Home Renovation: Say, Permit Please!

You may need permission to renovate your home, however. What this means is if you plan to undertake a major renovation or construction project, you may need permits.

State law requirements vary and your local jurisdiction may have additional requirements as well. Certainly, get to know what your state requires, but ultimately you’ll be dealing with one or more local officials when renovating your home.

If you are not certain whether you will need permits, you can get an answer fairly quickly by placing a call to your town’s building department. Explain to the clerk what your plans are to get the answer that applies to you.

Those plans can include rewiring your home, updating the plumbing, painting the exterior of your home, replacing a sidewalk, putting on a new roof, adding a dormer or any other job. Specify your plans and your building department will tell you what permits are needed, if any.

For larger and more extensive projects, your building department may require you to submit blueprints and other documentation, and have your plans reviewed by the planning board. Some boards may be satisfied with a hand drawn sketch while others may require stamped architectural drawings.

Further, you may be required to submit a copy of your property’s plat or plot information, detailing your boundary lines and neighboring properties. You may be required to include the plat with your application along with related sketches. Again, your building department will offer you guidance on what needs to be done.

If the thought of dealing with a building department unnerves you, then you’re worrying needlessly. Smaller projects that need approval are usually easy to handle. Larger jobs, where a contractor is involved, are generally handled by the contractor himself. In any case, once your project is approved you’ll obtain the proper permits, pay some fees and begin your work.

Large projects will most likely entail a visit from a building department official when it is done, who will then issue you a certificate of occupancy allowing you to resume living in your home. The job is done, all fees have been paid and you’re reaping the rewards of your latest home renovation project.

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