a point of embarrassment for Mrs. Jones, but also a nagging concern. The beam seemed to sag a little more each month. Would the beam eventually fail? In addition, it caused sheetrock cracks at both floor levels, and made the doors in the vicinity of the new beam difficult to open. When Mrs. Jones decided to sell her home, a promising buyer insisted on evidence of a building permit before signing on the dotted line. For the cost of a $75.00 building permit, Mrs. Jones would not have had structural problems. She would have been able to sell her home to the promising buyer, and would not have future problems with her home insurance company or her Realtor.

Mr. Doe decided to build a small garage along the side of his home. He designed the building himself He worked on his dream project on weekends to avoid detection. When he was almost complete, a neighbor complained to the local building inspection department. Mr. Doe received a STOP WORK ORDER, and then attempted to obtain a building permit (after the structure was almost complete). An initial investigation revealed Mr. Doe built his own roof trusses, rather than purchasing factory-built, engineered trusses. Now the only way to approve the roof system is for Mr. Doe to hire an independent structural engineer. The licensed engineer must make a field visit to the site and tell Mr. Doe and the local building inspector how to make these homemade trusses work. At the very least, Mr. Doe is looking at modifications to his work, and some very expensive bills for the engineer's time. In addition, further investigation revealed that Mr. Doe's garage is located where detached garages are prohibited. After 6 months of hearings at City Hall, Mr. Doe must relocate his garage at least 6 feet behind the house. The original foundation must be demolished and hauled away. Finally, the $150.00 building permit fee that Mr. Doe had hoped to avoid, has been doubled to cover the investigation for building without a building permit.

Structural review of your plan. Plan review for fire hazards. Site approval for your new structure. Construction advice from the experts. Field inspections of the work in progress Documentation and approvals for your records Peace of mind Contrary to the myths you may have heard, the permit process is usually simple and fast. Professional licensed inspectors do more than regulate. They will answer your questions about your project. Their thorough inspections should find any potential problems. In most cases, the inspector will give you a number of options for meeting code or solving construction problems. During the plan review process (prior to construction) he will probably show you ways to build for less. For everything from furnace replacements to additions, take advantage of your Building Inspection Department. It costs less in the long run!