Why Licenses, Permits & Other Requirements Are So Important for Homeowners
Protect your property and your finances. Hire only Licensed Contractors to work for you and ask for their State License Number and for their Workman’s Comp Certificate. Research all contractors on www.cslb.ca.gov to make sure they are in good standing with the State of California. By California Law, anyone doing over $500 worth of work on your property must have a State of California Contractor’s License.
Permits are required by law on all gas line replacements, installations of water heaters, wall furnaces, forced air furnaces and air conditioning systems. This is done to protect homeowners and contractors by making sure the installations are done correctly and up to code. Contact the City you live in to confirm all of their requirements.
Load calculations on forced air furnace and air conditioning systems are a requirement of the Title 24 Energy Conservation Laws that the State of California enacted in January 2010. These load calculations are performed by an independent third party HERS rater to determine the correct size of equipment for a home, taking into considerations factors such as the type and amount of insulation, doors and windows, etc. All cities and counties in California require this load calculation be done in order to obtain a permit on these types of equipment installations. In certain climate zones, there are additional testing requirements for ductwork and other mechanical components.
These requirements are in place to ensure proper installation of equipment for safety reasons. In addition, if an installation is done without a permit, and a problem such as fire or flooding occurs, insurance companies can deny claims because of the lack of permit and compliance with the laws.
Again, permits are required to protect the homeowner from substandard installation practices and potential safety hazards. Homeowners have no way of knowing if work done by contractors who are not pulling permits is done to code and in compliance with Federal and State guidelines. If contractors are skipping this very important and required step in their work, this should be a red flag to homeowners to question what else they are failing to do and where else they are cutting corners.
