Anyone know what the regulations are regarding permits for a coop, esp if you live in Washington? I think you can have anything 120 sf or less but I'm wondering, if you plant to put in electricity, does that then mean you need a permit? I also am unsure on the sf limit but I think that is what I've read.
Need a permit for a coop?
Here in Oregon, it depends on the county where you live. A non-permitted outbuilding in Multnomah county has to be under 8 feet, and under so many square feet (don't recall what it is). You probably would need an electrical permit anywhere you live....however, we have a screen house (about 11'x11') that we built and did the electrical ourselves (one of our neighbors is an electrician and she checked our work), we have a ceiling fan and lights....we call it our summer living room.
In Wisconsin it seems you need a permit fo build anything. Even had to have one to re-roof the house. sigh :(
I went to our website and was astounded at the permit prices to build a house or building or do just about anything. And yes, you need one to reroof here too! You need one for completely ridiculous things. I guess they have people who do crazy stuff and therefore need these rules. We've lived in a lot of houses, including this one, where previous owners have 'jury-rigged' stuff that I wish they hadn't.
(You even need one to put in a new heating system, but when we had one put in, nothing was said about that and the licensed person who did the work never mentioned it either. As a rat has since chewed it all up, after us using it less than one winter, I'm glad we didn't add on to the expense any more than we did. We never got it fixed. Long depressing story.)
I don't need one if it's 120 sf or smaller and as long as it's not for human living. So a garden shed, coop, etc., 120 sf or under is okay. It didn't mention anything about electricity. I think that largely depends on who does the work. I'll be looking for a handiman type. When we moved here, we had an outlet removed because we took out a window seat that had an outlet in it. We did not need a permit. The anal jerk who did the work actually brought in an inspector when we were not at home and had it permitted, even after I told him we didn't need a permit and were not going to get one. I was po'd and will never use him again.
I check with my boyfriend and he said here we need them for anything, chicken coops, graden sheds, etc.
Hopefully the rates are less. I was looking at the rates here and for what looked to be an average size house, the permit fees were about $140,000!!!!! I could not believe it.
We got around it by building the coop less than 10X10 and not putting it directly on a foundation. This way it is considdered portable or temporary. We built it off site and mived it with a trailer and dropped it in place, then added the run.Our township is a bugger and only allows one garage or outbuilding built in place, so we all have "portable" sheds. We didn't even ask about electricity or water hook up, we just added them later.
I may not even go as high as 10x12. I orig thought that so I could fit 2 twin beds in there if I ever decided not to have chickens. (I would LOVE to have a little guest cottage to decorate!) Today I was looking thru a book and was reminded that you can trundle twin beds, so I really only need space for one twin bed, maybe a chair, little dresser or little dining table with 2 chairs... So I might be able to get away with 10x10 or 8x10. Don't want to go TOO small as maybe I'll love my chickens and will forget all about the guest shed and will want to add oodles of chickens.
I adore outbuildings and garden sheds and would have them everywhere if I could afford them.
Here as long as the building isn't "permanent," i.e. on a fixed foundation, it doesn't require a permit. I know that it seems as though "gummint" goes overboard sometimes, but having served on my local planning board for many years, you can't imagine the idiocies that people will perpetrate if not guided.
Gwendalou, when we moved here many years ago (from Washington State!) there was a cottage, a barn, a garage and some sheds. We lived in the cottage while we built our house, and then much later we turned the cottage into a studio for me, but our daughter lived in the loft while she was commuting to college. We still have the extra bed up there if we need it for overflow guests, and my husband's computer is up there, plus an extra television set. Comes in handy sometimes.