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Building Permits

Building Inspections reviews and inspects all new

construction and remodeling within the City. All building permits and licenses, as well as Certificates of Occupancy, are issued from Building Inspections.

A building permit is needed for any new construction, remodeling, sprinkler system, plumbing, heating, fence, deck, shed, in-ground pool, or mobile home setup. All Blaine building permits are obtained online. Start the process today at BlaineMN.gov/BuildingInspections.

The Simple & Easy Building Permit Process

1. Talk to Your Local Code Official. Code officials want your project to be a success and will help you avoid potential problems that could cost time and money. Residents will be asked some basic questions (What are you planning to do?

Where?), advised of any requirements, and, if necessary, referred to other departments for their approval. The code official will provide you with the resources and information needed for compliance with the applicable building codes. You will then receive an application for a building permit. 2. Submit Application. At this stage, the applicant will document the who, what, when, where, and how of the job, along with any sketches or plans of the proposed work. Learn more at BlaineMN.gov/BuildingInspections. 3. Building Inspections. The code official will review your plans and determine if your project is in compliance with local requirements. If your plans meet these requirements, a permit is issued. If for some reason they do not, the code official will work with you to help correct the problem. 4. Receive Permit. Now that you have been approved for a permit, you have legal permission to start construction. A fee, based on the size of the job, is collected to cover the cost of the application, the review, and the inspection process. An experienced code official is available should you have any questions concerning your project. You should consider your code official as an ally who will help you make your project a success. Typically, separate permits are required for electrical, plumbing, and heating or air conditioning work. 5. Job-Site Visits. On-site inspections are required to make certain the work conforms to the permit, local codes, and plans. Again, you will have access to the expertise of the code official to help you with questions or concerns regarding the project and to ward off potentially costly mistakes. The code official will let you know approximately how many inspections may be needed for your project. Typically, several days are needed when requesting visits. 6. Final Approval. The code official will provide documentation when construction is completed and code compliance is determined. You will then have the personal satisfaction of a job done safely and correctly. You can enjoy your improvements with the knowledge that they meet the safety standards in your community.

It takes everyone in a community to keep homes, schools, offices, stores, and other buildings safe for personal and public use. Safe construction practices help protect you, your family, your friends, and your investment. Be sure to get your local code official involved with your project, because the Building Department is on your side.

More Info Online

Regular office hours are Monday - Friday from 8AM until 4:30PM. For additional information, visit BlaineMN.gov/ BuildingInspections.

Important

Information

Deck, Porch, and Addition Footing Design

Most homes in Blaine are

constructed on corrected soil pads. This is because soil conditions prior to development were too low and often unsuitable. These corrected building pads are not much larger than the home structure.

Soils outside of these corrected pads may not be suitable for the construction of decks, porches, or home/garage additions. Any proposed construction of a deck, porch, or addition may require soils corrections, or an engineer’s soils report may be required to verify minimum bearing capacity of 1,500 pounds per square foot.

How to Design Footing for a Deck or Porch

Areas of known poor soils require soils corrections and/or deck footings must be designed by a licensed professional engineer prior to the issuance of the permit. Please call the building inspections department for soil information in your development at 763-785-6170 as your first step in planning for your deck or porch.

1. Concrete Footings – The permit holder is responsible for the design size, but the footings cannot be a smaller diameter than listed in the City of Blaine deck or porch handout footing guide. In lieu of using the guide in the handout, another option is to provide an engineer’s soils report to verify minimum bearing capacity and design them accordingly. Footings must still be set on sandy/ suitable soils (no black organic type soils) or the footing inspection will fail. In some developments, the depth to suitable soil may be much deeper than the 42 inch frost depth. The footing inspection will fail if suitable soils cannot be verified, and soils corrections and/or deck footings must be designed by a licensed professional engineer. 2. Non-concrete manufactured pin style footings – The permit holder is responsible for the design size, and the base area comparison must be equal to or greater than concrete footing diameter listed in the City of Blaine deck handout footing guide. These pin style footings are only permitted for decks and may not be permitted for porch footings; verify with the product manufacturer.

3. Helical piles (screw-pile) – These are permitted in accordance with manufacturer's instructions. These are long screw-like piles that can reach suitable soils without the need for soils corrections. Screw-piles must be installed by a certified contractor.

Frost Footings for Home and Garage Additions

The following applies to all areas in the City of Blaine that have corrected soil pads or other areas with black organic type soils at the depth of the footings. Soils corrections must be designed by a licensed professional engineer, or an engineer's soils report must be provided to verify minimum bearing capacity of 1,500 per square foot prior to issuance of the building permit.

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