If you are a contractor or a property owner about to perform an electrical, plumbing or mechanical improvement valued at less than $500, you should know that job requires an inspection. That means you must obtain a permit.

The good news is that the City Council recently created a small-job permit fee for jobs worth less than $500 that costs only $10. The not-so-good news is that if a contractor or property owner  performs a job for which he has not obtained a permit, he risks being fined $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second, $500 for the third and $1,000 for all violations thereafter. The benefit of making sure that a small job is permitted is that the job will be inspected by the city to verify the job meets code specifications.

City staff has performed these kinds of inspections since January of 2007, but it was only recently the City Council approved a lower fee rate for smaller jobs.

Some jobs that would fall under this category include: wiring or plumbing for installation of water heaters up to100 gallons, water softeners or dishwashers; wiring for hot tubs or bath fans; installation of new electrical outlets, or extension of dryer ducts up to 25 feet.

But this list doesn’t cover everything. Call Building Inspector Dwaine Thomson to find out if your planned improvement requires a small-job permit at 735-7288, or email him at dthomson@tfid.org.