Hello- I called my LP company today to have them move my LP tank and they informed me that I need to pay a permit fee to have the buried line inspected in a few spots after the tank is moved.

I am a bit nervous to do this because I added on a deck to my home- without pulling a permit.

My question is......would the same department inspect a buried LP line that would tag me for a deck built without a permit? What type of risk am I looking at for having done this. Basically, I live way out in the woods and there is never anyone near my home- the deck is built overly safe, etc. so I did not pull the paperwork and pay the fee.

Any thoughts? different inspectors? Or should I hold off on moving the tank and live happily ever after without any inspections needed?

 

It depends on your town. We have one inspector and he does all the residential permits.

It has been my experience that an inspector will look at what the permit requires.

Unless your deck is a real hack job I doubt he would even notice. Even if he did I think all he could do is require a permit and force you to expose the post footings and perhaps the ledger. If your deck is code compliant you would not have a problem.

 

First off, it all depends on where you live and what your local AND state codes are. In my state, we just became licensed to be able to install and/or service all forms of gas appliances. Some towns in NH use the fire department for inspections, in which nobody would care about the deck. In other towns it is the building or plumbing inspector that does the inspection. If it is a building inspector, you may be questioned, but all others should be OK. Also, some gas companies can do there own inspections, so make sure who is going to make the inspection first, then make your decision.FYI, If someone were ever to fall and get hurt on your deck, your homeowners insurance co will try to refuse to pay any claims because of no permit for the deck, at which point you can be held financially liable to medical bills and law suits. Unfortunately permits are a necessary evil.
Good Luck...