Inspections
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Departments > Inspections > Common Questions | ||||
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Common Questions What is the purpose of the building code? The main purpose of the building code is public safety. Fire sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, fire alarm systems, fire resistive materials, and other building elements provide protection for people in buildings. These types of building elements are usually obvious in buildings like schools, theaters, high-rise buildings, and public assembly buildings. What safety features are there in my home? Some of the safety features that are part of a home include smoke detectors, fire walls between the house and garage (assuming the garage is attached to the home), proper sizing of structural members (e.g.- beams, posts, trusses), proper venting of fuel burning appliances (e.g. - furnaces, water heaters, laundry dryers, fireplaces), handrails, guardrails, and safety glass. These elements and others are required by the building code. Whose responsibility is it to see that the building code is followed? The contractor you hire to complete your project is responsible for compliance with the state building code. They should be licensed by the state (when required) to perform the work. If there is ever a question as to whether or not some aspect of a construction project complies with the code, the contractor is the responsible party. If you are performing the work yourself, then you are the responsible party. Who must be licensed? The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry establishes the rules for licensing of contractors. Most contractors are required to be licensed; however, there are some exceptions. Before hiring a contractor, you should ask if they are licensed. If a contractor asks you to apply for a building permit for work they are doing, chances are they are not licensed. The Inspections Division verifies that contractors are licensed before issuing building permits. Resident homeowners do not have to be licensed to perform work on their own home. If you have questions about contractor licensing, contact the Construction Codes and Licensing Division at the Department of Labor and Industry at 651-284-5065. What is the City of Apple Valley’s role in building code enforcement? Each municipality is mandated by the state to adopt and enforce the building code. Cities have building inspection personnel that issue permits and perform inspections of construction to check for code compliance. Although many people think that inspection by the city guarantees 100% code compliance, that is not the case. A building inspection is an attempt to verify that at the time the inspector viewed the work, it appeared that the work complied with the code. As soon as the inspector leaves the jobsite, anything can be changed. Building inspections are intended as spot checks of construction to verify substantial code compliance. Although city inspections find many things that are code violations, they cannot, and are not intended to, guarantee every aspect of the work. Inspection by the city also does not guarantee that the work is free of construction defects. Contractors and material suppliers are responsible for problems associated with construction defects. If the city is not responsible, then why have permits and inspections? City inspections do find many code related problems and get them corrected. Most of those are unseen by the homeowner because they occur during the construction process. Without inspection by the city, there would be many more problems. If a code violation is discovered in your construction project, we will work with you to get the contractor to correct the problem. What is the State Building Codes and Standards Division? The Building Codes and Standards Division is the state agency that administers the state code. Their phone number is (651) 284-5068 and their website is http://www.doli.state.mn.us/buildingcodes.html. They do not have direct responsibility for code enforcement (except for state owned projects). They are a resource for cities to use in the process of code enforcement. They also provide continuing education for building inspectors. When am I required to obtain a building permit? It is not possible to list every situation when a permit is required. In general, a permit is required for most construction projects where something is being built, repaired, replaced, or remodeled. How do I obtain a building permit? You must complete a building permit application and submit it with all
required submittal documents. The type of work you are doing will determine
the required submittal documents. Once your application has been received
it will be reviewed. The review process usually takes a few days, but
during busy construction times it could take up to ten working days. If
your submittal documents require corrections, it may take longer. When
the review is complete, we will contact you so you can pay for the permit
and pick it up. If you hire a contractor to perform work for you, ask to see the permit.
You should also make sure they are having all required inspections performed.
You can check this by asking the contractor or by calling us. Is it hard to get a permit? It can generally be said that it is harder to do something right than to take the easy way. This is true when it comes to obtaining a building permit. We try to make the process as easy as possible but it involves work and understanding on your part. It would be much easier for the person doing the work to just start the work and not have to worry about a permit or inspections. Even though our permitting and inspecting does not guarantee that the work complies completely with all code requirements, there still are many things that our process does find that can assure a certain level of code compliance and quality. Our goal is to help to achieve code compliance and quality in construction work. Why do you need so much information? In order to attempt to answer questions about your project before you start working on it, we must have enough information. To try to avoid a situation where you do some type of work that must be done over because we did not have enough information to know what you were doing, it is necessary to have as much information as possible at the beginning of your project. It is much less work to provide the information before you start the work than to complete some work and find out it must be done over again. Why does it take so long to get a permit? The main thing to remember is that the process will be much easier if you allow enough time for the process to work. It only seems to take a long time to get a permit if you wait until the last minute to start the process. Do not wait until the day before the work is to start to think about a permit and inspections. Allow about 10 days to obtain a building permit. If I have questions about building permits and inspections who can I contact? The building inspection department is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 PM. Our telephone number is (952) 953-2588.
Content updated on: 28-Sep-2007
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