Residential Building Permit
You need a building permit when:
- Building a new house.
- Building an addition onto an existing house or attached garage.
- Converting an existing deck or porch to Florida room (sunroom).
- Building, replacing, adding to and making structural repairs to a deck whether it is attached to the main structure or not.
- Building an attached or detached garage or carport.
- Converting a garage to a habitable space.
- Building a porch, deck, associated steps or ramp.
- Building or installing a tool shed 257 square feet or larger in area.
- Finishing off an unfinished attic, basement or room over a garage.
- Moving, adding or removing a wall or partition.
- Repairing, altering, enlarging or modifying any structural element of the house, including:
- Any damaged structural element, such as load bearing stud walls, columns, piers, footings, foundations, floor joists, rafters, beams or girders.
- Enlarging or adding a door opening or window opening.
- Changing the use of the structure (example: change from residential use to a business use requires a commercial permit).
- Installing a pool (permanent or storable), hot tub or spa that is greater than 150 square feet, 5000 gallons in capacity and greater than 24 inches deep.
- Building, replacing or repairing (structurally) a retaining wall that is greater than 36 inches in height or that supports load from a structure.
- A demolition permit any time a structure is being razed and returned to original grade, including houses and detached garages.
Project & Plan Requirements
Required Inspections
Download required inspections for building and structural projects (PDF).
| Project Type | "X" = Required Inspection | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Footing 1 | Projection | Drainage & Waterproofing 2 | Foundation 3 | Poured Wall 4 | Floor Slab 4 | Monolithic Slab 4 | Veneer | Framing | Fireplace Throat 4 | Insulation | Final Building | Pool Barrier | |
| 3-season room (not heated) | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 4-season room (heated) | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Additional living space | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| Adding a porch | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Carport | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Deck/deck addition | X | X | |||||||||||
| Finish-off attic/basement | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Garage | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| Garage with living space | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| House | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| Porch (roof only) | X | X | X | ||||||||||
| Pool | X | X | X | ||||||||||
| Screened-in porch | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Shed | X | X | X | ||||||||||
| Sunroom | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
1 See our third party inspection policy for when a footing inspection is required to be designed by an engineer
2 Waterproofing and drainage is required when the interior grade of the structure is at a lower than the exterior grade.
3 A foundation inspection is not required if the supporting structural members are proper posts or piers.
4 A floor slab, monolithic slab or fireplace masonry inspection is not required if the project does not include a floor slab, monolithic slab or masonry fireplace.
Scheduling Inspections
Before scheduling your inspection:
- The permit must be prominently displayed.
- For all building/structural inspections, the approved plans must be on site for the inspector's use.
- A not ready fee may be charged if the work to be inspected is not complete when the inspector arrives.
- A re-inspection fee may be charged for third and subsequent inspections of the same type.
When to Schedule an Inspection
- Drainage & Waterproofing - Prior to backfilling the foundation
- Final Building - After all sub-trade final inspections and other required departmental inspections are approved
- Fireplace Throat - After the smoke chamber is constructed and prior to completion of the chimney above the smoke chamber
- Floor Slab - After the vapor barrier and perimeter insulation (if required) are installed, and prior to the placement of concrete. If there are any pipes wires or vents that are being installed below the slab those sub-trade inspections are to be approved and backfilled prior to the slab inspection.
- Footing - After the trench is dug and reinforcement is installed, and prior to placement of the footing material
- Foundation - After backfilling the crawl space and prior to placement of foundation sill plates
- Framing - After all structural members are installed and all sub-trade rough-ins are approved, and prior to concealment by insulation or drywall
- Insulation - After the framing inspection is approved and prior to concealment
- Monolithic Pour - After the trench is dug and reinforcement, vapor barrier and perimeter insulation (if required) are installed, and prior to placement of concrete
- Poured Wall - After the reinforcement is installed and prior to placing concrete in the forms
- Projection - At any point after the first course of block is laid and before the foundation is backfilled
- Veneer - After the exterior sheathing, flashing, windows and doors are installed, and prior to the installation of exterior wall coverings