planning construction
in DC? the right permit
is a crucial step
On the website, PermitFlow.com, the page titled, “DC Building Permit Guide for Builders, Developers, Contractor”
If you’re a developer, contractor, or builder who is planning construction in Washington, DC, getting the right permits is a crucial step. Permits help to ensure that your project proceeds legally and under the city’s approval, without either of which you could face fines or orders to remove the work.
Getting a DC building permit can be frustrating. You’re expected to provide proof that your project is thoroughly planned out, including approval from communities and licensed contractors. The biggest challenge is making sure to include everything the city needs to approve your building permit.
This guide will walk you through all the steps of getting a DC building permit, from what projects require a permit to how to make the process easier.
What requires a building permit in DC?
In Washington DC, many construction and renovation projects require a building permit. These can include building a structure of 50 square feet or more or simply as installing a sump pump.
Here’s a list of common projects that need permits:
New building construction
Adding rooms, floors, or decks to existing buildings
Demolishing structures
Major renovations or remodeling
Changing a building’s use (like turning a house into an office)
Installing or replacing electrical, plumbing, or HVAC systems
Building decks, fences, or retaining walls
Adding or removing walls
Installing solar panels
Excavation work
Some smaller projects don’t require a permit (unless the site is in a historic district).
Well!
I mean what is a building code when compared to the Constitution of the United States.
Neither seem to present serious roadblocks, if you know what I mean.
Or are you telling me that the demolition of part of the White House can be arranged by someone just making a phone call to friend who owns a bull dozer and can come over on a Saturday Morning?
OH come on.
I checked the city website for Grand Rapids, Michigan and you can’t even put up a fence without a permit.
Somewhere, someone knows where the bodies are buried and who got paid.
And someday …
Down here in the low country, the part of the country that was in the papers recently because the county prosecutor was found guilty of hiding settlements from clients so he could pocket the money he needed to fund his drug problem. This all unraveled on the guy when he working to get his kid off of charges of DUI in a boating accident that left a young girl dead which led to him shooting both his wife and the son in question. The Country Prosecutor pled not guilty but a jury didn’t buy it.
I mention all that so the reader can get a grasp on the legal climate down here.
See, a guy we met had a coffee shop and he wanted to expand his indoor seating and applied for the right permit but refused to make any other extra curricula financial contributions to help further his request.
And the request was refused on the grounds he didn’t have the required 10 parking spots in his parking lot.
He replied with photos and a map that showed he DID INDEED have 10 parking spots.
When he got to work the next day, there was an official City of Bluffton ‘No Parking’ sign on one spot in his lot.
Today, that sign is still there.
The guy gave up and closed his coffee shop.
Petty.
Petty crime.
The online dictionary defines petty as of little importance; trivial.
What you might expect in the low country.
Not when talking about one of the most famous structures in the United States, if not the world.
No Haiku For You 