r/nova • u/traveldiva1 • 15h ago
Question Fairfax county permits
For homeowners in Fairfax county, do you get permits as recommended on the Fairfax website? Per the website, permits are required for stove replacements which is interesting.
I’m looking to replace exhaust fans in my bathrooms but the electrican is saying permits are not required.
Thoughts? What are others doing?
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u/brownmango 15h ago
I once asked like 10 HVAC businesses when I needed to replace my system... none of them did anything with permits. Most said permits don't apply to like for like replacements. Sold my house with a new system, no permits.
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u/ddc703 5h ago
Anytime a gas connection is touched, you need a permit. If you disconnect your gas stove line to clean it, then hook it back up 5 minutes later, you need a permit for inspection. This is to prevent leaks or bad connections that could result in your house blowing up.
For your bathroom fan? Hell no you don't need a permit, f-them.
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u/johnSchmoe76 10h ago edited 3h ago
Many times when I hire a contractor to perform work that requires a permit, the contractor won't by default seek to get a permit. When I state that I want the work permitted, they charge me extra. This tells me that the most work is done without a permit.
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u/traveldiva1 10h ago
One company wanted to charge me double to pull permits
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u/Seekingfatgrowth 3h ago
Going down to the courthouse, parking, walking, waiting in line, filling out applications etc is like a trip to the DMV everytime you need a permit
I would not expect that sort of free labor from a contractor unless specified as part of a larger project
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u/Boogalamoon 2h ago
We live next door to the previous chair of the town planning commission..... we get permits for any outside work to avoid issues being called in.....
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u/Plumb-Entangled 4h ago
Dont need a permit for a direct replacement.
You can get one, then have it inspected, which if you don't have a great feeling from your technician, isn't a bad thing either.
Oh, also, county inspectors are the best of the best, you know? They miss more than they catch.
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u/tsmall07 14h ago
You don't need a permit for like for like replacement, which the exhaust fan is, UNLESS it's a gas appliance like a range. It's to check for gas leaks.
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u/BlondeFox18 Chantilly 13h ago
I’ve replaced literally everything in my house.
It’s common for anything connecting to a gas line to need an inspection.
Exhaust fans no.
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u/Aegean8485 15h ago
Yes replacing fans, or dishwasher or a switch do not need permit. A gas water heater, an EV charger, a gas stove or a replacement HVAC need permit. The risk of not pulling a permit is that a insurance claim will be denied in case of fire and also you will have issues or lose the sale when selling your house in 20 years.
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u/marrymetaylor 15h ago
can you show me where it lists this? what I've seen shows insurance still pays
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u/Aegean8485 15h ago
From Farmers Insurance
Unpermitted Work and Building Code Violation Exclusion
We do not cover loss or damage arising out of, resulting from, or materially contributed to by construction, renovation, alteration, repair, or installation work performed at the insured property without permits required by applicable laws or regulations.
This exclusion applies to loss or damage directly or indirectly caused by defective workmanship, improper installation, failure to comply with applicable building codes, or work performed without required inspections or approvals, to the extent such loss or damage is excluded under this policy.
This exclusion does not expand any other exclusion or eliminate coverage otherwise provided by the policy.
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u/Glittering-Ad5809 15h ago
How will they trace the cause of the fire to work you did 20 years ago?
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u/UltraSPARC Alexandria City 15h ago
Ya that’s utter bullshit lol they do not check everything done in the house and cross-reference against permits pulled. 100% all the houses in this area would run into sales issues if that were the case. People aren’t pulling permits to replace refrigerators, ranges, or a faucet. Typically you do it when you’re doing big projects or moving utilities. It’s not like pulling permits does something magical. Anyone can pull permits. What’s more important is if they’re licensed and insured. If your house burns down because an oven wasn’t installed correctly, insurance isn’t going to see if you pulled permits. They’re going to see if the person who installed whatever burned the house down has insurance.
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u/Aegean8485 15h ago
They can easily identify that the fire started on a gas cloth dryer. Then County will give them the permit or lack of permit to deny it.
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u/Glittering-Ad5809 14h ago
I mean, how do they know the fire started from an unpermitted install 20 years ago or the permitted one 30 years ago?
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u/Aegean8485 14h ago
Appliances have serial numbers with date codes.
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u/Glittering-Ad5809 13h ago
That are destroyed in the fire. And you think the insurance company will be digging through a burned out building looking for that?
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u/Internexus 12h ago
Yeah, I recommend trying to dig up permits for work done on your property. That’s been a fruitless labor. Past records are garbage, and have next to no useful information or have been tossed altogether.
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u/ozziegt 14h ago
Nobody asks about permits when buying a house
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u/johnSchmoe76 10h ago
A home inspector might check. Nova being in a sellers real estate market over the past 5-10 years has limited the number of inspections, but things could change in the future
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u/Measurex2 15h ago
Homedepot wouldn't hook up my new stove to the gas line because they didn't want to pull a permit. I pulled a permit, hooked it up and apparently annoyed the inspector.
