Do I need a permit if

[Adrian Macias]

I currently am renovating an investment home and later looking to take the equity out of it for a repeat BRRR. It has a two car garage that is pretty much useless. I am thinking of using the bones on it and do a carport instead with no walls. Do I have to get a permit for this? I am concerned that when I get an appraisal and survey, things will show differently. Don't want any trouble when I take the equity out on the refinance.

[Nicholas W.]

You won't have a problem with the appraisal except for a most likely lower price because a carport vs a garage will almost certainly hurt your value. For the most part an appraiser could care less how a property got to the way it is, he's just there to tell you what it is worth as it sits now.

The tax assessor would be your issue and the building department in general. You'd have to talk to them to determine if you'd need a permit for it but the answer is likely yes. Would the average person get a permit for it....? Probably not.