It’s an all too familiar story, John buys his dream home in Nevada County moving up from the Bay Area. He falls in love with the area and his new home, relishing the quiet and serene neighborhood he’s moved into.
John decides to put in solar panels to reduce his power bill; and the ordeal starts when he goes to apply for a permit. He finds out that he has some unpermitted outbuildings on his property. He’s unsure when they were built and must now go through a laborious process to figure out what to do next. He is overwhelmed by the cost and the hoops he has to jump through before he can apply for his solar permit. He has now blown through his budget for his solar panels by “fixing” the unpermitted structures.
The stories vary but what doesn’t is the complexities of permitting after-the-fact.
It doesn’t take long before people start talking about “their” horror stories and it seems like many folks think it’s easier to just not get permits, not thinking about the long-term consequences. There is a growing problem with the number of unpermitted structures. While at the time it may seem like a good idea, in the long run it can present a loss in property value especially when you go to sell your property or, like John, a huge headache when you go to pull a permit for a new project.
The Nevada County Contractors’ Association in partnership with the Nevada County Association of Realtors® is working toward helping the Building Department make the permitting process less intimidating, more cost effective and seamless.
We want to hear from you whether you are hesitant to go through permitting an existing structure or have applied to get a permit and gone through the Process. It will enable the County to formulate improved services modeled with our specific community needs in mind.
Please take our SURVEY and enter to win a $125 Visa Card.
(You will need to provide an email address to enter to win, but your information will be kept confidential.)
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/GldeBkJ
With the anonymous information that you provide, our community partners and county staff will review current as-built policies to achieve better outcomes.
Unpermitted construction hurts everyone. Let’s work together to make the process easier, more seamless and our properties more valuable.
Barbara Bashall, Government Affairs Manager for the Nevada County Contractors’ Association
Kathy Hinman, Executive Director for the Nevada County Association of Realtors