Developing Your Property
Permits Required when Building or Developing Your Property

Permits are issued for the protection of all citizens. It helps guarantee that all the work will be inspected so you can be assured that shoddy work, poor materials, or deviations form the plans will not result in unsafe conditions for the building occupants, whether the building is for commercial, residential, or any other use. To ensure the safety and welfare of Cape Girardeau citizens, permits must be obtained from the City government for any structural work conducted on private property. This is a listing of the permits required and the fees to obtain each permit.

Building Permits and Street and Right-of-Way Permits can be obtained online or at the Inspection Services office at City Hall (401 Independence ). General Property Improvement permits can be obtained online or at the Planning Services office at City Hall.

Table of Contents

1. When should I get my permit?

2. Buildings

• Building permits (additions, remodeling, signs & billboards, demolition, reinspection, miscellaneous)
• Existing Room Additions with No Permits
• Electrical permit
• Plumbing permit
• Mechanical permit
• Occupancy permit
• Demolition permit

3. Streets and Rights-of-Way

• Excavating permit
• Alteration to Public Street permit/Driveways

4. General Property Improvement

• Fill/Grading permit
• Stormwater Management permit
• Floodplain Development permit

5. Sewer & Water Tap Fees

1. When should I get my permit?
All permits must be acquired PRIOR to beginning the work covered by the permit. If permits are not acquired prior to the start of work, legal action may be taken in accordance the City’s Code of Ordinances .

If you are unsure whether or not you need a permit for any work you may do, please contact the Inspection Services office at (573)334-4466. Our staff can advise you whether a permit is required. [ Top of Page ]

2. Buildings

Building Permits
A Building Permit must be obtained when (1) You desire to construct, enlarge, alter, or demolish a structure; (2) Change the occupancy of a building or structure requiring greater strength, exit, or sanitary provisions; (3) To change to another use; or (4) To install or alter any equipment covered under the City’s building codes.

-- New Construction and Additions (determined by square footage):
      Commercial Permit Application
      Pre-Manufactured Carport Permit Application

-- Remodeling (determined by value):

-- Signs and Billboards

• Sign = $10
• Billboard = $30

-- Demolition

• Flat Fee = $ 10

-- Reinspection Fees

• $10 per inspection after the first two (2) inspections.

-- Miscellaneous

• Sidewalk = $10
• Residential Driveway = $5
• Commercial Driveway = $10
• Mobile Home Reinspection = $10

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Existing Room Additions with No Permits

Projects without permits shall be considered new construction. The process to legalize this type of work requires compliance with TODAY’S code requirements.

Please ask for a copy of the information and sample plan, for what is required on plan submittals, it contains the following is elements:

To obtain a permit for the existing addition(s), the following is necessary:

1. Obtain planning department approval for the location of the addition on a scaled plot (site) plan.
2. Submit three (2) sets of plans showing; site plan, complete building floor plan(s), wall framing, roof layout, typical cross sections, elevations, details, and uses of rooms. Plans shall be complete as if the addition was new going through the permit process for the first time.
3. City staff will review the plans for compliance with TODAY’S code requirements including structural and fire/life safety.
4. Upon approval of plans you may be issued a combination permit.
5. Schedule all necessary inspections, exposing as much of the construction (i.e., removing sheet rock, flooring, etc.) as required so inspections can be made by the field inspector.

Achieving compliance with the code requirements may require one or more of the following:

1. Reducing the size of the room addition to comply with minimum setback requirements.
2. Preparation of structural engineering calculations for footings, framing members, shear walls, etc.
3. Installing reinforcement(s) to the existing structure, as required by the approved plans.
4. Removal of the room addition.

How to Obtain a Building Permit for an Existing Room Addition or Alteration:

Building permits may have been obtained prior to construction, but expired because work was completed without some or all of the required inspections.The permit process to legalize existing room additions or alterations is outlined below. If you have any questions after reading this sheet completely, please ask our staff. We are here to assist you.

Room Additions and Alterations with Expired Permits:

City records will show which inspections were already performed on the expired permit, work which already was inspected, followed by work that was not inspected. The permit necessary to legalize the project, covers only the work that has not already been inspected and approved.

To obtain a permit for the uninspected work please provide the following information:

1. Submit two additional copies of the approved plans as originally submitted.
2. If the original drawings do not exist, provide two sets of; (1) site plan, (2) floor plan, wall and roof framing and site plans, (3) typical cross section; (4) elevation; and (5) details.
3. City staff will review the plans to verify they comply with code requirements applicable at the time the original (expired) permit was issued.
4. When the plans are approved, staff will issue a combination permit to you based on the Master Fee Schedule in effect.
5. Schedule the necessary inspections, note that, depending on what was originally built without inspection, you may be asked to expose covered elements of the construction e.g. framing, plumbing, and electrical wiring for inspection now.

