Silly Questions Do i need to get a permit to renovate a flip?

[Hao Dinh]

Hi BP !!!

Do i need to call the city to get a permit to do a renovation ? Or if i have a contractor , do they take care of all that permits thing for me ? ( plumbing , Foundation or even drywall sheet rock , add another extra rooms etc.)  Just curious .

Thank you guys :) 

[Grayson Wester]

It all depends where you are doing it and who is doing the work. The short answer is yes, you need one and whoever is acting as the GC is the one to pull it (whether that's you or a GC you hired). Some cities require mechanical contractors (plumbing, HVAC, electrical) to pull an additional permit under the master permit. Every municipality is a little different so go down to your local building department and ask a ton of questions to educate yourself.

In a large city like San Antonio, DFW, Houston or Austin many people get away without pulling permits since there's just too much geography for inspectors to keep an eye on (I am by no means encouraging this path). The caveat to that are areas that are seeing lots of development - inspectors are driving those areas daily looking for houses being renovated without permits.

As @Rick Ramirez said, it's not worth the risk to not pull permits. The cost is generally negligible and the process is ensuring the you're putting out a safe and quality product for your end buyers as well as protecting your contractors, etc.