Can an owner of a Condo pay for a permit and request an inspection from the Building Department for a main sewer line leak? Or is it required by code that only the President of the Homeowner's Association can request the permit and inspections.
The building dept. will most likely tell you to hire a licensed plumber to investigate a leak.Can an owner of a Condo pay for a permit and request an inspection from the Building Department for a main sewer line leak? Or is it required by code that only the President of the Homeowner's Association can request the permit and inspections.
No permit is required to look for a leak. A plumbing permit is required to replace drainage pipe within the footprint of the building. A sewer permit is required to replace the building sewer pipe. The building sewer is that sewer pipe which is between the building and the property line. Beyond the property line is the lateral and the main line or trunk. That is not regulated by the building dept.The president hired a friend license plumber who didn't get a permit.
You don’t need a permit to report a leak, so that answers your first post.The president hired a friend license plumber who didn't get a permit.
Beniah beat me to it.If any pipe was replaced a permit is required. If the plumber is a licensed contractor he should obtain a permit. There is no exception for a permit due to an emergency. If the plumber is not licensed by the state of California and the sum total of the work exceeds $500 he has broken state law. The city of Torrance decides who can obtain a permit.
The CSLB (California State License Board) has voluminous regulations on what contractor can enter into what contract. The license classifications are defined and there is plenty of regulation on the form and function of contracts. The CSLB has no opinion in writing as to who can obtain a permit. I have asked the CSLB and have been told that the AHJ can issue a permit to anyone of their choosing.He’s right that you can’t pull the permit, especially since there is a (supposedly) licensed contractor available to do that.
Good luck getting the permit fee refunded to you, sounds like your hoa board is a little shady.
And they probably have. My experience is that a HO can pull a permit for his own work, other than that it has to be a licensed contractor.The city of Torrance can issue a permit to a beagle.
Yes, based on your statements I'd say there's definitely the possibility of life safety issues. Buildings do "settle" over time but it sounds like you're saying one side of the building has settled 1/4" over 6 months. It is possible that this is caused by the sewer leak but I'd bet it's more likely that there are bigger issues at play.Could thIs possiblity be a life safety issue?
If or when would it become a life safety issue
I look for and found the leak because there was settling of about 1 1/2" to all the garage floor slabs on one side under the garage doors.
The condos are in a row built on the side of a hill with a road cut at the bottom. The foundation is a perimeter footing with stem wall and post on pads in the crawl space. The garages slabs are at the top of the hill with the top foundation at the back of garages and the bottom foundation is half way down the hill.
I got permit last July and the gap under the garage door has grown about 1/4" more or about 1 3/4". The leak is at the middle of the row of condos just in front of the top foundation on the down hill side in the crawl space