Building Permit Rules on Appliances Revised

Residents here are now free to put up small satellite dishes, playground equipment and even replace appliances without seeking a building permit. An ordinance exempting a host of home accessories will go into effect Friday.

“It came about because some of the citizens were complaining that when you replace dishwashers, you had to buy a permit for $22.50,” said Kevin Shear, the city’s chief building official. “This is just cleaning up things that we’ve always required permits for, where it never really accomplished anything.”

City Council members had approved the changes last month as part of a long-running plan to streamline the permit processes for businesses and homeowners.