Pete, Thank goodness you posted that! :cheesygriSpeedy Petey said:Well, California being the rule and law capital of the world, I can't say for you.
In my area no. Not nearly.
A few receptacles, almost never.
A one room renovation; sometimes, anything bigger; almost always, (these depend on the GC).
A service, yes.
Careful, careful Rhett. Peter never said or even implied that you should not get a REQUIRED permit for a small job. He was simply stating that is is not required in the areas in which he works to get a permit for such small jobs. If the rule in your locality is that you need to pull a permit for small jobs, then you need to get one. It's basic CYA on the part of the contractor, and money well spent.Atricaudatus said:Pete, Thank goodness you posted that! :cheesygri
I started to give the exact same answer, but was afraid I'd get mauled by the "always get a permit" crowd. The reality is, that a $200 job (adding a couple of outlets) would cost an extra $75 to $100 if you had to pay $40 for the permit, plus the time to go downtown and get it, and the gas you'd burn.
Now, of course, all the work I do is to code; but a permit for a small job isn't practical or necessary most of the time.
Just glad I ain't the only one.
Rhett Watson
(40 years) Teetor, how long have you been a contractor?Teetorbilt said:My electrician works as a sub and we have been together for 40 yrs. so I feel that I can trust him.
Here, altering a circuit means bringing the entire circuit up to current code. Adding a few recpts. could mean a permit based on the condition of the old circuit. Even if the old circuit and the additional recpts. meets current code, it still must be inspected.
If this is caught during a home transfer, uninspected, it can be hell for you and the sales transaction.
I was thinking that Teetor would build Lincoln Log houses on the living room floor and his pal next door (his electrician) would come over and wire them up with Lionel train lighting acessories. That would be about 40 years, give or take.Cubevan said:(40 years) Teetor, how long have you been a contractor?![]()
I could have written the same reply. The drill in my area is pretty much the same thing. As he also said, if a permit is required for any reason it is pulled, no matter how small.mdshunk said:In my area, I only need to pull an electrical permit for two reasons. One, if it's a new service or a service change. Or, two, if it is involved with construction in which a building permit was issued such as a large rennovation, addition, or new construction.
I hope you're right.Speedy Petey said:A comment on insurance and payouts. I have heard all this hype about "They will not pay if the work was not inspected". This is just that, hype.
I mean it is fine to scare a DIY into doing the right thing with the fear of insurance retributions, but don't try and fool me into getting a new receptacle I installed permitted and inspected.
Insurance companies will pay in these cases as long as it is not found to be intentional. This is one of the reasons rates are so high. Because of the guy who does not ask for help and does it his way regardless of whether it is correct or safe. This is one of the reasons I frequent DIY boards. I will always give credit to anyone trying to do the right thing.
I think that Speedy was talking about a DIY's homeowner's insurance policy and not about a remodeling contractor's general liability policy. Obviously, if your GL policy only covers you for a certain scope of work, whatever you do outside of that scope is not covered. I think Speedy was relating his experience that a DIY can F-up pretty badly and still have their homeowner's policy pay out, as long as they did't do it intentionally. While this might be true in many cases, I have not had that same experience. In fact, I've personally seen insurance adjustors at the building department researching permit histories (or lack thereof) on recent fire and water damage claims.Mike Finley said:I hope you're right.
My GL policy is very specific in regard to the scope of work I can and cannot do.