Building permits required???

[LBrown59]

1*Now I would like electricty brought 700' down our drive to supply this shed for lighting and power for tools such as a welder.
2*Obviously, this is probably going to need a permit.
3*I was also curious as to what fees power companies charge to run overhead power lines to a new meter at a shed? Obviously this varies from region to region.
4*Before I pursue the channels of government bureaucracy.
5* My past experience with local code enforcement agencies leaves me a little fearful.

1*Where would the elect line be starting at ?
2*Shouldn't be any permit as this is an issue of elictric co policy and their approval rather than a gov. agency requirement.
3*And company to company.
4*I'm glad we don't have such government bureaucracy here in my county .
There is no building code or building permits so no need of a building department.
Hain't freedom wonderful!
5* What were they about?

6*you DID need a permit for something that size. anything over 10x12 or anchored to concrete you need a blueprint drawing (sometimes they will take a nicely done and to scale drawing)
7*have it okayed by your building department give them a copy and pay for the permit.
8* i would hate to pay for them to put poles in and run that much line
9*i would look into running a heave line from the house up to it just to run the lights and radio
10*if code enforcement comes you will get fined and have to tear it down ( my friend had a small shop and was adding on to it when code enforcement came he got a fine of something like 300 bux and was told to tear it down.
11*another thing you might be able to do -
if it looks old enough you could say that it has been there for along time and is grandfathered in witch means before they passed that law.
.

6*-7* How do you know ?
Do you live in the same area?
8*Me 2.
9*There is no house there.
10*I'm glad I don't live in a dictatorship like that.
11*Or it was on the place when he bought it.

In my community anything that cannot be moved or drug around has to have a building permit, Electricty, water or sewer or whatever.
12*Mostly its a way to keep the property updated for tax purposes.
13*.We constantly have people that sneak building projects to beat the county out of property tax. I am sure that is not your intention sir, but be careful and not get socked with some back taxes.

12*-13*Building code enforcement and real estate law and enforcement are 2 different matters.

14*At this point, you're at their mercy.
15*Keep in mind that by not telling them about the building, in their eyes, you have ROBBED them of tax revenue.
Additional improvements on your property drive up your property assessment and increase your taxes. Some counties routinely have their GIS department analyze aerial photography to identify structures, etc, but
16* I've never heard of one using this to identify people that didn't get permits.
Keith

14*Are you sure about that?
15*It's not about taxes its about construction specs.
16*That's because it's not about building codes or permits.

17*I am sure what everyone is saying is true for their area but this is a county by county thing.
My county you have to permit a barn.
The next county over, my property line, you do not on ag zoned land but do if the land is zoned residential. Many places in the country if you have over 10 acres the only thing you have to permit is a septic system.
18*Just depends on your given county.
I would do as blueriver suggests and call the power company for an estimate.
19*They will let you know if you need a permit or certificate of occupancy, know as a CO, from the building department before they can hook you up.
MarkV

17* & 18* We don't have a building code and the only permit reqired is for a septic tank from the county health dept.
19*The elect co here requires their approval but there is no gov permit needed.

If you are installing a new meter,the utility will require a UL inspectors sticker with signature on the panel before they turn the power on.
20*So you will have to pull a permit for the electric.
If your coming off an existing meter,you can do as you please .

20*This is a power co policy rather than a gov regulation isn't it?

 

[LBrown59]

I live in a very agriculture friendly county

When I checked about 10 years ago to see if I needed a permit to build an 8x10 tool shed I also asked what I could do with out a permit.

I could build a huge pole barn, no walls (cannot remember the size but was big), dig a pond, put up a fence & gates, dig a well, clear the land, including trees.

1*However, a tool shed did require a permit, but I could not get one for vacant land.
I live on the land now, zoning is poorly and arbitrary enforced around here.

1*Then just tell them it's an AG building then.

 

[whitedogone]

1*Then just tell them it's an AG building then.

These days most every place in the U.S. require permits. It may not require inspections, but I can almost garentte 'ya permits are required. AG or not.

