Our neighbor had a permit to replace their deck.

Instead they put in a new deck that was twice the size of the old deck. The new deck also caused their lot occupancy to go up to 60% which is way above the allowed 40% and a level that would be very unlikely to ever get a formal approval.

After DCRA got involved it turned out the old deck had not been properly permitted in that it also caused the home to exceed the legal lot occupancy which requires going to the BZA which did not happen as required. As a compromise DCRA allowed them to modify the new deck to adhere to what the permit allowed which was a 1:1 replacement of the old deck which again was also illegal in that it never had the required BZA approval.

Any update OP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you did a deck with permits, you should have had a series of inspections throughout the course of the project. Each time the inspector stamps the papers.

This story does not make sense.

This, I'd reply to the inspector with copies of the stamped permits, cc'ing the inspector who stamped them, a supervisor and my ANC rep

The person who issued the Stop Work Order has access to these electronically.

Did you do final inspection? Did you have permits up in the window?

OP's post makes no sense. And the "not clear" repetition makes less sense. Stop Work orders say exactly what the violation was. I'm actually on the side of the neighbor; OP seems super shady.

Anonymous wrote:If you did a deck with permits, you should have had a series of inspections throughout the course of the project. Each time the inspector stamps the papers.

This story does not make sense.

This, I'd reply to the inspector with copies of the stamped permits, cc'ing the inspector who stamped them, a supervisor and my ANC rep

Anonymous wrote:Thanks Everyone! I know I probably need to hire someone, so I appreciate the recommendations!

Either hire someone or spend some time researching the appeals process. This website walks you through it and seems pretty straightforward. Keep an eye on deadlines - when was your Stop Work Order issued?

https://dcra.dc.gov/service/appeal-stop-work-order

A Stop Work Order has to be based on something - and not just your neighbor doesn't like you. What part of the city code/building code does yours cite as a reason for the order?

This thread makes no sense. Only way you get a stop work order is if you do not have a permit or you are violating the permit.
If you asked for a variance that has to be granted before the permit is granted.

I have no idea what the issue could be if you had the proper permits? Decks can be dangerous without permits. All the good deck builders get them so you likely had someone shady cutting corners if you didn’t get one. Dcra will make you tear down if you didn’t have permits. I’m sure you knew that?

If you did a deck with permits, you should have had a series of inspections throughout the course of the project. Each time the inspector stamps the papers.

This story does not make sense.

If you did everything by the book then what does the 'Stop Work Order' say?

Is the DCRA issue that:

a) they claim work was done without a permit

or

b) the claim the work was permitted, but not done safely?

If it's #2, talk to these guys:
https://constructioninsightdc.com/

DCRA inspectors are not know for just doing what people complain about. I know b/c all of my neighbors complained about an illegal fence that went up in my neighborhood and nothing happened until the police were driving through the neighborhood on a Sunday and got a stop work order issued.

Is it a set-back issue? If so then you need to remove whatever portion of the deck goes over that line.

Thanks Everyone! I know I probably need to hire someone, so I appreciate the recommendations!

You might have luck with a permit expeditor