Permit needed for general backyard landscaping

[jtvang125]

The backyard is completely barren with the exception of a small 3x3 concrete slab right outside the backyard door. I know it may very well be dependent on the city/county but generally would you need a permit to lay concrete and some sod? Maybe a few small plants around the edges too.

 

[TwiceOver]

I hope not. We did block around our house and a concrete patio without a permit...

 

[Crusty]

You haven't even told us where you live....... and we're supposed to know your local laws?

 

[spidey07]

Permit, highly like you need one. But you had better check with your homeowners association if you have one, this is a perfect opportunity for them to fuck with your liberty and property just out of spite and nothing better to do to "preserve home values". You had better not put red tulips in there because only yellow and orange are allowed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Permit, highly like you need one. But you had better check with your homeowners association if you have one, this is a perfect opportunity for them to fuck with your liberty and property just out of spite and nothing better to do to "preserve home values". You had better not put red tulips in there because only yellow and orange are allowed.

He said back yard.

I live in an HOA community and they couldn't possibly care less what you do with your backyard. My neighbor had nothing but dirt out there for almost 10 years.

 

[PottedMeat]

You haven't even told us where you live....... and we're supposed to know your local laws?

of course we know where he lives, where he works, his credit info, etc.




you probably don't need a permit, but the concrete thing maybe

building a foundation for something - yeah permit
putting in a basketball hoop base - probably not

 

[DannyLove]

He said back yard.

I live in an HOA community and they couldn't possibly care less what you do with your backyard. My neighbor had nothing but dirt out there for almost 10 years.

Not all HoA's are equal. Besides, OP didn't even mention HoA, not sure why we are talking about that.

Everything more than likely needs a permit these days. I would follow up with your local city hall.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Not all HoA's are equal. Besides, OP didn't even mention HoA, not sure why we are talking about that.

Everything more than likely needs a permit these days. I would follow up with your local city hall.

Spidey brought it up but I'm sure he did just so that this thread could devolve into an hoa bashfest.

LOL, I live in CA and you don't need a permit to plant grass or shrubs in your backyard.

Patio? Yeah, you'd likely need a permit for that along with anything attached to your house like a patio cover or anything with electrical and/or gas.

 

[halik]

He said back yard.

I live in an HOA community and they couldn't possibly care less what you do with your backyard. My neighbor had nothing but dirt out there for almost 10 years.

It really varies - ma parents' HOA has some real assholes. One bitch makes a habit of walking around behind the condos (where people have decks and stuff, not visible from the street) and takes notes on non-approved accessories. She sent my parents and their neighbors notices that they're not allowed to have bird feeders and little gardens back there. Needless to say, they had their attorney compose a "go fuck yourself" response. That's on top of fining people for not having decks retained ever 2 years and shit like that.

Interestingly enough, no one likes this woman, yet no one gives a shit enough to be the president instead. It seems that HOA set up always run into adverse selection problems - no one really wants to do it, so you always end up with complete idiots/power tripping twats as presidents.

 

[BoomerD]

Here, general landscaping and non-structural concrete doesn't require a permit. I've had a patio poured, (12'x42')walkways, and poured a piece that widened my driveway...no permit required.

I've put in new sod, replaced old sod, planted trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable gardens...no permits required.

When my brother-in-law & I built the patio cover, that tied into the house structure, so we got the necessary permits and inspections...

 

[Cookie]

Here you also need a permit if you want to build a retaining wall 3 feet or higher.

 

[Jaepheth]

Be careful. I saw one documentary about a home owner's association that would have a garbage monster come around and murder you if you customized your home.


... Or it may have been an X-Files episode.

 

[DrPizza]

Spidey brought it up but I'm sure he did just so that this thread could devolve into an hoa bashfest.

LOL, I live in CA and you don't need a permit to plant grass or shrubs in your backyard.

Patio? Yeah, you'd likely need a permit for that along with anything attached to your house like a patio cover or anything with electrical and/or gas.

Plants, grass, etc. - I've never heard of a place that requires a permit. Pouring concrete: very often a permit is required.

The pergola roof over my patio technically isn't "attached" to my house. One side rests on the house. "Attached" implies to me that there's at least a nail or a screw.

 

[meltdown75]

i built my deck and fence without permits. my neighbour said he didn't get a permit, and then i saw it @ the office. he lied about being badass

 

[Greenman]

General rules are that exterior concrete flat work needs no permit. A deck less than 30" off the ground and not connected to the house needs no permit, sod and sprinklers need no permit, but all sprinklers have to have an anti back flow device. Generally, any backyard structure over 6' high needs a permit.
Most HOA's don't care what you do in your back yard, unless it can be seen from the street, then they may have requirements. Some go so far as to control what you can build if it's visible from a neighboring house.