Permit or no permit; how would you vote? Oregon measure 63

wow - and I thought Deschutes and Klamath County was tough on permits - this could be a nightmare

That is appalling...there is many a kitchen or bath remodel that will come in under $35,000!

As a Realtor, one thing that I try to help my buyers figure out is which improvements have been done without permits.  I can usually do this by looking at tax records (since permits trigger tax record updates). Once in a while, we find one that the county did not add, but usually they manage to add the ones that allow them to charge more taxes.  I am pretty sure that not requiring permits for projects under $35,000 will result in almost all basements being finished without permits--no requirements for access/egress will be enforced as a result.What about a deck that collapses because it is not adequately supported or attached to the house?

This proposal sounds irresponsible and dangerous!  The permit requirement should be based on project type--not dollar amount!

Fred ~  I am so very glad that I do not live in Portland.  Clackamas County permits have issues of their own!  :-)  But then again, who doesn't?  Sara, btw, is a good friend of mine!  :-)

Fred- I have a feeling it is going to pass. It has implications I really don't want to deal with but what are we going to do? Deal with it!

You know, when I came across that ballot I was thinking that it might be 'not-too-bad' but you have raised some VERY interesting points! Thanx for the post!

I think I will have to vote to keep permits required on this one. Some people just don't know what they're doing, especially when it comes to electric/plumbing/heating/gas lines. There needs to be official regulations and inspections for safety.

I think the worst part about this is it opens up too many loopholes for a person to "claim" that it cost below $35K.  I saw enough disasters created by flippers when permits were required that this worries me.  (buyer beware!) We don't have as many flippers in our market as we did several months ago but this really could open a can of worms.  Don't get me wrong, I don't have issues with contractors wanting a project to pick up extra cash, my husband and I have done the same on many occasions, it is when people cut corners and hope no one will notice.  With no check and balance system (permits) how do we know what is behind the walls?

Fred,

Home repairs is an area that does not need deregulation.  All home repairs of any significance, and especially plumbing and wiring, ought to require a permit as well as require work performed by a licensed contractor.  Thanks for your post Fred... it's a good issue that requires serious thought.

Fred,

Sorry I didn't read this post before the election.  But I still wanted to say that, at first I was dead against this measure.  I see wacky and dangerous things well meaning home owners do everyday.  However I got to thinking that if the government is taken out of repairs at this level it will be a whole new industry for me!

So I did not vote for it and it didn't pass however I definetly could see the bright side.

Fred,

As the previous replier stated, this measure didn't pass, unfortunately in my opinion.  As far as I'm concerned, the homeowner should have the right to perform their own work without having to pay the state for permission to do so, within reason.  This measure would've allowed for that to happen, I believe that condos and apartment complexes were excluded from this, and it only applied to single family residences.

Another bit of blatant misinformation that was part of that article was that electrical contracting was not included as part of the measure, let me repeat that, you still would've had to acquire a permit for electrical work.

Taken directly from the state paperwork which is directly linked to in this blog:

"Requires electrical wiring made to improvement covered by measure to be performed or approved by licensed electrical contractor."

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but in the future it might be advantageous to fact check some things before reposting another's opinion.  This was a very good bill for homeowners, and unfortunately too many people listened to fear mongering conjecture instead of educating themselves of the facts.

Hi Fred - This is an interesting post that does raise some good questions.  Personally I favor the requirement of having to get a permit for most work done on a home.  To me, the most important feature should be a requirement for using a licensed plumber or electrician to perform the work.  I also think that 35K places the limit too high.  I'm not against "do-it-yourselfers" but I do feel that certain projects ought to be completed by skilled craftsmen.