re: When do you need a building permit?

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I have about a 25 SF place on my house that is under the original roofline. I plan to frame it in a put a stackable washer and dryer in it. Will I need a permit for this work? If so, what are the steps/process to get the permit? Also, how long does it generally take?

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Are you in EBR. Here is the site for building permits.

LINK

I use to work in building permit and inspection in another parish. The inspector would not require people to get a permit if they were doing an add on or any type of work to their house that they are paying for out of pocket.

If I were you, I would start working on it and if an inspector happens to stop by just tell them you were not aware you had to get a permit for something like that, but I would call your insurance first.

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Lie on that and you could be in a costly civil suit.

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People like you in the residential side always make these threats to continue your business.

Just like you must have a realtor or an appraiser to make a sale between two parties.

It simply isn't the case...

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I'm sure appraisers are lining up to destroy their employers purchase of a new house.

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Who are their employers?

They could get sued if they don't do their due diligence. They also have standards they are supposed to upkeep.

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Nobody is going through old records and comparing square footage to see if 25 ft were added.

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Maybe or maybe not. The point is that between old records and the property disclosure, it's best not to risk it as the penalties later could cost more than doing it correctly now.

I think the permitting system in many Parishes is stupid and that most inspectors have no fricking clue and interpret the building code how they choose instead of enforcing what's on the books but it's unfortunately the law of the land.

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Nobody is going through old records and comparing square footage to see if 25 ft were added.

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Ive seen insurance companies do this. It had something to do with the original value of the house that had a new structure added on. They added a carport, which was in the middle of the house and an apartment type structure that they added. It was a structure with a bedroom, bathroom, and open living and kitchen area.

While I didn't really know the details behind why the insurance company was looking into it, but they wanted copies of all the permits on file for the house (which they didn't have a permit for the added structure). It wasn't just a simple add on, but they were selling the house and there were issues with how much the house was appraised for vs what they were asking and what the amount of insurance that was paid..

So to say nobody is going to go through old records isn't 100% accurate, but for what this guy is doing, there is a very good chance it doesn't happen.

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While I didn't really know the details behind why the insurance company was looking into it

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Because an insurance company these days will not insure a house or additions not built to code. It's too risky for them.

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I'm sure appraisers are lining up to destroy their employers purchase of a new house.

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Lots of home sales are stopped when the appraisal is done, and it shows the asking price is out of line, which is exactly what they are paid to find out.

I would get a permit for it, because you will need electrical and plumbing run for it. Also, if a fire starts there, or some other tragedy, your homeowners won't cover it, if they find out you didn't pull a permit.