Aerial Photography/Permit Question

[JungleWahine]

It was suggested on another forum I go to, http://www.city-data.com/forum/big-island/, that the island may start using aerial photography to find un-permited buildings and tax them. If this happens, do you think they would just try to add to your taxes, or attempt to issue tear down orders? I live in an un-permited ohana house. The main house has the kitchen etc, and there is a permit for that one.
If I am not mistaken, you cannot get a permit here if you do any of the electrical or plumbing yourself? I thought you had to show that it was done by a licensed electrician or plumber? Please let me know if I am wrong, thanks.

[Kapohocat]

If this is truly a "taxing" issue, typically RPT and Bldg Depts dont "speak to each", nor does Planning to the other two.

You may get taxed but rarely does RPT pass on the info to Bldg or Planning Depts.

[peteadams]

The county is already taxing unpermitted structures. Using the county's online tax database, it's not difficult to find properties with no permits but assessed tax values applied to structures on the land. Nearby we have a five acre piece with assessed building value of $10,000 and an annual property tax bill of $25. Other properties have assessed building values of over $150,000 on unpermitted structures and they pay much higher taxes. And, yes, you need licensed electricians and plumbers to sign off on permitted work.

[kalakoa]

Not "may start using", but "have been using", and (supposedly) people have already had their property taxes "revised" as a result.

You can pull your own building permit, but all "licensed" work must be performed by licensed contractors, and supposedly you're now responsible for insurance and payroll tax withholding. You can do your own electrical/plumbing if you happen to be licensed for those trades in Hawaii.

[OpenD]

In that CD thread on the use of Pictometry, if you follow the link to the newspaper story, you will see that the County has already been using the technology for a year now, and that yes, people are getting higher property tax assessments as a result, and some enforcement actions are being triggered.

Especially against owners of underground grow bunkers installed without building permits.

County of Hawaii PD acquired the Pictometry aerial photography technology more than a year ago with a federal grant, then started sharing their photos with the County, and UHH students are doing GIS work and so on, so it's a relatively cheap program for the county to utilize for tax and code enforcement. And it's very efficient at automatically calculating square footage and other dimensions, as well as comparing current photos to previous records to detect changes. Mainland states have been using systems like this for years to catch property tax cheats.

Are storm troopers going to come knocking down your ohana because it was not built with proper permits? Not hardly.

For one thing, there are probably 1,000 properties in Puna which are worse than yours and already in line for enforcement action before they get around to you. But if the ohana structure is not on the original permit then sooner or later the tax assessment will likely be raised by the value of the additional structure.

[terracore]

how do they tell the difference between an ohana and an AG shed which requires no permit?

[ourdoc]

By taxing you and making you prove its not taxable...

[EightFingers]

I own a big property next to a smaller one (not mine) that has an unpermitted house built on it (built about a year ago on the smaller property). This house is fairly close to my property line. Since there aren't any fences to identify the property line, would it be possible that I could get dinged on this "aerial tax assessment"?

[OpenD]

quote:

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Originally posted by EightFingers

I own a big property next to a smaller one (not mine) that has an unpermitted house built on it (built about a year ago on the smaller property). This house is fairly close to my property line. Since there aren't any fences to identify the property line, would it be possible that I could get dinged on this "aerial tax assessment"?

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Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? Hard to evaluate yet, but my guess is not very. Supposedly it's all tied into a GIS database that shows recorded property lines.

But we shall see.

[JungleWahine]

Thanks once again for more info guys!
Hiya OpenD []