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Guardian

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Joined
Sep 23, 2011
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5
Hi, eight years ago, I purchased a property in Central Florida and built two houses on it.

I pulled two permits, one for the 2,500 sf principal residence and one for the 750 sf accessory building.

I acted as owner builder and did most of the work myself. I followed all the rules and regulations and had all required inspections done. I received a Certificate of Occupation for the accessory building and a Temporary Certificate of Occupation for the main residence to occupy the main floor while finishing the second floor.

The plans showed the second floor as a single, large room (1,000 sf) with a full bath. The initial inspections for this room had been done (shell, drywall, insulation, airconditioning ducts, plumbing and electrical. This second floor was intended to be used as a storage area. The in-wall plumbing and electricity were designed to build out the space into two bedrooms for our children during their annual visits; the required dividing walls were not shown on the original plans.

This is where the situation became complicated:

I became ill, I had funding problems, etc. and as a result the final inspections (due within 90 days: building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing) required by the TOC were not done. The 90 days ran out on March 31, 2004.

At this point, I would like to see if I can legitimize the building by getting the inspections done because we may wish to sell when the house prices go up, if ever they do.

Here is my first question:

Is there a statute of limitations for a missed final inspection?

Depending on the answers, I will have other questions.

Thank you
 
welcome to the forum. i'd go see the AHJ ( where you got your permit) and discuss it with them. usually, here, as long as work continues and inspections are called, recorded, they don't expire. ( due to a progression of work) however, here is not there. talk with your building dept.they are the avenue to take, good luck
 
Most of the time the AHJ wants to get closure on old permits, and will reissue it if it has expired. It'll most likely cost you at least the original building permit fee. But yes, go have a conversation with them.

And also, Welcome to the Forum.
 
Kuddos for pulling your permits and getting inspections! That should help ensure that at least the work completed up to the last inspection should be evaluated under the code in force at the time of the construction.

The jurisdiction may consider anything beyond those inspections to be evaluated as "new" work and subject to the current code (there's been changes to the codes in the last 6 years). Hence the encouragement to go see the AHJ and continue to play nice, in hopes that they'll play nice, too.
 
I thank all of you for the advice to go to the AHJ and play nice...real nice because in addition to failing to get the final inspections mentioned above, I have also done some new work in this space. The original design, as approved by an engineer and the AHJ for the building permit, clearly shows the shell and roof to be independent of any dividing walls in the living spaces. As mentioned in my post, the new work was not on the original plans at the time the permit was pulled but it does not involve the structural components of the shell or the roof; it consists of non-loadbearing divisions. All the new work was done to the same high standards as the original work, guided by the three books on meeting code for mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

Before I go on the humble-trip to the AHJ, should I get a lawyer to look at the damage potential? Does a lawyer help when restling in the mud?

Also, does anyone know if there is a statute of limitations for such a situation?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
There is no statute of limitations in my jurisdiction and I haven't heard of such a thing anywhere else. Your permits have expired. You have done bootleg work. So you need new permits to complete the previous project and permits for the bootleg project. The permits for completing the previous project should be based on the amount of work that was unfinished at the last inspection. That can be gleaned from the inspection record. The bootleg work permit is what it is for new work.

And about bringing a lawyer, you don't need one yet and that's sure to send the wrong message. Try this instead, wear a short red dress and smile a lot.
 
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Thank you ICE for your comment and your view on using a lawyer. However, I think that wearing a short red dress would also send the wrong message...I am a 260 pound, six-foot guy.

Guardian
 
LMAO

Oh that is to rich. Ya just had to know when he made that comment that it would hurt. Now my side aches.
 
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