Troubles with permits from local municipalities

bones299 said:

I have been getting really frustrated with the increase in required permits for work being done. I have found that recently (due to the struggling economy), municipalities have been on my companies case to file for permits before we do work. Does anyone else notice this increase in harrasement from town inspectors? What are people doing to deal with this? Not to mention, filling out these permit applications is like trying to decipher hyrogliphics...

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:blink:

How can you even legally begin work w/o a permit? {Emergency work being the exception}

How can you even obtain a permit w/o first filing an APPLICATION for a permit?
Not every APPLICATION is approved ~ that is why it is called an APPLICATION.

How is it that the inspectors are harassing you?
It would seem they are looking out for your best interest instead of posting a "Stop Work" notice on the job sites and then levying fines against you.
You should thank the inspectors for giving a rat's ass about you.


If the permit application process is too arduous for you...fill out an employment application at Mickey D's...once you get hired you won't have to fill out any other applications. :thumbsup:

I'm all for pulling permits when required but how about some consistancy with fees? I go to one city to do a roof on a $500K house and the permit is $350. The next day I go to another city and pull a permit for a roof on another $500K house and it's $40. Of the 25+ cities and counties I pull permits in the prices have ranged from $25-385 for a single family roof replacement. What I do know is insurance companies in MN have to bring the roof to code which includes the permit fee. That being said I have done work in cities that shortly after a large hail storm will double the permit fees. Have also done work in several cities that have kept the same low permit fees for several years even after large hail storms.

Another thing that is strange is not every county in MN requires permits to be pulled for roof replacement. The town I grew up in for example which is about 40 miles from the Twin Cities is divided right down main street by a county line. The county to the North requires permits but not the one to the South. Of course have done roofs on both sides and when I meet with the home owners on the South side always tell them to be careful who visits them at there door trying to sell them a roof. Since a permit is not required technicaly you don't have to show anybody that your are licensed, insured, or bonded.

The only trouble you should have with pulling permits is the wait and perhaps in some cities were to park. I know when I pull permits for St. Paul and Minneapolis jobs I like to be dropped off at the door and picked up after the permit is pulled. Both cities have web sites you can pull permits in just haven't got set up yet.

One city just South of the Twin Cities after a huge 1998 hail storm decided to try to find ways to help improve on the quality of the roofs being replaced. As soon as you pull a permit a letter is mailed to the home owner stating you should pay the roofer only after the final inspection is made. That city also mandates a visual inspection of the ice and water shield.

One city in the Twin Cities who's average house is valued at $1.5 million has a very strange method of obtaining a permit. The home owner gave me the number of who to call to pull the permit. I called one city and got a number of a guy in another city, sort of odd. The guy over the phone said to just come to his place of residence to pull the permit which was a couple towns away from the roof. The next day I drove to a townhome delevopment for what looked like retirees. I went to the door which had no indication this was a place to buy permits and was greeted by a guy I'd say to be at least 90 years old! He had me sit down across from him at his dinner table which was very small as he appeared to live alone. He asked me a few questions about roofing how long been doing it how many years in the business stuff like that. After a couple minutes and a few stories he said the paperwork for the permit will be mailed to you and the amout due is $365. I wrote him a check which seemed like a lot of money for replacing a roof just for a few missing tabs (insurance) and went on my way. A couple contractors I know were told the same story and they always laugh when they hear it and say, "Oh Jack's still doing the permits ah?"

Do all the cities you guys work in have different permit fees? Do they all have different requirements for inspection such as some require pictures for the ice/water and decking while some don't require any inspection other than the final drive by? Some on the other hand require visual inspection of the decking and ice/water. Anybody else pulled a permit at a guys dinner table???

NICKPAUS said:

Things have changed by me also. They use to drive by after re-roof unless it needed sheeting. Now they want to inspect after tearoff which makes it hard to line up job to get covered same day. We get a 4 hour window for inspection so paying guy's to wait for inspection is done to re-cover roof can add a day to the job and leave the home exposed until inspector can arrive.

Permit prices vary big time. Pulled one for $102 and same size roof in next city $415.

What do you big time roofers due to roof a house in a day? No permits? Or know the inspector?

One area where I have worked for over 10 years the inspector will just drive by after but have had many inspections over the years with this guy. Used to have his cell # in my phone and would call him and he would give the ok to cover and drive by and sign card later.

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Most cities allow pictures of the decking and ice and water.

My cousin tells me he's checked into the state for pulling permits for red. roofing and he claims you can't shingle the roof back in until the permit is pulled. In other words you can tear it off and dry it in and then pull the permit. He also claims this is how it works for siding. Every time I hear stories of contractors starting roofing jobs before pulling a permit they get double fined.

I do my 7 hours of cont. ed. with a city building offiicial. He says he's totaly fine with starting a roof prior to actually phisicaly pulling the permit but he likes a call in the morning to let him know what address you'll be at.

A couple years ago I got too much in my comfort zone and would pull permits after I'd get the crew set up. We were doing a roof in a small town I lived in for about 5 years. I forgot a meeting with an adjuster so had to leave before pulling the permit. Low and behold the one building official drove by and asked my Dad what we were doing. He looked up at the roof and saw all these new pieces of wood plank boards and asked what was wrong with the roofing boards. My father showed him the holes in the wood he took out and the inspector was really impressed and said to carry on with a temp permit until I went into the office and pulled it. He also said just putting tin over the knot holes would work too!