Homeless in Arizona

I called Mesa and asked them what the fee would be to replace a electric water heater with a gas water heater.

They told me the fee is based on the number of inspections.

If one inspection is required the fee is $187.20

That's $187.20 inspection fee to replace a water heater you can buy for $150 at Home Depot.

I suspect that if people were required to get building permits before they were allowed to buy the raw materials at Home Depot, Lowe's and other home improvement stores all the stores would go bankrupt because of the government bureaucracy that makes constructions project super expensive.

Source

Mesa targets do-it-yourselfers who don't get proper permits

By Gary Nelson The Republic | azcentral.com Wed Jan 2, 2013 9:21 AM

People who think they can save a few bucks by ignoring Mesa’s building-permit requirements sometimes are in for an expensive surprise.

In rare cases, illegal additions have to be torn down altogether. In others, the city will discover that the work has been done, require that the owner get a permit and may require modifications to bring the do-it-yourself work up to code.

And in rarer cases still, unsafe additions can contribute to property damage and even personal injury.

Mesa would really rather not have any of that happen. So the city is launching an educational effort aimed at helping homeowners understand when and why permits are needed.

“Sometimes the work is quite expensive and the reason it is of concern to us is because there are potential life safety issues if it is not done properly,” said Laura Hyneman, who oversees Mesa’s code-compliance office.

Hyneman has prepared a brochure explaining Mesa’s permit rules and the code-compliance page on Mesa’s website, www.mesaaz.gov, soon will have that information as well.

A lot of ordinary home projects don’t require permits. They include painting, papering, floor finishings, cabinets and other finish work.

If you’re replacing a roof with similar materials, you don’t need a permit. But if you’re, say, swapping asphalt shingles for tile, then you do.

You can replace air-conditioners, water heaters and solar units without a permit. You can put up a small shed or playhouse. If you live in an RV park, you can in most cases install metal patio covers and awnings.

But lots of plumbing and electrical work requires a permit, and so does almost anything altering, enlarging or reducing your floor plan. Permits have to be posted on site and the person doing the work must summon a city inspector.

Many times, Hyneman said, people who don’t get permits are simply ignorant of the requirements.

Sometimes the illegal work doesn’t come to Mesa’s attention until years later. Banks on occasion will call the city asking why a house for sale shows greater square footage than what appears on county records, and ask whether the additions were permitted.

If not, there are complications for sellers and buyers.

People who are dinged for illegal work can in some cases appeal to the city’s Board of Adjustment, a citizen panel that considers proposed minor deviations from the zoning ordinance.

In those cases, the board is instructed to ignore the fact that it already has been built. The question is whether the board would have allowed it had the owner asked permission first.

Often the answer is no.

Hyneman said no one has had to tear down an addition since she took over the code-compliance job early this year. Usually, she said, it’s a matter of “having to made modifications of one form or another, which is an expense that people weren’t counting on.”

It’s also an expense that would have been avoided had the owner gotten permits and inspections to begin with.

In one recent case, Hyneman said, a man called her department because he was suspicious about a house he was looking to rent for his large family.

Some of the bedrooms no longer had windows — a potentially dangerous code violation. Hyneman’s deputy told the man not to rent the house.

At this point, Hyneman said, her department is willing to cut people a break on permit fees to repair existing violations if they agree to correct problems voluntarily. “Our approach is definitely outreach to people, let them know what the rules are,” she said. “But then after that we need to get stricter.”

The new effort meshes with one Mesa launched in October, called the Homeowner-Builder Assistance Program.

That program allows people to call 480-644-4273 to schedule a personal appointment with a professional plans examiner who can explain codes, permits, the inspection process and help with design.