Just read a city report on fence permits that made me double-check my paperwork

I was looking through some old city planning documents for a job in Riverside, and I found a report from last year about code violations. It said over 40% of the fines given out were for unpermitted fence work, not for the fence itself being wrong. The city inspector told me they often find the posts are fine and the height is correct, but the homeowner or a small crew just never pulled the permit. That means a $1500 job can turn into a $500 fine plus a stop-work order, all over a $75 piece of paper. I've been in this trade for a while and always tell clients we handle permits, but this stat shows how many people skip it. It's a simple thing that can really blow up a project. Has anyone else run into a client who tried to avoid the permit process and got caught?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly42015d ago

Wait, they fine you even if the fence is built right?

lucaslee15d ago

But what if the rules themselves are the problem? A lot of codes are outdated and overly strict, so a perfect fence can still break them. It feels less about safety and more about control sometimes.

olivia_harris1914d ago

My buddy in Cedar Rapids got a violation because his fence was two inches too tall. The city code still listed a height limit from the 1950s. He had to pay for a whole new inspection just to prove it was safe.