building with no permits

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Winning DUH

Member
Location
Midwest
My question is:
?what are the consequences of doing a 6000 sqft, total gut, commercial remodel, everything new except the electrical service, without any permits!!???

Here is some back ground:
?Friend? of the family. It is an existing business of 20 years. Insurance agency. Now they want to move to a new location. About fifty work stations, server room, new space is ~6000sqft. The space is located in a building from the 1970?s with five other commercial tenets. The new space is being fed from an old (OLD) FPE main distribution panel. Each tenet space has two- 100amp panels and one sixty amp panel. HVAC is by the building and not part of this project.

I took an amp meter over to the existing location (3phase) to check out the load during normal business hours. So when they are all moved into the new location (single phase) each of the two- 100amp panels will have 70amps per phase, and that?s before space heaters and whatever new office equipment comes with the move. So the service is overloaded from the get go.
The new 6000sqft space was an office, then a church, then office again, and then different office again. So tons of violations and shoddy looking work, no exit signs, no fire alarm, or sprinklers.



I am looking for consequences in regards to fines or penalties on my electrical license. What really happens if you get caught doing a 6000sqft job with no drawings, load calculations, or permits?

If I don?t get caught in the act of doing the work, what are the consequences of overloading the electrical service later, say a year from now? By this I mean overloading the FPE ? MDP, interruption of daily business operations, cost of fixing/replacing the MDP, and upsetting the other tenets. Not to mention applying for that permit and trying to explain all the new work that happened in the space.



To the Electrical Inspectors or Fire Marshalls in the crowd:
This guy is going to need an occupancy permit. What does it look like to you, when you do a walk through on a space that has (OBVIOUSLY) been renovated? Then the new tenant says ?oh ya, that?s how it was when we moved in???.?



Also the personal liability to me, what about that? If I am doing ?cash? work and somebody gets hurt on the job or later something burns and the job went down outside of the protection of my corporation, who pays? Me personally, my personal house, my personal assets? No money paid in to the corporations bank account means no protection on workman?s comp/business liability? yes/no?




Last but not least, the job is to going from start to finish in one month. The business must move out of the existing space by a certain date. The renovation construction work in the new space can?t start any earlier than 30 days due to the businesses leases. What could go wrong here?

What happens if the tenet gets busted doing work with no permit half way through the job? Say the job get?s shut down, then goes in for permits, all the wasted time. All that has a monetary cost to the business and also would be very disruptive.


I am looking for reasons why doing work with no permits is a bad idea.

That?s a big deal moving a functioning business.

What are all the liabilities associated with doing work with no permits?
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
In short, depending your local laws you can loose your license and even be liable for criminal prosecution.

Roger
 

sameguy

Senior Member
Location
New York
Occupation
Master Elec./JW retired
Jail, large fines, public exposure, wife and or dog leaving you. You know, not worth it. Read your own post you have all the info. before you why not!
 

renosteinke

Senior Member
Location
NE Arkansas
"Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

First off, there's no reason to assume that there is no way for the city to work with you on this. Ask them nicely, and they can make the paper move. If they don't, a call from the customer to the mayor, explaining the consequences, tends to work wonders.

From a practical aspect ... no drawings, how are you supposed to work? There IS a load calc - you already know it won't work. All you're asking for is for reality to be suspended.

You're not just a chimp with a tool belt. You're supposed to be a pro, valued for your knowledge, experience, and judgement. You say this job is technically 'wrong' (already overloaded). What's the use of learning if you cast it aside?

A friend of the family. Well, maybe it's time they did YOU a favor - by not putting you on the spot. Some friend.

This situation didn't develop overnight. There's no reason for you to put your tail on the line to cover for their irresponsibility. Besides, a business run that poorly isn't likely to pay you either. Oh, that's right, this is friend, so they probably expect you to work for free too.

Finally ... when your statements do not conform to what the inspector sees, that's when they start looking REAL close. It's your choice: prison cell or padded cell.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
My question is:
?what are the consequences of doing a 6000 sqft, total gut, commercial remodel, everything new except the electrical service, without any permits!!???

I turned down a similar job not long ago ( and I could really use the work/money) because I can't see the up-side for the EC.

Normally when they want to do a job without proper permits that's just the start. Then it's cut every corner imaginable to save every penny. "Don't worry it's not getting inspected so need to comply with any of those silly codes".
 

readydave8

re member
Location
Clarkesville, Georgia
Occupation
electrician
I have to admit that I've been careless in the past as to doing work without permits.

But even I would have said no to this one.

