Things You Need a Permit For In The City Of O'Fallon

[Ravenfreak]

I decided to take a look at when specifically I'll need a permit whenever starting new projects here in the city of O'Fallon. Apparently we need a permit to finish our basement, which I didn't know about until now! I knew that in certain cases if you're adding on to your house you'd need a permit, but I wasn't aware you needed one to finish your basement here. Is this a very common thing where you live? Anyways other projects you'll need a permit for are adding a fence, porches, patio covers, and sunrooms just to name a few. We plan on getting our basement finished at some point in the future, we got our bathroom done already but we have a room we need to get finished that will be mine and my spouse's bedroom once it's done.

 

[Eric]

I decided to take a look at when specifically I'll need a permit whenever starting new projects here in the city of O'Fallon. Apparently we need a permit to finish our basement, which I didn't know about until now! I knew that in certain cases if you're adding on to your house you'd need a permit, but I wasn't aware you needed one to finish your basement here. Is this a very common thing where you live? Anyways other projects you'll need a permit for are adding a fence, porches, patio covers, and sunrooms just to name a few. We plan on getting our basement finished at some point in the future, we got our bathroom done already but we have a room we need to get finished that will be mine and my spouse's bedroom once it's done.

That's great you took a minute to look into what your city requires. Most people generally don't know and aren't interested unless they hire a contractor who has to pull permits to complete work for them. Municipal building codes vary but generally require permits for most types of work. That includes renovations/remodels, like you were looking into, but also HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fencing, decks, you name it. It's all generally based on International Building Code but since it's tailored to your local jurisdiction's needs may include other requirements adopted by your local government. For example, southern California codes emphasize fire protection because of the wildfire risk out here.

So yes, I'd say that the structural work and use of materials involved in finishing a basement would generally be subject to code requirements, including the need for permits. Missouri's basic requirements are pretty much the same as everywhere else in that respect.