Real Estate Broker/Owner & Property Manager · Sugar Land, TX · Member since 2013 · 660 posts · 459 votes
Alright!! I been working on few deals and one especially with a old pool. We are closing on this deal soon and checked with few contractors to close the pool. Nobody talks about the permit except one guy. They all want to do with out permit.
Accordingly to my limited knowledge through my contractor friend, no contractors want to do permit due to cost and time. They don't have bond to put for the permit and permit inspection delays them as well. That's why they do it without permit and quick. But there is big problem for the owner. If you do it without pulling permit and if you start having foundation issues or any issues, insurance won't cover it because you did it without proper approval. On the other hand, if you had permit and shown proof of proper documentation, then you got a better hand.
It goes with any job. Permit is required whether its small or big not we are used to not pulling permit for small job. That may be ok but for big jobs, always pull permit. That's my take away..
Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
Michael Hayworth : agree completely. I tell my guys to do all work "to code". From GFI plugs in kitchen/bath remodeling to proper hot water heater venting.
I'm never going to cut corners to save a buck as that costs more in the long run.
But to me that's different then the permit issue
Contractor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
@Michael Hayworth And I have heard that permitting is not a big deal in Texas, of course, I am not from there nor I have ever done any business there, from what I've heard, they only want mechanical and electrical done correctly, never heard of any asphalt shingle roof repair needing permits, nor interior walls, or hanging cabinets, alas, CA does, I mean, what's the worse that could happen on an improperly installed roof? A roof leak, that's it, find and repair, done, next! A license does not determine if the work is shoddy or great, it is a simple consumer protection. Ever sad but true, CA has overlapping unnecessary laws, it is an ugly truth, and if we want to avoid business expense, we just can follow them and shift our liability. These laws were made based on political motivation to serve there constituents and nothing more, the more complaints about contractors they get, the more stringent they want the laws to be. Pulling a permit is one thing, liability is another. If you know what you are doing, I don't think you need to pull it, I mean, truth be told. I agree with the inspector statements, I've had some that bring me a code check book, I was laughing, and I talk commercial code, I get crickets. I just submitted a permit for a 10' CMU wall, 5' each side, 3 sides, planner said "ok, you're all good, come back in 30 days", blew my mind that it wasn't over the counter. My take on inspectors is, they are the same as contractors, doctors, attorney, or any other profession, some of them are great and reasonable, some of them just want to finish the day, some of them take their home problems at work and spit fire on you, but, in my experience, if you reason out enough to them -- even if you stick it to their behind by a megaphone, you will find them easier to work with, or, as always, there's always a letter to the building official cc copy city council for a change in inspector.
Edumecate me on why would one need a permit to fill a pool in? (I assume that's what the goal is in the OP) I'm not sure if you need a permit ti fill in a pool. I'm pretty sure it would depend on the county or city the subject property lies in. I do know that many of them will not allow you to break it up and back-fill the hole with the broken down material. To pull or not to not to pull a permit equates to "Asking for forgiveness is a hard pill to swallow". If you aren't sure, ask.
Investor · Sugar Land, TX · Member since 2017 · 97 posts · 71 votes
9y
Time is the big factor here. Inside the city limits of Houston you will wait forever for those inspections. The city will string you along for months and months. You will cry and curse the City of Houston. The city's just swamped. They require permits on even small jobs, and the city has too few resources to handle the number of jobs being done. So you'll wait. And many contractors won't want to wait.
That being said. If the property's in one of the suburbs that pulls permits from a different municipality, you'll probably be okay.
General Contractor · Palm Desert, CA · Member since 2016 · 193 posts · 79 votes
9y
Permit fees are minimal compared to the potential fines for not getting a permit. Not to mention the cost of exposing the work that was done and then repairs after inspections. Cities do not just look the other way when they find work being done without permits. They can "retag" the property meaning there cannot be any work done to the property in the future until it is resolved. It is like a skeleton in the closet. Sooner or later it will come out.
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
If you are talking about filling a pool not everyone requires a permit. we checked into filling one in Nj some years ago and the town had some specific requirements. the interesting thing was when the town bought and did demo on that property they did not have the contractor follow their requirements. The land would be open space. I think some work permits are safety and some they are just revenue.
Johnson City, TN · Member since 2014 · 586 posts · 705 votes
9y
Here is the thing. It is a privilege to live in a jurisdiction. You owe homage to these elected officials that make these rules. Just because you have people voting to make laws that they know absolutely nothing about, doesn't give you the right to question their wisdom and power. There are untold numbers of people sitting behind desks pushing pencils and shuffling papers that rely upon your money to pay their bills. Pay them! Once you accept that you don't actually own property, even though you pay the mortgage, insurance, taxes and insurance, you will be much happier. If you do as you are told you will get a piece of bread.