Despite the pandemic San Rafael is still doing resale inspections however, it takes a couple of weeks to get on their schedules and costs $290. The two more recent sales I did at 551 Tamarack and 530 Montecillo took about two weeks after paying for the inspections online before I got a call from the inspector. Both times, he put me on the schedule two days later, and in some respects this is an improvement. Previously you would get on the schedule within a few days, but the inspection could be anywhere from one to three weeks out.
This new process does leave people wondering when they’ll get their inspections. The key takeaway on the resale inspection is to give yourself some time. As always it helps to have all your permits in order before the city resale inspector comes through. Getting permits after the inspection can complicate matters and the penalties are triple. The cost of a $125 water heater permit soars to $500 with penalties! Remodeling permit fees become even more eye popping when penalized.
Speaking of remodeling, if you get a permit for more than $30,000 of work on your house you will need to submit a sewer video to the Las Gallinas Sanitary District for review. You also need to get the sewer video reviewed when you sell the house. The video cost is approximately $200-$400 depending on who does it and if they need to remove a toilet or go through a roof vent. It’s $250 for the LVSD to review the videos within 10 working days. If you need the review rushed within 5 working days it will cost you twice as much: $500. In their review, LVSD will make suggestions on whether (a) the sewer is fine (b) it could use minor maintenance (c) should be repaired or replaced (d) there is an illegal hookup (such as a roof downspout to the sewer) and it must be disconnected immediately. The only option that is mandatory is the last one, everything else is advisory unlike in other sewer districts where sewers must be replaced when defective.
These days, the permit process is completely online. The previous ‘One Stop Shop’ Tuesday and Thursday morning drop-in option was shelved by COVID. I have to say I feel more comfortable submitting plans online than I do standing in line, waiting my turn to face a red pen wielding building department official. I’ve dropped into the One Stop Shop more times than I can count for clients. While I know most of the frontline employees in the building department and I have good working relationships with them, I’ve been through a couple of extensive and expensive permit processes over the years.
Recently I helped a client obtain permits for a kitchen and two bathroom remodels plus a water heater. It was all done online. All we needed were the plans and a credit card. You can literally call the next day for a final inspection, either in the morning or afternoon window. We had zero issues this last time out and we couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.
To apply for a permit go to: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/building-permits
For further questions regarding permits feel free to reach out to me.