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What Is Construction Law In Terms Of The Cases You Handle?

Construction law means any contract or building quality dispute that arises between contractors and their subcontractors or between the owner of a commercial project and the general contractor they hired to do it. I do not handle cases involving construction defect claims on residential homes. That is a specialized and detailed subset of construction law, and there are attorneys who do only that. If you’re a home owner and you find a defect in your home and you want to go after the builder for it, then I would not be able to help you with that. I handle commercial and residential projects involving disputes between general contractors and subcontractors, or between subcontractors and their suppliers. Most of this involves contract disputes or mechanic’s liens (a contractor’s lien against the property).

What Is Building Code?

The building code is the set of laws that govern exactly how buildings have to be built in municipalities, cities, counties and unincorporated areas of counties. For each of these areas, there will be a specific building code that applies. So, the building code that applies in Mesa, Arizona, is different than the building code that applies in Gilbert, where I’m located.

Over the years, I have found that my contractor clients actually know far more than I do about the individual building codes, because that’s what they deal with on a daily basis. They have to know exactly what has to be done according to the local building code. If they don’t know that, then the building won’t pass inspection and they won’t get paid.

Very rarely does my work as a lawyer have to get into the nitty-gritty details of whether or not a particular building code was met, because if it wasn’t, that’s going to be resolved before I ever get involved. The building code issues are almost always resolved during the construction, and my involvement comes after the construction is done and after the project has been approved by the inspector.

What Permits Do I Need To Get?

The people who would be most likely to ask what permits they need are home owners who are not working with a contractor. The permits are going to be issued by the city. If it’s an area of the county that’s not incorporated into a particular city, then they’ll be issued by the county. My recommendation to any home owner or property owner of a commercial project who is looking to do any work on their property is to hire an experienced and knowledgeable general contractor who has successfully completed several dozen if not hundreds of projects over the years.

The contractors know how to deal with the government offices. Government offices are, like any bureaucracy, difficult to deal with at times, even for an experienced contractor, but it can be almost impossible for an inexperienced home owner or a commercial property owner to deal with them. You would want to make sure that you go with someone who has the knowledge and expertise to get the appropriate permits and to know what permits are required.

For more information on Construction Law Cases In Arizona, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling 1-480-582-1287 today.