Do I need
a permit
for that?
Most people find out the expensive way — at inspection, at resale, or when a neighbour calls it in.
Where is the work?
- Inside the houseWalls, kitchens and bathrooms, and the systems behind them
- On the houseThe roof, the windows, and anything bolted to the structure
- Out on the lotFences, sheds, driveways and anything standing on its own
What are you doing?
- Remove or open up an interior wallIf the wall is load-bearing, a permit and engineered drawings are required. If you are not certain whether it is load-bearing, assume it is.
- Remodel a kitchen or bathroomCosmetic work is normally exempt. The moment plumbing or wiring moves, it is not.
- Finish a basementFinishing a basement is permitted work nearly everywhere, and two requirements decide whether the plan is even possible: ceiling height, and an emergency escape opening for any sleeping room.
- Replace flooring, cabinets or countertopsThis is the clearest no-permit category in residential work — the code names painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops as exempt by description rather than by threshold.
- Replace a water heaterReplacing a water heater almost always requires a permit, even though it is routinely done without one.
- Upgrade or replace an electrical panelPanel and service work always requires a permit, and in most places must be done by a licensed electrician.
- Add a subpanelA subpanel means a new feeder and new distribution, not a repair — that is permit work essentially everywhere, and the inspection exists to catch one specific mistake.
- Add an electrical outletSwapping a receptacle that already exists is maintenance. Putting a new one where there was not one means new wiring, and new wiring is usually permit work.
- Replace a furnace, AC or heat pumpMechanical replacement typically requires a permit, including straight like-for-like swaps.
- Add a mini split or window unitA window or portable unit is exempt because it is a self-contained appliance you could carry out. A mini split is a fixed refrigerant system wired into the house, and that is permitted mechanical and electrical work.
- Replace a toilet or a faucetTaking a toilet out and putting one back is specifically named as exempt — provided the work does not involve replacing or rearranging the valves, pipes or fixtures it connects to.
- Run a gas lineFuel gas piping is permitted work in essentially every jurisdiction, and the inspection exists for one specific step: the pressure test that proves the finished line does not leak.
- Install an EV chargerPlugging a car into an existing outlet needs nothing. Adding the 240 volt circuit a Level 2 charger runs on is electrical work, and it is permitted in essentially every jurisdiction.
Why nobody can just tell you
Permitting in the United States is run by thousands of separate authorities, and each one can amend the code it adopts. Any site giving you a confident yes or no for every address in the country is guessing, and you cannot tell which answers are the guesses.
22,662counties and incorporated places that could issue your permit
41%of Americans live where the state code does not settle it
30%of ZIP codes straddle a county line, so even the office is ambiguous
So this does not pretend. Each answer is the typical rule, where it comes from, and the thresholds that would flip it — plus a route to the office that actually decides. How this works.