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I recently completed renovation of my bathroom. I expanded the space, changed plumbing and ripped out and rebuilt almost everything.

One thing I did not know then but I know now is that I needed a city permit to do all those changes. And I m not a licences contractor so I had no idea about those rules and regulations.

My question is what do I do next? How do I get permit now that work is complete?

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If you go to apply for a permit for work you already did, you might get one of any number of reactions, ranging from, "just pay us our fee and go away" to "an inspector will be out next Thursday to make sure everything visible looks fine (and just pay us our fee)" to "you need to rip out all the finish materials so our inspector can look at the plumbing and electrical work, and then hire a licensed professional to do the repairs (and also, just pay us our fee)".

If you decide not to go this route and just enjoy your new bathroom without telling anybody (oops too late, now it's on the internet), then the consequences will be that you'll have to disclose the un-permitted work if and when you sell your house, and your homeowner's insurance may not pay to fix any damage cause by your work that you file a claim about, should such a situation arise. Otherwise, relax and enjoy your new bathroom--assuming it was done well and to your satisfaction!

The meta-answer is that this is a DIY site, and probably 90% or more of what people ask about here requires a permit that is never obtained. Virtually every house has or will have major un-permitted work done on it during some state of its lifecycle. Don't let it keep you up at night.

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  • If you opt to not get a permit, you might consider bringing in professionals to look at your work. That could save you from an electrical fire or flood in the future. That, more than a bit of paper, might help you sleep at night.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Commented Aug 20, 2015 at 23:38
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    I'm assuming the work was done safely and correctly, which is absolutely possible to do without being or hiring a pro. That said, if the OP is at all worried about the safety or quality of the work he did for any of the plumbing or electrical components, I would absolutely recommend taking this advice.
    – iLikeDirt
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 0:27
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  1. Look on line for information, that your city should give you, about remodeling/permits.
  2. You should be able to apply for a Home Owners Permit, that should save you some money. But be ready to give them drawings of what you did.
  3. As for the Inspection, be ready to rip the sheetrock and any tile off the walls and back to the studs. A city inspector will not sign off on any work that he/she can not see.
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