Permit issues rant/request for advice

[Sho'Nuff]

Has anyone had any experience with getting permits after the fact? The house is in Baltimore, MD in case it helps.

In a couple weeks or so I'm going to do a before and after post re: my backyard. Long story short, I bought my house 2 years ago, with the intention of clearing part of the backyard and creating a play area for my kids. Earlier this year, I hired a landscaper to do just that. Landscaper told me that permits were not required. I authorized the work to proceed on that representation. Landscaper took down 55 trees and brought in ~180 cubic yards of fill when a town official showed up. Turns out there are wetlands in my backyard, which are governed by city, state, and federal law. 6 months and ~20k later, I have all the ex post facto conditional use permits in hand, which are allowing me to restore most of the affected area back to what it was.

Call your town and explain the situation, without giving your name or address. There should be a protocol in place. If the work was done correctly, it should mean that all you need to have done is pull the permit and have the inspector check it out.

Not sure why the appraiser is in a tizzy about this. Old houses have far worse issues than those you are describing, yet appraisers do not require permits for work done 100+ years ago.

Good luck.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Permit to change a water heater?

My town requires a permit if new connections or pipe runs are being made, but not simple replacement of fixtures.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

It's the mortgage company that suddenly cares. Telling them to pound sand would result in me not getting the refi, and losing $250/month in savings.

Apparently there's some piece of paperwork that I might have gotten when I closed that would resolve all this. If not I'm just going to have to go to the city for permits. With the breaker panel I can quite legitimately say that it was done before I owned the house, and with the water heater I'll just claim ignorance. I hired a licensed plumber after all, not some illegal mexican on the street corner.

If the town requires a permit, it likely won't care if you hired a licensed professional. I hired a licensed professional for the backyard and its costing me ~$30,000. Homeowner is usually responsible for permits unless the contract with the professional specifies otherwise. Which is precisely why I refuse to hire any contractor that will not sign a contract specifying that all work will be done in accordance with applicable codes and that the contractor is responsible for pulling all required permits. I also insist that the contract specify that I will not pay for work that does not pass inspection.

 

[Linflas]

Same in MA. My mother owns an apartment building. They keep saying they do not want the property empty, but the list of demands the city wants just keep growing. i finally got involved in it and finally told them, "if you want this property to be a a dumping ground for syringes and drugs, then keep up with the dumb demands, otherwise, let us rent it out." They finally approved everything a month ago....

Funny thing is this house is in a rural farming town (oddly enough Erin Burnett's home town) where at least 1/3 of the houses are empty and decaying. You would think the last thing they would want is another decaying eyesore yet everything they and the state demand almost ensure that outcome.

OP - How did the appraiser know based on your comment that there was no permit for the circuit box? Did they actually go back and check the records for it? If you know any electricians you may want to ask them what could be done at this point, I would think at worst it would be a certified inspection along with any permits that would require to certify that the work was done to code.

 

[jagec]

I live in Bmore. The permitting office is AWFUL. It makes a visit to the MVA feel fast, pleasant, and convenient by comparison.

And they lie to you about the requirements.

 

[ichy]

OP - How did the appraiser know based on your comment that there was no permit for the circuit box? Did they actually go back and check the records for it?

She checked. Baltimore permits are easy to pull up online.

http://cels.baltimorehousing.org/Search_TM_MAP.aspx