If nothing else the overloaded FPE will cost a "friend."
 

fisherelectric

Senior Member
Location
Northern Va
If they are really a friend they wouldn't ask you to put yourself at risk like that, or at least understand when you tell them why it's not a good idea, for either one of you.
 

satcom

Senior Member
They want to find someone crazy eniough to work without a contract or permit so when the work is done you can,t ask to be paid there is no contract to enforce, and no permit issued so the city will not have a record of the completed inspected job to prove you did the work.

Jobs like this are disasters waiting to happen
 

bullheimer

Senior Member
Location
WA
you should have your own laws to deal with but here are washingtons:

"Electrical contractors and property owners
An electrical permit is required for most new, remodel, and
maintenance electrical work.
■ Your best protection is purchasing electrical
permits and having your electrical work
inspected, as required by law.
■ You could be subject to civil penalties if you do
not obtain the required permits.
■ You could face a fine of up to $2,000 for failing
to obtain a permit before beginning electrical work.
Each day and each location on which a violation
occurs constitutes a separate violation.
■ There could be additional penalties for failing to
correct violations found during an inspection.
■ Your electrical power might be disconnected if you
fail to comply with the law."
 

hurk27

Senior Member
I see the "Midwest" location, I know here in Indiana there is no state license, its by each jurisdiction that choses to require a license, but the state has a cap on fines for violating an ordnance of the local jurisdiction, which is $2500, and if your caught working in a city that requires a license then they can revoke it, I just walked away from a $15k breeze of a job offered to me if I did not not pull permits, this person and another contractor who is facing loosing his license and a $2500 fine as the owner also was fined $2500 and they revolked his OP aplacation. Like the others said, it is not worth loosing the lively hood that you enjoy to do, and have worked so hard to get into, also it is not fair to your family who depend upon you bringing home a paycheck to make this kind of gamble, as for the family requesting this, I question their judgment, if they insist walk away, simply ask them: If I loose my license will you support me and my family for the rest of our life at the level I would enjoy working as an electrician if I got caught and loose my license? Bet I know what their answer would be.
 
Insurance Company--they should look in a mirror

Insurance Company--they should look in a mirror

Question-have you ever known someone who didn't have all the i's dotted and the t's crossed when an accident (car, fire, slip and fall, etc.) happened, and how their insurance company treated them? Could they mail in their lapsed premium check and have the policy in force retroactively? Could they get their driver's license after the accident so they weren't violating the law. Of course not.

Ever been involved in a fire repair/forensic investigation where the insurance company was digging very deep to find some/any sign of negligence on the part of the insured, to deny payment?

There is no waiver, no "notice of non-responsibility", no "grandfathered in" and no "existing non-conforming" loopholes here.

That said, I am approached all the time by clients who have time constraints, don't want to spend $$$ for ADA upgrades, and all the other reasons. They want to avoid the "can of worms" that can open up when a project gets scrutinized. However, when those projects get done with out permits/inspections, the can of worms turns into a snakepit.

Walk away.
 

rodneee

Senior Member
you asked for potential liabilities of working without a permit...and boy oh boy did

you get some wild anwers....(all of which possible, most of which highly unlikely)..

when you mention "CASH" like most people i assume this to mean you will not be

paying your fair share of taxes... that is a whole other animal not really pertaining to

permits....regarding lack of permits; you will not go to jail, the place will not burn,

you will not get sued, and ghosts of long dead inspectors will not haunt you ETC,

ETC....the real danger is a cease and desist order shuts the project down and the

"FRIEND" turns the blame on you and withholds all payments while the matter is

sorted out...
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
“what are the consequences of doing a 6000 sqft, total gut, commercial remodel, everything new except the electrical service, without any permits!!??”The renovation construction work in the new space can’t start any earlier than 30 days due to the business leases. What could go wrong here?

Something else to think about here. What will the owner of the property think about all this work being done without permits and inspections? It's their property and not the tenant's. They normally will be the one's having the property insured and will not wish to lose out. Many times things like this are covered in the lease agreement.

I can say one thing, if it were my property I would not give an open lease agreement that allowed the tenant just to do whatever they wanted. If there ever is a legal action taken the owner could end up holding the short end of the stick.
 

GUNNING

Senior Member
Thats just plain dumb.

Thats just plain dumb.

I can see adding an outlet outside on a house or changing a breaker without a permit.

6000 square feet of remodeled space on someone else's property for a third party.

Nope. Thats just plain dumb.

What part of doing this right don't you want to do? Get your priorities in line and your ego in check. You are a businessman not the electrician fairy. Act like it.
 
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