I remodeled my basement and put in a suspended ceiling. In doing so, I put in flourescent lights by extending existing wiring to the lights and the switches. I also put in some outlets before the walls were installed.

Question: Can I go 'back' now and get a 'permit' or an inspection to have the work I did made permissible? What if I want an electrician to now come in a do more work in my basement, can he inspect my work for the township?

 

Most of the answers will depend on your local laws and inspector. Most places I have heard of will make you get a permit for the whole job to get it inspected. I am willing to bet that your "extensions" that you ran are not up to code, unless you enclosed the joints in a junction box and ran the wire through strain reliefs at each end. If an electrician comes in at this point to work on that same circuit, he will be obligated to bring it into code compliance. If he is not working on those circuits, a lot will depend on your inspector and local law. You should ask a local electrician what to expect.

Sorry I can't really be more specific, but it's really a local issue how this gets handled.

 

I hate to tell you this, but at this point your fire insurance is void. No electrical work can be done in USA without a permit. If it is done, and alot of people do it, and you have a fire and this un-professional work is noticed your screwed.

 

Your question about wiring without a permit and then checking to see if you can get a permit and inspection after the fact is a no, no that is commonly done. Now is the time to correct that situation. If you approach the inspector on your own he most likely will work to help you. If he finds it he is not usually in the mood to be nice because you cheated and was caught. Your inspectors are your friends. They are there to help you and to protect you not hurt you. But we have so many that try cheat that we have fines set up to persuade people not to cheat. Same as the reason you don't run 50 through downtown, you would get a ticket and a fine. If you approach him he will most likely forgive and advise. If he catches you on his own he will most likely issue a fine.

There are many areas in the US that no inspection, permits, or even inspectors exist. What the guys are saying is that even in these areas, if your building burns down and you did not meet Code then your insurance is not worth toilet paper. Even where there is no Code Enforcement, the owner of the property is responsible to ensure the the Codes are met and that the building meets the minimum safety standards set forth by the NEC.

The reply stating that an electrician that comes in and works on the circuits in question becomes liable for the previous work.

Call your Electrical Inspector for his guidance. If you can't find the Electrical Inspector in your area, then call you mayor, or County Commissioners and they will tell you the staus of Code Enforcement in your area.

Good Luck

 

I agree with wg that inspectors are good guys if they are treated right , at least the one I had in Garden Grove, CA was. I was doing some electrical rewiring and got a permit and the inspector came out once to check it out, he was in the neighbor, I wasn't finished, he left. After I got finished, I called and he came out and passed the work. He mentioned to me that the patio never had a permit, It was there when I bought the house. He said that if I put a couple of joist hanger in a couple of places, it would pass and to call him. I did that and called him, He wrote it off over the phone and I never had to get a permit for it.
But!!! a neighbor on the same block was not so lucky. In GG,Ca, the code was that all houses had to have a two car garage. The neighbor had converted it into a bedroom, the inspector saw this and told him that it was a no-no. The neigbor told the inspector to f*ck off, it was his f*cking house and he could do anything he wanted, needless to say, a few days later, the neighbor was knocking it down and the sledge hammer was supplied by the city via a black and white with the inspector standing by. The inspector would bend over backward to help you out, if you were nice to him.

 

I agree with wg that inspectors are good guys if they are treated right , at least the one I had in Garden Grove, CA was. I was doing some electrical rewiring and got a permit and the inspector came out once to check it out, he was in the neighbor, I wasn't finished, he left. After I got finished, I called and he came out and passed the work. He mentioned to me that the patio never had a permit, It was there when I bought the house. He said that if I put a couple of joist hanger in a couple of places, it would pass and to call him. I did that and called him, He wrote it off over the phone and I never had to get a permit for it.
But!!! a neighbor on the same block was not so lucky. In GG,Ca, the code was that all houses had to have a two car garage. The neighbor had converted it into a bedroom, the inspector saw this and told him that it was a no-no. The neigbor told the inspector to f*ck off, it was his f*cking house and he could do anything he wanted, needless to say, a few days later, the neighbor was knocking it down and the sledge hammer was supplied by the city via a black and white with the inspector standing by. The inspector would bend over backward to help you out, if you were nice to him.