W. H. Drane - Municipal Codes

 

[whitedogone]

Just a few:


http://www.iccsafe.org/gr/Documents/jurisdictionadoptions.pdf

 

[GPintheMitten]

I can't imagine anywhere in the US that would allow installation of electric service without a permit. I have put electric service in before and the electric company would not do it without a permit and inspection by the governing unit, be that state, county or city. A meter box needs to be installed and a breaker box connected to it, it must meet all code and inspected before the utility will connect it. In fact in my case, you had to purchase the meter box from the utility company and show a permit to buy it from them.

 

[LBrown59]

1*Codes change constantly. 20 years ago I built a 24x24 storage shed and when I asked the town about a permit they said they didn't have any rules to contact the state. I did and was told any agricultural storage building didn't need a permit so I built it.
4 years ago I put up a 8x10 shed and the now building inspector stopped and told me that new rules were in effect and I needed a permit unless I made the shed movable and if it was movable it wouldn't be assessed for tax purposes.
2* I built it on 3 treated 6x6's, no permit and no tax assessment.

1*Did you live within the city limits?
2*I have 2 buildings on skids like that so I don't have to pay real estate taxes on them .

3*In NY the zoning codes are enforced on a town by town basis--not county wide.

3*And if your property is not inside the town thay have no say in what you can or can't do with /on your property.

4*Then it is a matter of paying the fine,
5*paying back property taxes which you owe like everyone else.
6*Then get your permits from now on and sleep better.

4*Why does he owe any fines?
5*Who says he owes any?
6*Are we sure he needed a permit?

Kind of confused as to why.... "When I called the building department, they seemed not to care". The following clearly states that permits are required. Maybe back when you buit they weren't.
7*Are you being taxed on the structure?

7*Good question.

1*Then just tell them it's an AG building then.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

These days most every place in the U.S. require permits. It may not require inspections, but I can almost garentte 'ya permits are required. AG or not.

W. H. Drane - Municipal Codes

Fortunately, there are some places left where you don't need permits. And in those areas, buildings aren't falling down, things aren't blowing up, things are still safe. Permits are just another tax under a different name. Unfortunately I don't live in one of them places, and because work is so slow right now, every permit is getting nit picked to death, because the permits department have the time to nit pick. It is very frustrating trying to get work done right now. You would think that with less work going on, things could get approved faster, ain't happening.

 

[herd]

HCJ, I thought I had replied to this but I guess not as I don't see it. As a fellow South Carolinanian (Bamberg), I have done and been thru exactly what you're talking about. I built the initial part of my shop as a "lawnmower shed" in late '06. Came back in late '07 and early '08, added onto it and put a new roof on and all without a permit. After I got the new roof on and look at how nice it was, I then decided I needed power.

Wanted to run it off my house but it was 400 feet away; the cost of the wire made that unwise. I asked around about what was best to do, everyone came back with add a seperate service. Well, I knew that in order to get a power pole in SC, you must get an electrical permit from the County, and to get an elec permit, you must first get or have assigned a ''911'' address. Well, since this was not a part of my residence's service, even tho the same property, I had to apply for the "911" address. That meant "fessing up" to already having built the shop that I was now wanting power to.

So I fessed up, and no one cared about what I had done; what they really cared about and made sure I knew about was what had to be done. So, I did what I had to do to satisfy the building inspector on the electrical permit and hookup to include having a licenses electrical inspect my work and approve it, and paid the $50.00 and got power to my new "address."

Maybe I got lucky but I have learned a long time ago that "fessing up'' is better than 'covering up." I have not built anything since without a permit, which in these parts, the permit is just a formality anyway.

As a side note, even the farmers in these parts cannot get power to a pole in the field for irrigation without that power pole having a "911 address." That assumes it's a seperate pole and a seperate service for nothing else.

 

[whitedogone]

"4*I'm glad we don't have such government bureaucracy here in my county .
There is no building code or building permits so no need of a building department.
Hain't freedom wonderful!"

Just the type of person that calls the office all the time to turn the guy down the street in. They think it's all fine and dandy until someone puts up a building it the setbacks or build a POS, then they call a bitching and want us to march right out.

 

[bp fick]

Yeah, I love having to repair stuff not built to code. Can't tell you how much fun it is.