Remodel permits: what to confirm before demolition

No national list says which remodel needs a permit. The city or county building department where the house stands makes that call, and two towns next to each other can answer differently. Ask before demolition, and write the answer into the contract. If the work is already underway with no permit, the steps are different: see your contractor didn't pull a permit.

What to ask the building department

1. Does this scope need a permit? Describe the work in ordinary words: moving a wall, a new shower drain, a panel, new circuits, a window.
2. Which inspections come with it, and which work has to stay open until an inspector sees it?
3. Who may apply: the owner, the contractor, or either?
4. What does the public record look like, so you can confirm the permit was actually issued?
5. What should you keep: the permit card, inspection sign-offs, and the approved plans?

Get the answer from the department, not from a forum and not only from the contractor. Save whatever they give you, whether that is a page from their site, an email, or the permit itself.

Put who-does-what in the contract

California's contractor board says a home improvement contract needs written direction on who will get the necessary permits, and that it must include a completion date (CSLB). That is California. It is still the right blank to fill in elsewhere: who applies, who pays the fees, and that required inspections happen before the related work is covered up.

Ask for the permit number before demolition starts, and look it up the way the building department told you to. A promise that "we'll pull it" is not a record. If the license question is still open, do that first: check the license and insurance.

A building permit is not the lead rule

Homes built before 1978 can also fall under the EPA's lead renovation rule when the work disturbs old paint. The EPA recommends hiring a lead-safe certified renovator for that work (EPA RRP for consumers). Certification under that rule does not replace a building permit, and a building permit does not replace it. The homeowner paperwork is in lead paint rules for remodeling.

Before the next payment

• You can see the permit in the public record, if the department said this job needs one.
• Inspections that should already have happened are signed off. Rough-in inspections usually come before the walls close. Confirm the sequence with your department rather than guessing it.
• The payment you are about to make matches work that is actually done. See deposits and payment schedules.

Where RenoBinder fits

Keep the permit number, the inspection dates, and the payment schedule on the same project. One room is free. Compare plans.

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