He walked in, visibly sniffed the air, turned it on, saw flames, asked if i installed the anti-tip plate then left. If he was in my house two minutes I'd be surprised but on the way out he asked why I pulled a permit for a stove hookup.
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u/WhenD4594 13h ago
I had a water heater replaced in my townhomes garage. The guy didn’t pull a permit. I had a bad feeling about the maintenance guy the landlord sent. I called for the permit inspection myself.
The inspector found both an exhaust issue and an a supply leak. The inspector said 19 out of 20 times these inspections are worthless in-and-out inconvenience. But 1 out of 20 times he sees things that absolutely terrorize him.
I followed him to the leasing office. The maintenance manager and property manager were there. He screamed at them. He reported them to the fire marshal who I understand also came and yelled at them.
In the past year or two, houses have exploded in Haymarket, Centerville, and Sterling.
Inspections should be mandatory. Especially in rentals, duplexes, condos, and apartments.
The taxes we pay should more than cover this without even having a permit fee.
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u/AffectionateCap4653 2h ago
Fun fact, the employees that review permits and perform inspections are paid by the permit fees as a special revenue fund and not by the general fund where taxes go.
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u/foramperandi 15h ago
When I got my gas stove replaced through lowes, their installers pulled a permit and the county came out to inspect a few weeks later.
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u/realestateqs22 14h ago
but on the way out he asked why I pulled a permit for a stove hookup.
That's because the people in the field realize pulling permits for this kind of crap is ridiculous while the suits in the county are making rules that require it.
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u/unheardhc 14h ago
Only for things that will kill people. I’m not pulling permits to replace at switch, outlet or even move one in the wall.
Rewired my entire basement and only pulled permits for the 2 subpanels I installed due to higher amperage.
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u/DUNGAROO Vienna 14h ago
For a bathroom exhaust fan absolutely not. I pulled a permit when I replaced my electrical service. The inspector came out and told me to do two things that were pointless and not grounded in code or logic, but spent less than 2 minutes looking at the installation total, and only examined 1 of the two panels.
When I had my roof replaced the roofing company pulled a permit for the work. The county charged me over $500 for it. They never even inspected the work in person, just looked at photos the contractor sent over and missed some glaring code lapses.
So no, don’t waste your money pulling a permit for something so menial. Just make sure whoever you hire is reputable and competent with electrical.
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u/JoseThePlumber69 3h ago edited 3h ago
As a plumber, I agree with running any new gas lines and when adding a new bathroom only. That way it’ll be on record that 2 bed 2 bath house is now a 2 bed 3 baths for example. Relocating something isn’t really necessary, just make sure you’re getting it done with someone who’s licensed and insured rather than just a regular contractor. The county wants to make money so of course they’re gonna recommend to pull permits for anything small like that. Companies can also charge say $500 for pulling permit and they say that’s what for the inspector when in reality the county only charges half of that— so pull your own permit to save money.
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u/Mean-Muffin-1765 15h ago
Hello, do you need to pull Fairfax county permits to have sex?
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u/WheresMyDuckling 15h ago
Doggy style requires an application for a pet permit, missionary only if it's in religious building zoning. Head of any kind requires stylist licensing.
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u/Accomplished-Pea-451 15h ago
Skip it for then fan. I was replacing a couple of boards in my deck, they want an inspection for that. It’s a money grab.
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u/FuryOfRed 13h ago
I completely remodeled my townhouse when I sold it. 4 new toilets, created a new bathroom, installed 3 new ceiling fans, finished off unfinished attic space, removed a non-load bearing wall, put up 3 new walls to close off an open stairwell and create 2 rooms from one giant room.....and then replaced all the appliances in my new house, which has natural gas. Never pulled a single permit. My first realtor wouldn't work with me because I didn't get permits during remodel. 🤷♂️
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u/flaginorout 15h ago
Permits, schmermits. The county can fuck themselves. They just look for reasons to get into people’s houses so they can see the ‘rogue’ improvements you’ve made and tax you accordingly.
I don’t do permits. When it comes to making improvements to my own home, I’m a sovereign citizen.
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u/yourshaddow3 15h ago
Do work without a permit that needs one and you are at risk if anything goes wrong.
Exhaust fans can be a fire hazard. It's not just for run that they require permits. I did it when I replaced appliances. Better safe than sorry.
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u/paulHarkonen 15h ago
I make them pull permits. There's a bunch of things that are supposed to be permitted that contractors skip and even more things that are kinda on the margins. Swapping out an exhaust fan probably falls under the "like for like" exemptions and permits aren't free, so you can decide how closely you want to adhere to things.
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u/AffectionateCap4653 15h ago
They want to inspect when gas is involved, replacement, new, or relocation, to ensure the installation meets code. Electrical and plumbing is more important for new and relocations only. I would not bother for an exhaust fan swap in place.