My wife and I are planning to build a deck on our house. Pretty much just a plain Jane 12' x 16' deck, but due to our special needs son we're going to make the hand rails 48" high, and I'm going to beef up the posts, beams, and joists to carry the extra weight for a 5' round kiddie pool. Because of the extra lumber, and because of my son's special needs (ie: handicap), my city is charging me an extra $196 for the building permit so they can do additional inspections during the contruction process. Bastages. :-)
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Seems like a lawsuit threat under the Americans with Disabilities Act is in order!
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$196????

Are they supplying the labor to put up the deck? :-)

I think building permits (for our deck and sunroom additions) were around $30.
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What a crock of #*%@ ! There isn't any extra equipment, extra time, extra effort, extra ANYTHING involved in that inspection!!! The inspector looks at the construction methods, bracing, size lumber used, etc no matter what. Are the handrails above X height? Yes. Are the spindles/balusters spaced properly? Yes. Did he use the correct size joists for the span? Yes. On and on like that. No extra questions (that I know of) that need to be answered - to him a deck is a deck and it needs to be inspected, end of story.

Are you installing something extra, like an elevator/lift, that might be the cause for "extra" inspection?
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No, nothing extra. I'm almost certain my mistake was explaining the reason for the taller than normal handrails. I think they heard "handicapped" and jumped all over it.
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The sounds like a load of crap to me. I would file a formal complaint with who ever runs the city (Mayor, supervisor, ect.).

Good luck with the building. What are you using for your decking?
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How petty. :-)

Maybe not an option, but have you considered different materials other than wood?

Ex. Some places do not require permits for concrete patios but do require permits for the same size wooden deck.

It may be worth checking into. We looked at both options last year and went with the concrete and actually saved money in building materials.
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