Required for new construction or renovations

• A. Building Permits
• B. Building Codes
• C. Variance
• D. Conditional Use

Answer: (A)

The essential step for starting any new construction or major renovations is obtaining a building permit. This official approval from the local government allows the project to proceed and ensures plans meet safety, structural, and zoning requirements. The permit process includes plan review, inspections at key building stages, and, once work is completed, a certificate of occupancy. Building codes provide the technical standards that must be followed, but they don’t authorize the work themselves; you need the permit to begin and to prove compliance through inspections. A variance is a special permission to depart from code rules in limited cases, not a general requirement for all projects, and a conditional use relates to allowing a specific land-use in a zone, not to the basic authorization to build or renovate.