Can I call my local building permit office anonymously?

Question: Can I call my local building permit office anonymously?

Approaching your local permit office is a source of great fear and trepidation for most homeowners--for good reason. These are bureaucrats who have enormous power. They can either wield their power for good or evil. That is why many homeowners contemplating making changes in this house consider, as a solution, making an anonymous query to the building permit office.

Answer: The quick answer: Yes, you can.

You need to keep two things in mind:

1. The building permit office is there to serve you.
2. They will answer anonymous questions.

Why should a phone call to the permit office be any different than if you sent in a blind e-mail or checked their website for the information? All are different forms of anonymous queries.

And yes, your fears are justified. In reality, most permit offices are much too busy to relentlessly track down every homeowner who makes a blind call saying, "Hey, I just built an outbuilding, and now I'm not sure if I needed a permit. Do I?" What most permit officers will say is, "Yes, you do. Here is the website, here are the code and regs." Most permit offices so bound up with the work of commercial permitting, that the stray fence permit question does not faze them. They have better things to do.

However, I have heard too many stories of Building Permit Officers Gone Wild to tell you to not to protect yourself. If they ask for your name, do not give it to them. You are not required to do this. You have nothing to gain by divulging your identity. Hold your ground.

And if you do this, make sure you have caller ID blocker!