I own it, So I can work on it, Or can I?
You own a home and you want to do some of the repairs, home improvements or upgrades. Can you do it when it comes to contracting, electrical and/or plumbing?
Well this depends. If you live in the home or you own but you are not renting, leasing or planning on selling it you will not need to hire an appropriate contractor to perform this work.
If you do lease, demolish or plan to sell (with certain conditions) you will be required to hire an appropriate contractor to perform the work, as well as any permits required.
Here is the statute in Washington State law that governs this-
RCW 18.27.090 (Bold and Underline is mine)
Exemptions.
(11) An owner who contracts for a project with a registered contractor, except that this exemption shall not deprive the owner of the protections of this chapter against registered and unregistered contractors. The exemption prescribed in this subsection does not apply to a person who performs the activities of a contractor for the purpose of leasing or selling improved property he or she has owned for less than twelve months;
(12) Any person working on his or her own property, whether occupied by him or her or not, and any person working on his or her personal residence, whether owned by him or her or not but this exemption shall not apply to any person who performs the activities of a contractor on his or her own property for the purpose of selling, demolishing, or leasing the property;
So these provisions remove the exemption clause that most would use to legally perform work on their own homes.
There are two classifications of construction contractors in Washington state:
- General contractors who can perform most types of construction work. They can hire subcontractors in multiple specialties. However, contractors working with plumbing, electrical, elevators, mobile home installation, boilers, and asbestos have additional requirements for education, examination, and licensing.
- Specialty contractors who can only perform work in the specialty they are registered in. They cannot hire subcontractor
So if you have questions about the process or what you can or cannot do you can always contact your local building department or AHJ *(Authority Having Jurisdiction).
Or you could give me a call or email and I can help guide you through the process.
If you find any errors or have additional information that would expand on any code, building standards or manufacturer requirements please let me know.
NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service
Coordinator & Instructor- Fundamentals of Home Inspection- Bellingham Technical College
Former WA Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board
www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572
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