Fire Damage Flip - Permitting & Occupancy

[Nick Coons]

I'm under contract to purchase a fire damaged property to rehab and flip. The demo work was done previously and it's been taken down to the studs. I feel very comfortable with everything as far as the actual work and construction portion (it's all work I've done/managed before).

What I'm unfamiliar with is the legal process (permitting, inspections, occupancy, etc). Someone else has always managed that for me. I'm on hold with the city right now, but I suspect I'll get answers to this post before anyone actually picks up my call. :-)

I realize it probably varies by jurisdiction. But generally, what should I expect from the city in terms of requirements to allow me to rehab the property that are unique to it being fire damaged? As an example, I'll need permits and inspections to do electrical work, which I would need regardless of fire damage. What will I need in this regard *because* of the fire damage? For example, will the city want to inspect the property before I do any work so they can take an inventory of damage to be able to verify that I've repaired it correctly?