Do I need a permit to build a rock garden? Rock gardens sometimes do require county or town building permits. "It depends on your local county and town requirements," says Laddie Flock, owner of Natural...
"It depends on your local county and town requirements," says Laddie Flock, owner of Natural Rock Formations, a company that has been in business for 17 years and has experience in all different styles and themes of rock gardens. Natural Rock Formations is one of the largest distributors of natural stone products on the Pacific coast and has been featured in many publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Landscape and Irrigation magazine. Their website can be found at www.natrok.com.
Flock says, "Certainly, some structures are required to have permits. Swimming pools in most of the areas that I know require permits. Sometimes walls that are over a certain height require permits and even as much as an engineering document for the structure. So, a simple call to your local town or county building departments and telling them what you plan on doing, they should advise further up."
Some town or county governments have very lenient policies and might not require a permit, while others will be far more strict. For some, it may dependent on the size of your rock garden and the elements you plan on incorporating into it, such as a pond. Usually anything that can be regarded as a permanent structure will require a permit. It is best to call first to find out if a permit will be needed and ask about any regulations regarding the building of your rock garden. Most places will have regulations regarding any electricity, water, and any digging you may want to do.
Depending on the regulations your local agency uses, they may need to come out for an inspection prior to any work being done at all. This is usually done to make sure property lines and ordinances regarding distances and location are respected. If you plan on doing any digging into the ground you may also have to have existing utility lines marked before work begins. Don't skip over this step! If you begin digging and take out your own electricity or rupture a gas line, you will be responsible for all of the costs to have it repaired. This can be not only costly, but extremely dangerous besides.
Once you know what the regulations and requirements are, then you can develop a plan for your garden to take to the building permits department. Flock says, "They need to see you and a plan that they can approve or not approve."
If your plan is not approved, work with the department to find out what changes you can make so that your plan will be accepted. Perhaps you wanted to bring in lighting, but you are not allowed to run an electrical line out to it - check to see if battery/solar lighting is an option instead.
Once your permit is issued, you will have a specified amount of time to finish your project and it will probably require a final inspection from the building department.
If you know that you are required to have a permit, don't try to sneak by without one! If you are caught, not only will you still have to purchase the permit, but you could also be given expensive fines besides.