All items built without an inspection must be inspected now to obtain the desired finalized permit.

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Electrical Permits
An electrical permit is required to install new electrical service, wiring, or appliance, or to alter or add to existing installations. This does not include minor repair work, such as replacing flush and snap switches, replacing fuses, lamp socket, and receptacles. Permits are issued at the Inspection Services office in City Hall (401 Independence).

Fees:

• $2 per circuit
• $10 per service
• $10.00 minimum permit charge

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Plumbing Permits
A Plumbing Permit is required to do plumbing or drain laying work, whenever alterations are made in the waste and/or vent line in new and existing piping or fixtures. A permit is not required for repairs which involve only the working parts of a faucet or valve, clearance of stoppages, or repairing or replacement of defective faucets or valves.

Fees:

• $15 permit charge plus $2 per fixture
• $15 cut wye into sewer main
• $15 septic tank installation
• $5 excavating (street cut) permit

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Mechanical Permits
A Mechanical Permit is required for all work of a mechanical nature EXCEPT for (1) Any portable heating appliance, ventilation equipment, cooling unit, evaporative cooler, any steam, hot or chilled water piping within any heating or cooling equipment regulated by the Code; (2) Replacement of any minor part which does not alter approval of equipment or make it unsafe; or (3) Any self-contained refrigeration systems containing 10 pounds or less of refrigerant or activate by motors of 1 horsepower or less.

Fees:

• $0.10 per 1,000 BTU input of appliances
• $1 per 10 feet of pipe or portion thereof
• $20 to move meter
• $10 minimum permit charge

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Occupancy Permit
An Occupancy Permit is required on any structure that requires a building permit prior to the structure being occupied, whether it residential, commercial, or industrial. The final occupancy inspection is especially important to ensure the safety of your structure. [ Top of Page ]

Demolition Permit
A Demolition Permit is required in order to demolish any structure. This permit can only be issued after all utilities have been disconnected at the property line by AmerenUE (for gas and electric), Alliance Water Resources (for water), and the City (for sewer). You can get utility disconnect forms online or from the Inspection Services office in City Hall (401 Independence). No demolition work can begin until the permit has been acquired. [ Top of Page ]

3. Streets and Rights-of-Way

Excavating Permit
An excavating permit is required to make any excavation on City right-of-way for sewer, water, or gas connections, or for installing utility cables in the right-of-way. This includes any street cut made or excavation behind the pavement on City right-of-way. The permit number of the Excavating Permit is to be written into the concrete placed in the patch, along with the date the patch was made. Permits are issued at the Inspection Services office in City Hall (401 Independence).

Fees:

• $5 per 150 lineal feet
• $5 for street cut

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Alteration to Public Street Permit/Driveways
An Alteration to Public Street Permit is required to construct, reconstruct, repair, alter, or grade any sidewalk, curb, gutter, curb-cut, or driveway on City right-of-way. Permits are issued at the Inspection Services office in City Hall (401 Independence).  Click here for application.

Fees:

• $5 for sidewalks
• $5 for curb cuts
• $5 for each curb cut for residential driveways
• $10 for each cut for commercial driveways

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4. General Property Improvement

Fill/Grading Permit
A Fill or Grading Permit must be obtained prior to doing any type of grading or dirt moving on any property that involves earthwork commenced with mechanical equipment. General yard work is excluded under this permit. Click here to download an online Fill and Grading Permit Application .

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Stormwater Management Permit
A Stormwater Management permit must be obtained prior to a Building Permit being issued to assure that stormwater runoff is adequately controlled. This provision applies to all development except for single-family and two-family construction on lots of record. In some cases, stormwater management plans may be incorporated in the development of a subdivision, while in others stormwater management provisions will be included for individual lots. Click here to download an online Stormwater Permit Application .

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Floodplain Development Permit
A Floodplain Development Permit must be secured prior to the erection, addition, or alteration of any building, structure, obstruction, or portion thereof, located within a special flood hazard area, and prior to grading or filling within a special flood hazard area. The flood hazard areas are defined on maps provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Click here to download an online Floodplain Development Permit Application .

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5. Sewer & Water Tap Fees

New construction will charged a sewer tap fee, which is based on water size usage. These are to be paid when the building permit is picked up. Water tap cost can be applied and paid for at Inspection Services when picking up permits or can be paid later through Customer Service , in City Hall (401 Independence).

An out of district sewer fee is $250 and will need City Council approval.
For any water connection estimates, call Alliance Water Resources at (573)335-1584. Water fees may be changed at anytime due to material costs. 

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