[TowerTalk] TOWER PERMIT

[Jim Lux]

Bill N1eY wrote:
> I have talked with one of the local guys that has been involved in 
> errecting the towers for several hams.  He has done installations since 
> at least the late '70's here in Eastern Mass.  He has done modern towers 
> and SteppIR's.  He told me not to bother with the permit.
> 
> I went into the town hall and I tried to talk with the building 
> inspector.  First of all half of the guys around here are part time 
> stick men.  They do house framing.  They know NOTHING about towers.  I 
> suspect they shall go into an absolute panic like my local inspector 
> did.  The whole idea of an inspection is to guarantee that homeowner is 
> not being abused by a contractor. 

Not precisely, at least here in CA.  The inspector here makes sure 
you've actually complied with the relevant code.



  You don't need a permit in
> Massachusetts to pull your own house wiring regardless of the statements 
> made by some wire inspectors.

Most states have exceptions for owners doing work on their residence. 
You might need a permit, but often you don't have to have it done by a 
licensed contractor or certified electrician.  You'd still need to get 
it inspected.

In CA, these days, all a contractor's license means is that they've got 
a business and that they have a bond, know the rules about contracts, 
debt collection, etc.  Nothing about professional qualifications, per 
se.   Electrical work has to be done by certified electricians (i.e. 
someone who has done the X hours of training and work experience, 
etc.).. that's independent of being a licensed contractor.  Oddly, as a 
electrical PE, I cannot legally do the wiring I design. (Thank you IBEW 
for the latter...)


   The guy wanted me to pay for a mass PE to
> stamp the plans; the mass PE wanted to perform soil studies and watch me 
> errect the tower. 

Well.. that IS the P.E.'s call.. it's his or her license on the line. 
One can shop around.
> 
> I think that you might be able to see how much money a permit might end 
> up costing in addition to the permit fee.  When your tax bill is $4,000 
> for a 700 ft sq house like a majority of the homes in my town, then I 
> might understand why you would not want to bother with a tower permit.

Here in CA, you'd get stuck for taxes on the additional value of the 
work being permitted.  For instance, my patio cover needed a permit, as 
did a new gas line for a barbeque, but the hardscape and rest of the 
work didn't.  So the tax bill went up by about $50/yr (1% of the $5k for 
the cover and gas line).  A $10k tower installation would result in 
$100/yr bump in taxes (on top of a typical $4-5k/yr for a $400k-$500k 
house).  Fortunately, they don't reassess the value of the house when 
you do this, unless it's a truly significant change in the premises.