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Updated about 1 year ago on . Most recent reply

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Enes A.
4
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I would like to open a window in a wall, do I really have to get the city permit ?

Enes A.
Posted

I bought a duplex that I merged into a SF in the seattle area. As a result one of the room lost a lot of light and I would like to add a window in one of the walls. The issue is that permitting takes a lot of time and would cost more that the project itself (~2k).

A lot of people told me to just do it without a permit. Should I do that ? What am I really risking in that case ?
Thank you !

Most Popular Reply

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Scott E.
  • Contractor
  • Scottsdale, AZ
2,994
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Scott E.
  • Contractor
  • Scottsdale, AZ
Replied

Yes you need a permit.

And yes you can try to get away with doing this without a permit, and may not get caught.

Outside of it being the "right thing" to do, getting a permit means the city will inspect your work and certify that it has done properly and to code. It might be nice to have that extra reassurance on a project like this where you are punching a big hole into an exterior, likely load bearing wall.

These types of posts always make for interesting discussions. At the end of the day the decision and liability will fall on you.

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