Building permit is a license authorizing the construction of any building within the boundaries of an incorporated community. Sometimes building permits are needed for structures within a certain distance outside these boundaries. The main purpose of a building permit is to allow city officials to decide whether the proposed structure meets community standards. The officials want to make sure that the structure is of a type authorized by the building code. They also want to determine whether it violates any zoning law or infringes on any deed or ordinance restriction. The officials decide whether the construction meets safety standards and other requirements. They can inspect the property during and after construction to make sure the builders have not violated the permit.
Zoning divides a community into districts. It regulates the height and size of buildings and the balance between the size of each lot and the size of the building on it. Zoning also attempts to keep the same types of building uses grouped together. For example, all commercial buildings are normally grouped together.
If the application conforms to all the requirements, a building permit may be issued upon payment of a fee. This permit does not compel the property owner to erect the building, or complete its construction. It only gives the owner legal permission to do so within a given period of time, usually a year. But if the structure does not conform to all the requirements, the property owner may be required to complete it or remove it.
A building code is a group of ordinances that establishes regulations for the construction, remodeling, repairing, and maintenance of a structure. Building codes usually apply only within the boundaries of the community that enacts the code. A person must obey the community’s building code whether the structure involved is a small addition onto a home or the construction of a big office building.
See also City planning (Governmental authority); Zoning.
