Question:
Hi, I'm thinking of building a simple carport in my front driveway - 4"
square 11ga posts, and some sort of cover - corrugated steel, or some other
type of cover. I was wondering if its necessary for me to get a permit (I
live in Tucson, AZ). Or I was thinking about buying a steel carport from
Home Depot for $399. When do you know whether or not your doing something
that requires a permit? I mean, is there a clear and distinct line that can
be drawn? Just wondering so I do the right thing...
Answer:
Locally a permit is required for a carport, and those portable
carports at Home Depot aren't allowed. But I'm not in Tucson, Arizona
so what difference does that make to you?
Call your local building department and ask. They won't bite.
Probably.
Where I live, anything deemed remodeling, construction, etc. technically
requires a permit. Basically, anything other than painting a wall or hanging
a picture on said wall requires a permit. That said, it doesn't mean you
have to get one to perform work on your own home. Now, if you're one of
these guys that asks questions like, "I'm new to household wiring, but from
the info I've learned on the net/this website, I'm going to attempt to add a
subpanel and rewire my entire house....." well then I'd suggest a permit for
the simple fact that you don't kill yourself and, more importantly, destroy
your neighbor's home(s).
In my county no permit is needed for pouring drivways, fences, replacing
roofs, and alot of other things.. but go about 5 miles to the next
county and you need a permit for just about everything, fences, painting
houses, replacing siding on a utility shed???? the govt. gets money for
permits.... they give people jobs to check on the buildings that get
permits. each local has its own zoning and permits sections that can
best advise you what you need to do what, thats where you have to ask
the questions... a friend of mine that lives in the area where a permit
is needed to do just about everyting was closing in a carport...each
after noon he would work on it. each afternoon he had what he thought
was a noisy neighbor driving by and looking at his every move... he
later finished the job and then the noisy neighbor turned out to be a
building inspector and he wrote him a summons to go to court, he had to
pay fine for doing the work without a permit, he then had to buy a
permit and ask for permission to do the work that he already
completed... My uncle closed in a carport years ago and went over to
close to the property line, he had the building inspector make a check
of his property and then later made him tear it down, he then had a 40
foot by 6 foot wide den after he had to do the tear down of the whold 40
ft. length of the addition of the den.....
If these people would have gotten a permit first the permit people would
have advised them of how close they can come to the property line and
other things that would have cost them money in the long run.
