Let’s say that after months or years, you decide that it is time to overhaul your carport. It is time to add walls, doors, or windows to it. Or enclose your carport to make it like a garage. Can you do it right away or do you need a permit first?
If based on the majority of building laws, you cannot enclose a carport without getting a permit. This activity tags as a repair or alteration, which most local authorities need to examine to determine if it is still safe and doesn’t violate any rules.
Reasons for requiring a permit
Though it seems like just adding skins to the skeletal body, enclosing a carport has significant impacts. The following are some of the reasons why it is required to have a permit:
Fire risk. Fire can also happen in an open carport, but it is more manageable to extinguish and lesser to cause damages. It is different from an enclosed one, which most of the time confines flammable materials such as gasoline, oil, and cleaning substances. And also it hides fire hazards such as faulty electrical wiring and propane tanks. Furthermore, an enclosed space limits air movement, which in effect creates a flammable atmosphere.
Fire risk is also a strong reason why most local authorities are stricter in giving a building permit for the attached vehicle shelters. If flames start from a carport it can rapidly burn an entire house too.
Drainage system. Changing the structure of your carport may also affect the disposal of sewage water. If there are walls, either the wastewater is trapped inside and eventually becomes a health hazard or flows into someone’s land.
Driveway and walkthrough. The good thing about the carport is there are huge doors and windows. You can enter and exit on different sides. This is what you can’t expect, of course, with an enclosed carport. It demands a definite driveway and walkthrough, which should be carefully analyzed. It must not overstep the boundary of your neighbors or violate your government’s rules.
Quality materials and installation. Perhaps the current structure of the carport conforms to building codes. It has superb materials and is built that it can withstand strong wind, rain, or heat. But what about if it is enclosed? Does its layout promise safety for vehicles and people? Are the materials to add are fire-rated, can’t easily be blown away, rust-proof, or fit for the existing components?
Points for not getting a permit
The most possible case that you don’t need to get a permit for enclosing your carport is if it is freestanding. Its unchanged dimension, distance from the property line, and driveway make it like an as-is structure with some facial treatment. But then again, this possibility is on a case-by-case basis and will depend on your local authority. And this does not apply to an attached carport since there is a close connection between a house and a carport. The restructuring of the carport may be unsafe for the dwelling.
A step to make your permit processing go smoother is to engage with a reliable carport contractor. Its expertise doesn’t only quickly enclose your carport, but helps to make it adhere to safety standards.
