Attach Line Permit For Free

Contractors who violate the law are subject to disciplinary action by CSLB, including civil penalty assessments of up to $5,000 per violation, an order of correction that requires payment of permit fees and any assessed penalties imposed by the local building department, and suspension or revocation of the license.

Selling a house without permits can be difficult if the homeowner chooses to sell as-is and rely on the buyers to take care of the work. Homeowners need to be positive they want to go forward with selling a house without permits and that they disclose all unpermitted work done to avoid lawsuits.

Consult your city (or appropriate governing municipality) building office to review the appropriate building code to determine whether your construction needs a permit. Building permits are required for most construction or remodeling projects to ensure the safety of the structure.

Per the California Residential Code, detached accessory structures that do not exceed 120 sq. ft. and do not contain plumbing, electrical, and or mechanical equipment, do not require a building permit, however a Planning Permit is required for these structures.

Code violations will often come up in a title search, and in many cases, unpermitted work is what causes code violations. You can also call your own appraiser or inspector in specifically to check for work that looks like it may have been done off the books, and then cross-check that against the seller's disclosure.

Sellers are legally required to disclose any additions or unpermitted work that they know about. However, by being upfront about the situation, you can work with buyers to assure them that the work can be fixed. Selling a house with unpermitted work is possible even easy if the changes are minor.

Along with the possibility of facing a lawsuit, the major penalties associated with unpermitted work include heavy fines and being required to pay for reversing the work or bringing it up to code.