Let’s say you learn you need a garage permit during or after you erected it. It is an honest mistake or something you overlooked because you hurried to shelter your vehicle at once. And now, you are worried about the consequences of building a garage without a permit. 

As a general rule   

Compared to rules for other buildings, it is typical in the US a garage should have a permit before construction. And it applies whether it is attached or detached and small or big. What’s more, you also must get approval even if you are merely altering or modifying it later. Also the same goes if you are converting a room or carport into a garage. Besides these, house buyers must also check if the property they’re purchasing with this structure has a permit.

Regarding specifics like approved dimension or engineering, other mandatory requirements or penalties depend on one’s local building authority. And for this reason, the owner builder should not assume the approved garage design in other states also applies to another.

So what are the punishments? 

Similarly, with the requirements, the sanctions and fines for violators differ from state to state. However, there are standard actions that most building authorities do.

You receive a notice – The first notice typically notes you must prove your garage has a permit. If you don’t have one, you need to apply for that and submit the requirements they ask for, like the building plan. Aside from that, you have to declare how it is done, like whether it is new, renovated, or there are additional changes in it.

The notice also includes the time frame to complete the requirement. If you are complying, your supposed fine is likely on hold or canceled. It depends on the assessment of your compliance. If you don’t respond to the first notice, you may receive another one with a new time frame to complete the demands. However, the second notice may already involve fines.

The inspector(s) will check your garage – Sometimes, the building authority will do the inspection first, but it can also be later after sending the notice. The former happens when inspectors are doing rounds to inspect buildings in an area or if they receive a report of a violation. 

You may redo your garage – The extent of redoing your garage depends on what authority finds errors in it. You may ask to do minimal or intricate modifications. The worst is when you need to demolish and rebuild your garage with the exact engineering they specified. 

You will be penalized for one or more violations – Let’s say you fail to comply. The penalty fee is typically based on the date since you violated the law. It can be from the date you received the initial notice or ever since the garage existed. The computation is the days since the violation times the mandated fine. 

Besides this, you will also pay more if you catch concealing construction work or information during the inspection. Another one is the expenditure that the authority utilizes when you both go into a legal battle, and they win. 

Therefore, to avoid headaches like these, ensure you have a permit and follow the required plans for your garage. Apart from that, your garage is guaranteed to uphold the standards of a high-quality building.