Permits at GHI
Alterations or improvements to a GHI home, except for minor appearance changes which are allowed under a blanket approval, will require a permit. The word permit is derived from the Latin permittere, to let through, from per-, through, and mittere, to send. Merriam-Webster defines it as
"a written warrant or license granted by one having authority, permission".
So, a permit is permission by someone in authority to perform the work.
Who is the authority? On the primary level, GHI, the owner of the property, allows the work to be done. That is the meaning behind a GHI permit: the cooperative allows the member to perform the work necessary for the desired modification. At higher levels, the County, City, and local utilities are authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs). These AHJs have a stake in the work being performed because workmanship not meeting minimum standards could impact constituents served by these governments and/or utilities.
What minor alterations are allowed without a permit? §X.B. of GHI rules identifies items where blanket permission is granted. Anything work other than these will require a GHI permit as a minimum, and often will require additional permits from other AHJs; the Tools & Rules index is a good place to start for specifics
