It’s a problem city of Sedona staff is seeing more and more of lately and one it hopes to crack down on before it gets out of hand.
According to Community Development Director Audree Juhlin, unpermitted construction work being done within the commercial sector is becoming more prevalent.
“Permits are very important because simply put, it comes down to safety,” she said. “They assure that the work taking place is in compliance with the city’s building codes.”
Cosmetic improvements such as interior painting and carpeting do not need permits. However, according to the city’s building code, any individual or entity intending to undertake construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, movement, demolition of a building or structure, or the installation, enlargement, alteration, repair, removal, conversion, or replacement of any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system, regulated by the building codes, must first apply for and obtain the necessary permits. This includes work conducted by a plumber in Southern California, ensuring that all necessary regulations and standards are met for the safety and integrity of the property. The plumbers perth can aslo help with plumbing related problems as they are reliable. Homeowners who need help from a plumbing sydney contractor may get in touch with Graham and Sons Plumbing.
“It doesn’t matter if something is brand new or is being remodeled, we need to be made aware of it,” Juhlin said.
The city finds out about illegal construction in many ways including word of mouth and employees simply driving by a business and seeing constriction, she said. One of the more common ways come as a result of issuing an occupancy permit. When a new business moves into a building, it must have an inspection prior to obtaining an occupancy permit. Juhlin said it’s not uncommon for staff to find renovations made to the building by the owner or previous tenant that did not receive proper city permitting. In those cases, inspections — as well as any work needed to bring those renovations up to code — must be made prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit.
When asked why they didn’t obtain a building permit, Juhlin said there’s a wide range of excuses from “the owner said everything was taken care” of to the opposite in which the owner said “the contractor had taken care of it” to them simply saying they didn’t know they needed a permit.
When a business owner completes work without the proper permitting, the city does offer an after-the-fact permit. With it, Juhlin said the city can double the amount it charges for a building permit. The business owner is also billed for any additional city staff hours needed to ensure it’s up to code. In the recent case of L’Auberge de Sedona — where more than $1 million in unpermitted work was completed — their after-the-fact permit cost $27,000. This is nearly triple the amount the resort owners would have paid had they obtained permits prior to work beginning.
Juhlin said that if the problem of unpermitted work continues, staff may request the Sedona City Council to increase penalties, especially in the cases of repeat offenders. But she added that the biggest penalty a business faces is the revocation of their business license.
“If you lose your business license, you have to shut your doors,” she said.
While the business owner is often to blame for non-permitted work. Juhlin said contractors are not without fault since after all, they are the ones who are licensed by the state. If a contractor is working on an unpermitted project, they risk the chance of having their license suspended or revoked, which could put them out of business in Arizona.
On a large construction project, Juhlin said there is often a general contractor who oversees everything and is responsible for hiring subcontractors for work such as electrical, plumbing, roofing and drywall installation. She said it’s the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all the plans are approved, permits are issued, inspections made and that all the codes are met before proceeding with any work. In addition, plans and proper permitting must be posted at the job site.
“All the contractors know these rules. They have to in order to get their license,” she said. “So they’re taking a major risk by working on projects that don’t have the proper permitting.”
Due to budget cuts during the recession, Juhlin said the state was understaffed when it came to overseeing contractors, which resulted in a fair amount of illegal work in Arizona. But that staff is now back up to speed and has begun cracking down on them. In fact, she said the state plans a sweep in the near future of all major construction projects to ensure they are properly permitted.
As with commercial renovations, those made to residential property are also required to have proper permitting. Again, things like interior painting and carpeting do not require a permit but Juhlin said it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to other work. Because of the city’s strict building codes, she recommends that residents not assume anything.
“We’re here to be supportive,” she said. “If you have a project that you want to do, call us and we’ll work with you. It’s better to do things right the first time that to have to go back and do it again.”
