Applying For A Building Permit…

For every retail store front, residential subdivision, single building, or even deck addition, there is the behind-the-scenes paperwork that never gets recognition.  Yes, there’s floorplans  and specifications that everyone knows about.  There’s even the contracts and other legal jargon that everyone assumes is present, but I want to exploit the dark side of paperwork – the involvement of the Building Department.  Yes, there is a capital B on that dirty word.  I’m talking about the all-seeing eye in the sky overseeing any and all city growth or expansion.  After all, nothing gets done or without the approval of the government.  And in this case, the Building Department likes to be heavily involved.

In today’s day in age, it’s more than just mere safety checks and code compliance.  No, it’s more about liability and risk management than it is the safety of our fellow citizens.  Don’t believe me?  Don’t take my word for it, just submit a permit application for a new house to your local Building Department.  Or to save your time, just watch the video below to see what I had to include in a recent submital.  Instead of thorough code checks and safety corrections, you’ll find third party requirements and liability waivers.  Engineers, Architects, and builders assume all responsibility for code compliance, and to make sure of it, you’ll see a big red stamp on your ‘approved’ set of plans that reads ‘Builder responsible for following local code compliance’.  Locally, the Town of Windsor has even gone so far as differing all building inspections, and its subset liability, to a 3rd party company.

The cost of a building permit is as high as it’s ever been in most jurisdictions, so where does all that money go?  That’s a whole other conversation…