Permits

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Permits

Its time to start your project. Your contractor says that you are responsible for all permits. Is this legal?

Actually it is, you may take full responsibility for permits. If you do so however, and there is ever a problem with the work, you are the permit recipient on file. In some states you may even have to sign a waiver for the building dept. regarding any legal action. This puts most of the responsibility on you to make sure you are hiring a competent contractor.

Generally, any good contractor is going to take care of all permits ( plan to see this cost listed on your contract). If the person that you hire claims that you are responsible for permits, chances are that he/she are not a licensed contractor. As the adage goes, Buyer Beware!

There are a few instances when a contractor may not want to file for permits. Such as, maybe you need a variance, or your town has water restrictions and you want to add two bedrooms. In some cases there is a ton of time involved to get permits. If your contractor says you have to get them, but you've seen there license, there insurance papers, and checked out some of there references, you may want to take on the chore of getting permits.

OVERVIEW:

    If your work falls under one of these categories, alteration, addition, change of use, demolition, and so on. Then you will generally need a Building Permit. I've worked in towns that require a permit to change a storm door. The best bet is to call your local building dept. and describe briefly what you want to do. They will tell you if it requires a Permit.
    When your contractor gets the necessary permit and displays it at your home, check the permit to make sure the name on the permit is the same as your contractor.
    If you would like to know the cost for Building or any other permits, call your local building dept. and ask. Its all public information.