It depends upon the law in your state and/or your municipality. It also depends upon the buyerÂ...and how savvy (or not) their HI might be...as he may notice the absence of the outletsÂÂ.not as a code issueÂÂas HI's don't inspect for code....but as a safety issue...as lack of a sufficient number of outlets properly placed requires more extension cord use.

The appraiser will surely notice an enclosed room that is not on the original plans...so the lender may ask for the permits and finalsÂ..or notÂÂas some lenders these days may still be issuing mortgages without question.

That said...best bet is to get all finalized and in order...because if the buyer finds out after the factÂ...it makes everything else you said suspect...and can serve to either delayÂ...or even kill your dealÂÂESPECIALLY in a buyers market.

I've sold a couple of houses without permits. Never been a problem with the buyer. One house, I has them sign a separate letter acknowledging unpermitted work. One appraiser noticed the difference in sq ft, but reported it varies many times on old houses and used the current sq ft for his appraisal.
Personally I wouldn't worry about it, I'd list and sell without doing any work, but your area may be different.

You asked the "inspector" if you needed a permit, and were told "no".

If the inspector is the Authority Having Jurisdiction, then I would be inclined to believe that you have nothing to disclose.

Actually the OP wasn't told "No"...he was told not too lose sleep over it...which is a pretty stupid statement on the part of the code inspector as it really means nothing when one gives it any thought.

Couple that non-committal statment with the fact that the OP believes that the room does not meet code.

Therefore, the only way to know for sure is the OP needs to obtain the actual regs regarding this from the township/city to resolve the issue properly and with documentation.

i hate to say this, but you only have your word against his that it did not require permits. in my area they go by the VALUE of the job done, not by the actual costs associated with it. you have to look at what it would cost if you hired out 100% of it to a pro, i BET that would have gone over the $500 mark.

whoever buys your house may or may not catch that this was done. be up front with them, tell them you closed inthe screened porch yourself. this may or may not be a big issue to them. it MAY be a big one to their insurance or lender, but i doubt it. if you had added wiring/framing i could see them wanting an inspection, but you simply put up a few peices of rock and moved some siding.

worst case scenario is you have to return the room to it's prior state and maybe pay a fine. i would go to the permit office and ask them if you need a permit to close in a screen porch. you should explain tha tyou are NOT changing any framing nor running new electric or HVAC. since this is not heated/cooled, it would not count towards the finished sq ft of the house so they may not require it. this ALL depends on how strict your AHJ is.

I understood the OP's posting to mean the inspector had a $500 cost "test" as the determining factor as to whether or not a permit was required, i.e., more than 500 bucks, permit required, and less than 500 bucks, permit not required. Perhaps the OP will weigh back in and clarify.

In my town, it is the "cost" of the job that is relevant in the permitting process, not its "worth".

When the OP inquired if a permit was required, the fact that the inspector did not "yes", in my book, means "no", because if the permit was required, the inspection would have said "yes".

It is so regional that you would be better off asking this question of realtors, building inspectors and other homeowners in your town.

No one has ever asked me about permits and I have never asked about permits. I think folks around here almost brag about additions that the taxman does not know about.

I disagree with the statement above that HI do not inspect for code. This was not our case at all. In fact, several code violations were pointed out to us when we bought our house. I would expect that a HI would know his salt when it comes to what is allowed and what isn't. Otherwise what good is he?

Most,if not all, Home Inspectors could not possibly know all the local codes..However, they do likley know fundamental code issues.My township has many parts of its code that differ from adjacent townships, and with the # of townships in the county, it is practically impossible to know all variations of local code..

dgmarie: "I disagree with the statement above that HI do not inspect for code. This was not our case at all. In fact, several code violations were pointed out to us when we bought our house. I would expect that a HI would know his salt when it comes to what is allowed and what isn't. Otherwise what good is he?"

You of course may disagree..but that does not alter the reality. You are mixing apples and oranges....as do many consumers who do not take the time to learn and/or to understand that building code inspection and home inspection are two totally separate and distinct professions.

A home inspection is not a code inspection...nor has it ever been a code inspection...in a good part because of the very reasons that qdognj has cited.

They are licensed separately, and every state that licenses HIÂs includes the language in the legislation that a home inspection is not a code inspection. In addition every state that licenses code inspectorsÂ..which is most if not all, it is illegal to cite code if one does not hold such a license.

That said, any HI doing so who does not hold the separate licenses is doing so illegally.
Last but not least, if one wishes to hire someone licensed to perform both jobs, they will more than likely pay at minimum double the costÂ.as it is at minimum double the workÂÂand double the liabilityÂ.and, one must make certain that they KNOW the code of ones own town....and would need to be fluent in a number of different code disciplines as each is licensed separately (structural, electrical, plumbing etc.)

If your HI did not meet your state/city qualifications for code inspection..but was citing code nonetheless..he was not NOT worth his salt...as he was decieving and misleading you into believing that he could properly perform a service that he had no business offering...also known as deceptive practice.

HI's however can and will cite safety concerns...and many of these are also code violations..as code tends to evolve from saftey issues. However, they cite it for what they can..safety..not code.

Thank you all very much! Yes, the inspector how much the job cost us, not how much a pro would cost or the value. We will be selling FSBO, which seems to be very popular and effective in our starter home neighborhood. So, we will have contact with any and all potential buyers and will point out everything to them. I am certainly not in for a non-disclosure law suit!

I appreciate the input and may call the inspectors office again now.

Yeah just get the agent to "slip them a separate letter" to sign. LOL
piece o' cake