This probably doesn't have much to respond to the op, but it's my permit story (and I like telling it)
22 years ago we wanted to add a 25' x 25' deck, with a gazebo corner.
They gave us a price, we gave them $5000 to start, the rest to be paid when they were finished.
We told the guy that came out, a salesman, we did not want it attached to the house - we wanted it free standing, we wanted the posts (not sure if that is what they are called) to have concrete is each hole, and we wanted a black roof on the gazebo.
A week before they were to start, I called the county office and asked if a permit had been pulled. No. So I called them and was told "You don't need a permit out there." (B...sh.t, us farmers ain't stupid) So I told the guy I needed a drawing to apply for the permit, so he drew one, and THH and I went and got the permit. It was maybe 30 miles closer for us, they were not used to working in our county, so we didn’t mind.
They get out here on the scheduled day and right away there was a knock on the back door. The guy asks "I'm just going to attach this to the house, ok?
No.
So it's freestanding.
They had unloaded the stuff they were going to use, and we saw WHITE shingles. We just went and got black.
Things are going well, THH has to work, and I notice as the deck was being built, there was no concrete in the holes. I was alone, so I said nothing. I did not want trouble while I was there alone. When the workers left, I went out and took pictures of the holes, shoving a 3 foot piece of rebar down to show there was no concrete.
THH worked nights so he spent a lot of the next day in bed, while our deck was finished. They finished the whole thing.
The same worker knocked on the door and asked for the balance of what we owed. I told him I could not pay him until my husband inspected the deck, he had already left for his night shift. He will call tomorrow to arrange the payment.
Understand, I look very young for my age, will not be anything but nice to people if people are nice to me, but like I said, us farmers ain't stupid.
The next day THH calls and tells them we are very unhappy with the deck, and want someone to come out here and discuss it. The front doorbell rang and THH and I decided maybe just let me handle it. I open the door and the original salesman is there. I told him I had pictures of each hole, showing no concrete, and I needed them to rebuild the thing. I also reminded him the THEY ddraw the oicture for the permit. But I told him I needed 10,000 in escrow before they would even be allowed to touch it – I did not want them to tear it off and never come back, and keep our 5000. I told him when it was rebuilt, I wanted them to use NEW wood, as I had originally arranged for a deck and gazebo made out of new, not used, wood.
He said that it would cost more than the deck to go to court, so I told him my brother was a lawyer.
He said something I can’t remember, and called me belligerent. I really don’t think that’s the B word he wanted to use.
So we thought, maybe they’re not done with us yet, so I called my brother in law, who lives in the same county, another 10 miles deeper in farm country. He and my sister arranged for this same company to come out and give them a quote, they got a visit from the same salesman! He came with a brochure of their products, and it specifically said they use concrete in the holes. Plus the guy told them they ALWAYS put concrete in the holes for stability, and down below the frost line to guard against the movement of freezing and thawing.
We have never heard from that deck company again.
We buy permits for everything that requires a permit. In fact, when THH put in the leach field, the guy from the county who came to look at it commented that he had never seen one where the job was exactly to code like ours!
When we added on, I remember the county guy coming and telling THH something that needed to be reinforced. Without a permit, we never would have known and it’s where the old house is hooked to the addition, it could have cause trouble.