Past Projects without Permits in Portland?

If you are a homeowner in the City of Portland and are considering putting your home on the market, save yourself some headaches and be sure to research the permits pulled on your property.

If you’ve done some of your own work, or inherited remodeled features from the previous owner, your sale could be put at risk if a real estate broker, lender, or buyer asks if the work was done under permit. Much of that information is public, found at the city’s PortlandMaps resource.

Here’s a list of projects that require permits in Portland (requires Adobe Acrobat).

In cases where permits were not secured in advance, the City of Portland has extended a program, Get Legal, to help homeowners get their property straight with city and state permit requirements.

The Get Legal application fee is $350 and it covers:

• Consultation inspection performed at your property.
• An in-person meeting with the Get Legal Team to discuss plans and options for legalizing the work done at the property.
• A customized work plan developed and mailed to the applicant after the team meeting.
• A team specialist to assist the applicant to prepare and submit an appeal application. If an appeal is not necessary, $100 of the initial application fee will be refunded.
• A team specialist to assist the applicant in the Development Services Center with obtaining all necessary permits needed to legalize work.

This is not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. Note the fee does not include any of the permit fees themselves, but gains you access to city employees and information to get your property legal. You also have to complete permitted work within 1 year.

You could plead ignorance. But the prospects of a stalled home sale and the potential liabilities due to faulty work are not worth the risk.
Links:

• Bureau of Development Services
• PortlandMaps.com (search by address, then click ‘Permits/Cases’)
• Get Legal Program (requires Adobe Acrobat)
• Projects that require permits (requires Adobe Acrobat)

Image by Mr. Greenjeans

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Add comment March 1st, 2006