The kitchen is one of the busiest areas in a home. We spend time in the kitchen cooking food, eating or having a cup of coffee of tea on the kitchen island, washing the dishes/putting them in the dishwasher, etc. and because most of us spend so much of our time in the kitchen it’s exciting when once we finally take on the journey to remodel it. If you are planning to remodel your kitchen you are probably wondering if you need to obtain permits? remodeling a kitchen isn’t an easy one day project to remodel. And unless you are doing simple remodeling services you will likely need a permit.
In this post, we will walk you through the kitchen remodeling services that will typically require you to obtain a permit, and everything you need to know about permits for kitchen remodeling in Los Angeles. In addition, how long it takes and the costs to obtain the necessary permits, and what happens if you don’t obtain the necessary permits.
What Kitchen Remodeling Changes Doesn’t Require a Permit?
Don’t get discouraged or stressed out so fast since there quite multiple kitchen remodeling services that don’t require permits. If you are doing simple services or small changes under 500$ you don’t need to obtain a permit.
Here is a list of services that don’t require permits:
- Painting
- Replacing countertops without changing the layout
- Replacing cabinets without changing the layout or plumbing/electrical
- Flooring
- Replacing appliances if you are not altering any gas or electrical connections
- Updating light fixtures if tour are not modifying it or upgrading the wiring
- Installing new fixtures without changing the plumbing
- Adding a kitchen island if you are not adding a sink to it, or changing any electrical systems
What Changes Do Require You to Get a Permit?
However, if you are planning to change 4 of the following things: Structural, Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC you will need to obtain a permit.
Structural changes include:
- removing a wall
- raising or lowering the ceiling
- creating new openings in the wall for a window or a door
- changing the layout of the kitchen
- changes to the foundation or support (in order to relocate kitchen cabinets)
Plumbing changes include:
- moving the current place of the sink, dishwasher or any water connection sources
- replacing plumbing pipes or upgrading to larger pipes
- installing new plumbing fixtures such as an additional sink
- updating (to improve water pressure/quality) or rerouting drain lines
- replacing or installing a water heater
- sometimes installing a garbage disposal requires a permits since you need to add new or update existing plumbing lines
Electrical changes include:
- adding an outlet or relocating an outlet or switches (to accommodate new appliances such as dishwasher/refrigerator)
- rewiring, adding or upgrading circuits (to accommodate new higher demand appliances like am oven or refrigerator)
- installing new lighting fixtures
HVAC changes include:
- Updating/installing or relocating ventilation systems
- Relocating (if you change the layout of the kitchen) or installing ductwork (if you add new appliances such as an oven)
- Upgrading or replacing the HVAC system
- Installing a range hood
How Long Does it Take to Obtain the Necessary Permits?
The question of how long it takes to obtain a permit is varies a lot for each project, it depends on the county that issues the permit (if it’s a busy time when they have a lot of requests or not), and on the changes you decide to make.
Generally the timeline for permits are 1-3 days for simple projects such as electrical, simple plumbing and HVAC work. And for bigger projects the timelines varies greatly from a few weeks to months and it depends on each project, the number of revisions required, reviewing the blueprints, the county issuing the permits, etc. so there is no accurate estimate time because it depends on a lot of factors. If you really want to know call us to schedule your free estimate and we will try our best to estimate how long it can take based on your case.
How Much Does Permits Cost?
Like there’s no answer to how long it may take for a permit to be issues there is also no one answer to how much permits costs. For small projects (such as electrical or plumbing permits) the cost is $100-$500, mostly the average is $300. For medium to large projects (such changing the layout) cost anywhere around $500 to $1,000.
The cost is based on factors such as the permit you need, on the square footage, if your permit requires inspection check ups, etc.
For electrical permits here is the linked document that will include a table of what to expects based on what you are requesting a permit for:
For HVAC permits here is the linked document that will include a table of what to expects based on what you are requesting a permit for:
For plumbing permits here is the linked document that will include a table of what to expects based on what you are requesting a permit for:
What Happens If You Don’t Obtain a Permit When Kitchen Remodeling?
If you don’t obtain a permit you can be issued fines and penalties, these fines can increase over time if the work is not adjusted up to code. In some cases, if the city finds that work was done without a permits they may require you to remove or demolish all the work done. In addition, when you will try to sell the buyer will do inspection and bring a professional inspector and they will find out work was done without permits and this can lead to them dropping the escrow. Another big issue if there was any damage done to your home for what ever reason and there was unpermitted work insurance may not cover/compensate your damage if they find out you did unpermitted work.
Call LGB Remodeling Contractor Los Angeles
If you want to get started on your kitchen remodeling process, whether you need or don’t need permits we can help you! We will guide you each step of the kitchen remodeling permits process and we can even sometimes expedite the process for you. So call LGB Remodeling Contractor Los Angeles today to get started!