Cheers! The exception to the rule however does not the rule make, how many fantastic buildings have we missed out on because it would not "meet code", you get my point.

Probably would have been tough to get a permit for the tower and get it approved by the homeowners association. Then the engineers would have frowned on my design, and OSHA would have been all over me for the unsafe things I did building it.

I was always told the reason for Chicago having the no Romex or Pex laws is because of the large rat population.

I've heard a lot of horror stories about Cook County, IL and their codes.

Codes and unions aside... My next house will have conduit and FMC ran throughout... I hate Romex. It's garbage, cheap garbage. MC cable is almost as bad.

I realize not everyone has the time, resources, or experience to wire their own home... But in my opinion once you've spent a few years doing electrical work then you'll understand my hatred for Romex and blue plastic boxes... Lower installation cost is their only upside.

Mike

how did you ever get by without a driveway permit?

I have been dabbling in wiring for 40 years. I could see the hate for the blue boxes, but romex???????

X 2

The blue boxes suck, i use all metal. I've run miles of both MC and Romex. Why the hatred of Romex. I only hate the heavier gauges because 10 and up sucks to work with.

Romex is too easily damaged and it always gets damaged or chewed on in the worst spot when you go to repair.

Romex initially has the low cost and rapid install... But once the wall is rocked, you're hosed if anything goes wrong.
Pretty much the same with MC.

Mike

so you make the laws???

I have one better than that! in our township you have to pay 50.00 per year to work in said township. This was to keep flyby night worker out. I told the township officers that the flyby workers are in here.

The same township I mentioned above with all the ridiculous permit applications and bullet-proof glass used to charge a percentage of your gross job costs as a fee for working there. Not a percentage of your net profits but a percentage of total job costs annually. It was absurd and after several years there was a lawsuit brought against the township by a group of contractors which they won.

I retired from the insurance industry in 2002 and I know there was a question about improvements and the use of licensed contractors. Once sold a policy to a man who was so proud that he did all the electrical himself. In a phone interview with underwriting he told them all the trades he did himself. His premiums were returned and his policy canceled. It was a brand new home. Had another fellow try to file a claim for damages that resulted from shody work by an unlicensed electrician. His home later burned to the ground with his wife inside. We cancelled his policy about six months earlier at the first renewal.

There is no law against ruining your life and property. If you have a mortgage, the lender requires certain assurances as does the property insurer. A building permit usually triggers an inspection. Not a bad law at all. It also insures property is accurated valued for property taxes.

"Cooking is by far the #1 cause of fires in the home. That makes sense. Who doesn't know of someone who's had a kitchen fire and probably had something on their stove catch flame once or twice? Ok maybe I'm not a very good cook, but I think fires in the kitchen are not very uncommon and they can certainly turn into major fires. "

I wonder if insurance should be cancelled, if people cook in their houses?

Around 7 percent of fires are related to electricity. Most are from the stuff plugged in or goofy things homeowners do and some are from old wiring or faulty breakers.

Few years back we added a new build upstairs bathroom, our county zoning officer stop by and drank a beer with us. Never said a word. I owe him one

Could you share what state this is a law in?
thanks

permits exist for one reason. its easier for the county to keep track of value increases and tax people accordingly

Also, the fees involved in obtaining permits is a good source of revenue.

It is not just about fees and money. We had to adopt a building code in our city of 180 souls to keep stupid people that move in here from building stuff they couldn't get away with anywhere else. Stupid stuff. So...now because of stupidity and offensiveness and lack of common sense, the City has to approve any building within it's limits.

An example would be that occurring in the city naturally is that along any street, the fronts of all the houses seem to line up, equidistant from the road. All of the sudden, someone realizes that on their narrow, too small too build on, lot, that they , perhaps, could just build to within a few feet of the street, obstructing everyone elses view, and making it hard to deal with snow and maintenance issues, and giving themselves on outside place to park, off of the street.

That is just one example of why some oversight is needed.

People are stupid and have no common sense, and don't care about their neighbors either.

I am vise mayor in town here and on the city council, and I see first hand the stupidity of average people, especially those folks that think they have "rights". My town is 3 blocks square and has a beautiful creek running through it, and a city park with 10 RV slips in it.

If I had a chance, I would veto the building permit for any section 8 housing that might ever happen as well, in my town, as it brings in a bad element.

There are good reasons to have building permits.

The problem is what may have started off as a reasonable idea tied to a small fee has turned into a massive bureaucracy ridden fundraiser for the cities/counties/townships and state.

It's not much of a fundraiser here, there are maybe 2 permits per year. The main reason is for oversight.

This is not a conspiracy, and the administration of the permit, the little bit of time spent to look at the surrounding area, identify conflicts, or issues, and do any research, falls upon the city clerk, and is over and above the normal work day, so...there is a slight cost of administration that most folks don't see, or expect to be given to them for nothing.

I once asked these same questions before I became involved in city government.

I believe everybody should serve on a city or county board, or other board for which the job is thankless at times, so that they can speak with authority from that perspective.