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An auto accident caused a car to run through the intersection at a somewhat slow speed and damaged part of the brick foundation on the corner of a house. Upon a closer look the joists and other boards under the house are not damaged. Would a permit have had to be pulled to repair the foundation and the permit could result in a full inspection of the house? The inspection could bring up other issues that are out of code such as wiring? The apparent heir to the house said the home would need to be rewired since it was built back in the 1960's. When I look at my walls and think of rewiring I see a costly big mess. Thanks.
Yes, a permit for foundation repairs would have to be pulled.
Generally speaking the inspection for the foundation repairs would only cover that. There usually has to be a minimum dollar amount of work being done (typically 50% of Fair Market Value plus $1) to trigger a wholesale order to bring everything up to code.
With electrical, the Code in effect at the time of installation is the governing document.
An appraisal for sale will usually note that various systems do not meet current code but are still operable and legal.
Now, an inspector there for one thing will often mention something that is imminently dangerous (leaking gas line for example) and can, and will, issue a red tag for immediate repair, but that's rare in the great scheme of things.
I don't think that the permitting/inspection process would go beyond the foundation of the house...that is to say, the outside and looking in from the crawlspace.
I also don't see why a home needs rewiring just because its from the 60's. My house is from then and hasn't been rewired and unless I plan a major renovation I see no need to.
Wiring from the sixties shouldn't need to be rewired unless there are other issues. That said following code in kitchens and bathrooms for GFCIs is just common sense given the low cost of replacing a few outlets and the high "cost" of accidental death.
And as noted by the other posters, yes a permit will be needed for foundation repair, but it shouldn't trigger any other inspections unless something is badly out of code and dangerous.
Permit- yes.
The electrical “upgrade”- as previously mentioned, it’s usually a dollar amount thing- but every AHJ is not the same. The only way to know for sure is to talk with a building official.
My experience with this type of scenario has usually been to defer to an approved list of engineers for inspections.
My biggest beef with AHJ’s when doing remodeling is the “smoke detector communist overreach! Fortunately, with the introduction of “wireless interconnected”, it’s not that big-a-deal. But, it’s still overreach when the scope of work isn’t anywhere near where smoke detectors are needed.
Yes, you need to pull a permit for the foundation work, and it will need to be inspected.
No, typically an inspector will not go searching for other stuff, and there is no reason to redo your wiring. Any NEW wiring will need to meet current code, but existing wiring is grandfathered in to the code in place at time of installation.
If you ever do replace some wiring, it is possible that the inspector may want you to replace up to and including the panel, on the theory that the panel (and modern grounding regulations) is an integral component of whatever upgrade project you are doing. But no inspector is going to demand you rip out your ungrounded outlets, or install staples within X inches of each junction box, or add GFCI circuits to your bathrooms just because you had some brickwork done.
Same thing with your staircase railing and back deck railing. You do not need to bring up to current height and baluster spacing because of foundation work.
It actually depends on your location. I have repaired easily over 50 foundations as a contractor and not a single one was ever inspected by anyone. Permits are usually needed, also depends on where you live.
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