PlainPermitWhat happens if you build without a permit?
Short answer: Cities commonly charge extra fees (often a multiple of the normal permit fee) and can require an after-the-fact permit and inspections, which may mean opening finished walls; the exact penalties depend on your city.
Not legal advice. Always confirm with your local building department. Rules change, and your parcel's zoning, HOA, historic district, floodplain or utility work can change the answer. We show the official source and the date we last checked it so you can verify for yourself.
These are examples taken word for word from official city and county sources. They are not legal advice, and penalties in your city may differ.
- Phoenix charges an investigation fee for work started without a permit: $250 or the permit fee, whichever is greater, capped at $2,500 per day until a permit is obtained.
“$250 or the permit fee, whichever is greater, but not to exceed $2,500 for every day or portion of a day from the time unpermitted work began until a permit is obtained”
- Phoenix defines the investigation fee as a penalty for any work started without a permit.
“INVESTIGATION FEE: Penalty fee charged for any work started without a permit.”
- Columbus adds a "working without permit" fee on top of the permit cost when work starts before the permit is issued.
“Working Without Permit Fee - fees, charged in addition to the cost of the permit, when work has been or is being performed without first obtaining the required permit.”
- The 2026 Columbus fee schedule lists four levels of working-without-a-permit fees, from $200 to $4,000.
“Working Without a Permit Level 1 $200 Level 2 $750 Level 3 $1750 Level 4 $4000”
- In Seattle and King County, a water heater replaced without a permit must be permitted after the fact at the "Already Built Construction" rate, which is double the standard permit fee.
“If a replacement water heater is found to be installed without a permit, the contractor will be required to obtain a permit and pay the 'Already Built Construction' permit fee (double standard permit fee).”
- Los Angeles gives a short grace period: no fine or investigation fee if the permit is obtained by noon on the third business day after work started.
“No person shall be subject to fine, imprisonment, or payment of an investigation fee for starting or doing work without a permit being first obtained, if a permit is obtained for the work on or before 12:00 noon of the third day the office of the Department is open for public business after the work was started.”
- Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) warns that unpermitted work is often found when lenders ask for permits, and owners may have to open up walls for inspection and pay retroactive fees.
“Because more lenders are requesting permits, more work that was previously done without a permit is being discovered. When that happens, owners could be required to expose framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems so the required inspections can be performed and pay retroactive permitting fees.”
What to do instead
Look up your project on our project pages to see whether your city requires a permit, then follow the official application link on that page. If work was already done, contact your local building department; several of the sources above describe after-the-fact permits.