Community Corner

5 Things You Should Know About Beachwood Building Permits

If you'd like to perform work on your home before summer ends, check this list first

Building an addition to your home? Looking to finally replace that fence before the summer ends?

With the extra burden of finding a contractor, approving plans and scheduling your life around workers in your home, permits can seem burdensome and overwhelming.

Here, we tried to make the process a little easier for your home improvement: here are five things you should know about residential permits in Beachwood.

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1. Permits are required for all construction, additions, alterations and demolitions. That means if you are building a shed, moving your fence, adding onto your garage, or even changing the size of your home’s windows, you should apply for a permit.

2. The City of Beachwood does not grant homeowner’s permits, so if you’ll perform the work yourself, you’ll need to register as a contractor with the building department - $50 or $75 for one year.

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3. Some permits do not incur a fee, but the fees that do exist vary widely — from $1 to $2,500 — based on the size and type of work you’ll perform.

4. You’ll need to bring several things with you to apply for a permit: 

  • copies of your construction plans (find out how many here)
  • two complete sets of building plans, including wall sections, foundations and deck structural
  • two site plans
  • one completed building permit application 
  • a contractor registration form
  • a model energy code report
  • cash or a check for your fees — no credit cards are accepted.

5. You can get permits at the Building Department in the The applications, requirements, fee schedules, contact information and just about everything else you need to know are available at the department’s website.


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