Building Permit Question

[Will Johnston]

I'm working on a reno project in DC where the majority of work doesn't require a general building permit.  It's primarily patch/paint, new cabinets, etc.  However, I am having the electrical panels upgraded and several new circuits run to get up to code.

My electrician has asked me to get a general building permit to make it easier for him to get the permit for the electrical and said the permitting office may require it.  Have any of you run into something like this before?  It seemed strange to me that a general building permit would be needed.

If I do need to get a general building permit, I'm trying to figure out what the scope of work I need to get it for is.

• The whole project, even though most of the work doesn't require a permit
• The electrical plus the couple of minor things that do require a permit (so essentially I'd be paying for the electrical twice, getting a general permit and an electrical permit for it)
• Just the minor things that require a permit

Since the permit fee is 2% of the project cost, the differences between each option is hundreds of dollars.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Will