When is a permit required?

[throwittoblythe]

This part is not necessarily correct. As I said in my post above, I have finished 3 basements in houses we have owned and did all the work myself and never considered a permit. Sold all 3 with no issue, the last one in 2019. The listings all had the finished area in the basement listed and ran into no problems in central Iowa anyway.

I will say, I am aware in some big cities (Minneapolis and some surrounding cities, specifically), they are non-negotiable when it comes to permits. Before you can sell your house, you have to do a "pre-sale inspection" by the city. And they are 100x more nitpicky than your typical home inspector. They will also challenge anything that has been improved and not in their records. I know of cases where they have made folks open up drywall to expose unpermitted electrical, for example.

 

[RotatingColumn]

Get a city permit. It will cover your arse in the event your neighbor complains about it being too close to their property, or if the insurance company won't cover you if a tree falls on it, etc. I'm sure you know this but call before you dig the post holes. http://www.iowaonecall.com/

 

[Isualum13]

What is the thought process behind "I'm going to ask the CF message board" when it comes to something as simple as a phone call for the CORRECT answer?

Because he may not want his city to know about it unless he has to.

 

[Sousaclone]

Get a city permit. It will cover your arse in the event your neighbor complains about it being too close to their property, or if the insurance company won't cover you if a tree falls on it, etc. I'm sure you know this but call before you dig the post holes. http://www.iowaonecall.com/

I'd agree with this. Get it. It's cheap insurance. Glancing at the Ankeny permit fee schedule you are looking at like $60 (assuming a 16' x 20' deck) in fees.

You could always take a gamble and see if you can get away without it, but you have to ask yourself what's the value of your time if you do get inspected and a) you have to pay the fee anyways, b) you have to tear it all apart to fix something (or tear out the foundations), you have to replace a bunch of materials.

 

[chadly82]

The simple answer is "anything that add's value to your home that might not be seen from the road so the the county can raise the taxes you pay on your home" and that is about it. I have finished 3 basements in homes we have bought and never once have gotten a permit. I researched county codes and followed their rules and took pictures during the process in case there was a problem, but never ran into any problems.

Long story short it is so they keep track of improvements so they can have you pay them more taxes.

Flipping houses might be a different deal because you buy them, fix them up and then resell them and inspections might need to see permits to OK the deal. But, if you are upgrading your home and live in it for a few years after project is done, I would not waste my time getting permits..... but make sure you follow the county rules if you do it yourself.

Pretty much and there are certain things you can do in order to not be completely finished, very minor things that can be done to completely avoid getting taxed extra for no real reason other than the city/county wanting more money.

 

[CyclonesRock]

Not sure what you mean by the bolded. I believe "official" sq ft listings aren't supposed to include below grade/basement space to begin with. That said, depending on the listing realtor, seems like some of them include that anyway. I don't think the presence of a permit really has anything to do with that. Our last house had an un-permitted finished basement when we bought it - no issues with the purchase, and no issues when we sold 4 years later.

If it is a walk out the finished area is included in the "official" square footage of living space. On a separate but somewhat related topic, a bedrrom in a basement is only considered a "conforming" bedroom if it has a closet and egress to the outside.

 

[chuckd4735]

As someone from the City side, call your City and don't take advice from the internet. Every City is different. Most permits are based on valuation of improvements, and if you're doing it yourself, that will likely be a cheap permit.

 

[dualthreat]

So it looks like we’ve reached a conclusion.
You should probably pull the permit to be safe. Unless you don’t want to. But you still probably should even though it may not be necessary. And if you don’t, you could end up paying a fine or having to tear it out. But probably not so don’t worry about it.

 

[nfrine]

So it looks like we’ve reached a conclusion.
You should probably pull the permit to be safe. Unless you don’t want to. But you still probably should even though it may not be necessary. And if you don’t, you could end up paying a fine or having to tear it out. But probably not so don’t worry about it.

It's a definite maybe then.

 

[Dopey]

My permit for my deck was $74. I've been told my deck is nice, but not overwhelmingly large. Fairly long, but pretty narrow.

Cost was calculated on square footage. Inspector came out a few months later to measure & make sure I didn't lie.

 

[Rabbuk]

My permit for my deck was $74. I've been told my deck is nice, but not overwhelmingly large. Fairly long, but pretty narrow.

Cost was calculated on square footage. Inspector came out a few months later to measure & make sure I didn't lie.

Nice Deck bro

 

[dirtyninety]

As long as you are building a deck...I would go ahead and buy a shotgun too.

 

[cb1030]

What is the thought process behind "I'm going to ask the CF message board" when it comes to something as simple as a phone call for the CORRECT answer?

I had looked at regulations but I was curious to see if people who’d been through the process could add anything.

Also, since I’m on the fence about going without a permit, I was a little worried about calling and giving them my address. With an exterior project they can just roll past your house and see a project going. I've heard horror stories of people having inspectors and assessors show up unannounced asking to poke around. Was trying to avoid calling the authorities on myself if possible.

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

This made me go check for my own project. I plan on making a lean to shed on the side of my house. Looks like I can’t go over 120 sq ft without a permit.

 

[twojman]

I'd say permit costs are anywhere from $50-$100, not a big deal. This is for the City of Des Moines.

If you keep the footings, I think you are ok but I would not chance it.

FYI for Des Moines permits. If mess with more than 64 sq ft of drywall, you need a permit. A new outlet? You need a permit. New mechanicals? Permit. For a roof you most likely don't need a permit.

I know a guy that lost his backside on a house he was flipping. Basically had to redo $20,000 worth of work because he did not get permits. He had to remove all drywall etc to get to the wiring.

Someone mentioned taking pictures, that doesn't work. I do house flipping and that does not work per the inspector.
If you live in the house things are a bit different for some of that. You can actually get a tax abatement if you apply for permits.

 

[[email protected]]

I live outside the city limits and have done a complete remodel, an in ground swimming pool and many other projects and have gotten zero permits...that and low taxes are great perks of living rural

 

[qwerty]

The simple answer is "anything that add's value to your home that might not be seen from the road so the the county can raise the taxes you pay on your home" and that is about it. I have finished 3 basements in homes we have bought and never once have gotten a permit. I researched county codes and followed their rules and took pictures during the process in case there was a problem, but never ran into any problems.

Long story short it is so they keep track of improvements so they can have you pay them more taxes.

On the flip side, I have a buddy who moved to CR in 2008, bought a spec house, was told he needed a permit to finish the basement. Went ahead and did it anyway. City came in and told him to rip it all back out because it was without permit.

 

[qwerty]

Internet says $0.30/sq ft for remodel is typical with $50 minimum.

 

[NWICY]

What is the thought process behind "I'm going to ask the CF message board" when it comes to something as simple as a phone call for the CORRECT answer?

It's way more entertaining.

 

[AllInForISU]

As someone from the City side, call your City and don't take advice from the internet. Every City is different. Most permits are based on valuation of improvements, and if you're doing it yourself, that will likely be a cheap permit.

If he is out of city limits like he said he is, what would calling the city do?