If you have hired a professional contractor, you should always have the remodeler pull all necessary permits for the project. Here's why:

Knowledge

What may seem like complex details to you are familiar to your professional remodeling contractor. They know the ins and outs of local municipalities’ building codes. They’ll know which permits to pull, documents to prepare, general timelines and who to contact. If they don’t know something, they will know who to ask and what to ask.

Liability

If you, the homeowner, pull the permit, then you are liable for any accident or injury that occurs on your property in connection with the work being done. If you hire a contractor to do work under your permit, although contractors have extensive insurance policies, you may also be liable for damage to the home or surrounding properties and unable to collect damages from the contractor for any loss sustained. In fact, many municipalities in Wisconsin mandate that homeowners sign a “Cautionary Statement to Owners Obtaining Building Permit” document before they get the permit, so they formally acknowledge that they understand the extent of their liability.

Protection

At select intervals as required by the project, your local building inspector will examine your home to ensure the work is up to code. Should anything need to be adjusted, the permit holder is responsible for making those changes. Protect yourself so you won't incur additional expenses required to bring your home up to code.

Building Codes & Permits

Building codes are established to protect homeowners’ health and safety. They tend to vary from one municipality to another.

Building permits help hold contractors accountable for following the building codes.

A building permit generally is required whenever structural work is involved or when a basic living area will be changed. For example, if you have an unfinished basement and want to finish off a portion of it, you would need a building permit in most jurisdictions because you have changed the basic amount of living space in your house from storage space to “livable” space.

Local building codes and permit rules should be very familiar to a professional remodeler. The best way to ensure that a permit has been obtained by your contractors is to ask the contractor to show you the permit or give you the permit number prior to allowing them to start any work on your house.

It’s important to note that homeowners are ultimately responsible for any penalties resulting from failure to file necessary permits! This can include fines, removal of illegal work, court appearances and more. It can also complicate any future sale of your home.  If unsure, always check with your municipality to confirm that your renovations get the proper permits pulled!