Let’s face it – getting a permit for your project is no fun. You’re basically paying the government for the privilege of them raising your property taxes. But remember, the permit process is there for a reason. With permits come inspections, and with inspections come reliable standards for safety and quality.
Now permits are not complicated in theory – you let the county know you will be improving the value of your home, and they make sure the project is done safely and to code.
But in practice… well, it’s not quite that simple. Every county has their own codes, regulations, processes, and inspectors. Project prints that get approved in one county for one type of project might not get approved in a neighboring county, even if the project is EXACTLY the same.
And what’s more, the county doesn’t tell you what it will cost until they approve them. You heard that right – you have to file for the permits without knowing how much they’re going to cost!
Remodelers are used to this process by now, but if you haven’t gone through it as a Homeowner, some of these points may have come as a shock to you. But don’t worry, because we came up with a process that lets you acquire the permits with as little time and hassle as possible.
Before we explain it, first we need to start with step 1:
Step #1. Find out if you need permits at all
Usually your remodeler will be able to tell you if permits are necessary, but know that they are required for any new building construction, when you change an existing interior structure, or when the structure will be load-bearing. This includes projects such as additions, car ports, garages, decks, etc.
Permits are not generally needed for kitchens or bathrooms unless you are adding new plumbing, electrical, or HVAC. They are required in almost all municipalities for basement finishes, due to the framing and electrical requirements.
They are also not generally needed if you are simply updating existing materials. This covers installation of new roof shingles, updating fences, or replacing deck flooring or railings.
PRO TIP: A useful site to know about is https://permits.com. If you input your address, this site will instantly tell you the location of your the municipal building where you must go to file for the permits. They will list the address, phone number, etc.
This website CAN also file for your permit for you… but they charge $99 for this service. Use them for the information, but there’s a better way to get the permits without paying $99 for them to do it. We’ll go into that later.
ALSO – To learn more about when permits are or are not required, check out our Blog Post on the subject.
Step #2. Get a proposal and official prints from your remodeler/architect
Simply put, you want a price proposal from your remodeler before you file for permits because getting a permit costs money. And if the project is going to cost more than your budget allows, it’s best to find this out before you pay to get the permits to do the work.
Official drawn prints are required in order to get a permit. This is so that the municipality has a clear drawn design of what the project will look like. Your remodeler will be able to provide this to you for around $300-$500, depending on the intricacy of your design. If an architectural stamp is required, expect to pay $1,000-$4,000 for them to draft up a design. Their amount will depend on the complexity and overall cost of the project.
Step #3. Getting the permits
Now this is where the fun starts. You’ve got your project proposal in your left hand. You’ve got your prints in your right hand. Time to trek down to the county municipal building and fill out some paperwork!
…But who actually does this – you, or your remodeler?
Well, that’s up to you. Either one will work, so let’s explain the pros and cons of each.
The 2 Options for Getting Permits:
Option 1 – You file them yourself
This option is self-explanatory. You go down to the office, prints in hand, wait in line, answer some questions, fill out the paperwork, and file for the permits. There are pros and cons to this approach.
Pros:
- It’s $50-$99 cheaper than having your remodeler or permits.com do it.
- You may be able to apply sooner if your remodeler is required to be on a job site for the next 1-2 weeks during the day.
Cons:
- Requires 1-3 hours of your time.
- You go through the hassle that is typical when dealing with government entities.
- They may ask you questions you don’t know the answer to before they will begin to process the application. Such questions include explaining aspects of the prints, or how you will make sure a specific section is up to code.
Option 2 – Your remodeler gets them for you
Here’s the best process we’ve found: You give the remodeler $500.
$500 is used because it covers the cost of most permits. The remodeler will go file for you, deal with the government, schedule the inspections, expedite the permit process, and refund you the balance (minus $50 for the project manager’s time). You will be given a receipt.
Pros:
- You spend 0 time dealing with the government.
- The process will be faster because your remodeler will know what the county is looking for on the official prints, and how to answer specific questions they may have.
Cons:
- You pay the remodeler $50 for their time.
- Your remodeler may be busy during the times when the municipal building is open. So it may be a week before they can apply.
As a quick example of what this process looks like, let’s take a look at getting a deck permit:
Project = 2-story backyard deck. Expected permit cost = $100-$400.
- Give remodeler a check for $500.
- They go handle the whole permit process for you at a charge of 1 man hour ($50).
- The permits come back in 7-14 days.
- The government lets you know the price came in at $269.
- The remodeler pays for the permits, then gives them to you along with the receipt and a refund of $181. ($500 – $269 – $50 = $181)
This is the best way that we’ve found, and we believe it is the best way (out of the 6 or 7 methods we’ve tried) to handle the permit process.
Conclusion:
Using the above 2 methods are the definitely the way to go for handling the permit process. We’ve found them to be the two ways which get the process done the fastest, successfully acquires the most permits, and ends in the most happy feelings for everyone. Some Homeowners may prefer to get their permits themselves and that is a perfectly fine way to go. Others prefer to have their remodeler do it.
Which option is right for you really depends on you and whether you want to be more or less involved in the minutiae of your project. Either way, now you have all of the information you need to make the permit application process as smooth as possible – no matter which method you choose.
P.S. – The government website https://fema.gov also has some useful information about the permit process if you would like to learn more.
Our goal with these articles is to help you get the information you need to make educated choices for your home and family. If you’ve found this helpful, share it with others. If you have questions or would like to request other topics to be covered, send us a quick email! We’d love to hear from you!
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You can also see more articles about the industry on our Blog.