Protect your home’s value: get a permit

Spring has finally arrived, and with it comes the need to start those home improvement projects you have been planning all winter. Before you visit the home-center and load up on materials, consider contacting your local jurisdiction to get your project evaluated and to get all the proper permits. Simple projects like a new deck, a fence, or even a new roof can be signed-off in a matter of minutes. Even for larger projects such as additions or finishing a basement, the turn-around-time for permits in the city of Spokane is usually the same day.

As quick and easy as it is to get the proper permits, the most important reasons are to ensure your family’s safety and your home’s value.

Not only can poor construction fail and cause serious injuries, but work that was neither permitted nor inspected can come back to haunt you when it comes time to sell your home.

Quite often insurers, banks, or savvy home buyers will research the construction history on a home prior to purchase. If a new addition or a finished basement has not been permitted, the sale could fall through, or worse yet, insurance companies could refuse coverage.

Last year, the city of Spokane issued a record numbers of building permits for new construction, repairs, and remodels and this year is shaping up to be just as active.

As an outreach effort, the city is implementing an education program for folks interested in starting major home improvement projects.

The program’s goal is to inform the public of the value and necessity of obtaining the proper building permits and inspections. As part of this comprehensive outreach effort a new City Council Connection TV show discussing this topic will run all April on Public Access Cable — Channel 5 — and a utility-bill insert will be mailed in early May to Spokane residents.

In the future the city will upgrade its Web site with useful content, and improve its internal permitting processes.

To supplement these activities, the city has launched a new program on weekends — visiting with homeowners and contractors doing work, reminding them of the need for permits and inspections.

The employees of the Building Services Department at the city of Spokane are excited about the upcoming building season. “We look forward to working with the homeowners and contractors to help build a project that is not only the highest quality, but also the safest on your block,” noted Joe Wizner, a building official with the city.

For more information, contact the appropriate entity where you live:

•City of Spokane — 625-6300 www.buildingspokane.com

•Spokane County — 477-3675 www.spokanecounty.org/bp/

•City of Spokane Valley — 921-1000 www.spokanevalley.org