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islandmusicteach
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 4-30-2007
Location: catalina island
Member Is Offline
Mood: almost in baja
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baja sur building codes - are they online?
Man oh man have I had some good laughs and smiles reading this forum. Definitely the only place for real Baja info!!
Well, I finally have another question one of you may be able to help with. Anyone know if Baja Sur building codes are available online? If not, know
where to buy em? Or got a code book lying around I can copy and send back to you?
Thanks,
Marko.
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Don Alley
Super Nomad
Posts: 1997
Registered: 12-4-2003
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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Uh-oh...
There are building codes here? 
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: Skeptical
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Not sure if there is a national building code or even a state UBC.
The building codes that applied in my house in Mulege were local. I wasn't the builder but did oversee the project. It seems that the codes were
(ahem) applied selectively. However, I didn't see a thing. 
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roundtuit
Senior Nomad
Posts: 607
Registered: 12-21-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wife's Job
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Never learned from a book-Only from mistakes, mine and yours
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cabobaja
Nomad
Posts: 362
Registered: 9-19-2006
Location: South \"O\", Elias Calles, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Smiling
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Building codes in BCS Never seen them. A qualified engineer must sign your
structural plans inorder to receive building permit. As you pay him a fee for his approval/signature, he is supposed to do periodic checks on the
construction. But, have never seen any engineer come back to site and check.
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tripledigitken
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4848
Registered: 9-27-2006
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longlegsinlapaz where are you.......................?
I would bet she knows!
Ken
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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I think that you have the plans drawn up by an architect, he turns them in and gets them approved. The only rule that I know of here in Los Cabos is
that you cannot go over 3 stories. What codes they use is a mystery, if they have such a thing. They were very interested in the ceiling/floor of
our two story building. We used foam and it required a lot of varilla, so they must have some sort of code. Get an architect and let him figure it
out. They do require real plans for building permits....not something drawn on a c-cktail napkin.
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Don Alley
Super Nomad
Posts: 1997
Registered: 12-4-2003
Location: Loreto
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We drew our own plans on a piece of paper. No architect. Then our builder had someone translate those drawings into something official-looking to take
into the city for approval and a permit. I took the plans in to the city office and handed them to...the man that drew them. He, of course, approved
them.
And in Loreto, you cannot build higher than the mission.
[Edited on 6-21-2007 by Don Alley]
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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Here in Loreto had my plans drawn up by a local architect. The guy never came by when the house was under construction. Did come by to see it 2 years
after completion. Had to hire a crane to get my comercial stove and large TV to the second floor. Replaced my side by side refrigerator last week and it
took 3 days to get it to the upper floor. Had to remove doors ,hinges etc. to get it up the stairs. Sooo much for building codes.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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This is another of those....different where you are things.
So where are you?
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by vandenberg
Here in Loreto had my plans drawn up by a local architect. The guy never came by when the house was under construction. Did come by to see it 2 years
after completion. Had to hire a crane to get my comercial stove and large TV to the second floor. Replaced my side by side refrigerator last week and it
took 3 days to get it to the upper floor. Had to remove doors ,hinges etc. to get it up the stairs. Sooo much for building codes.
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Vandy,
Did you remember to get a building permit to move all those things?
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amir
Senior Nomad
Posts: 559
Registered: 5-4-2007
Location: Todos Santos, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: chiropractic
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Of course there are building codes!
But are they published? I doubt it.
The building inspector is the guy to talk to in our town, he's a walking encyclopedia, and he has photographic memory, and that's his job.
You have to get the architect and the drawings, and you have to get the engineer; sometimes you need a surveyor, sometimes an environmental impact
statement, they all get a cut. It is best to hire the services of a builder in your area who knows all the rules of that jurisdiction. In the long
run, the fee you pay the builder will save you tons of money in the future. There is a lot more paperwork to get besides drawings and a permit in
order to make the building legal and occupyable. Later on, if you ever want to sell that building, you will wish you had gotten all the little duckies
in a row while you were building...
But the building inspector has the final word and gets the final bribe.
There have been some pretty crazy buildings going up in this area.
How could these people get permits to build those monstrosities?
They paid the building inspector what he asked, under the table, of course...
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islandmusicteach
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 4-30-2007
Location: catalina island
Member Is Offline
Mood: almost in baja
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To Bajajudy: I'm in Santiago, Los Cabos municipality! To everyone else, thanks for the sage advice about making sure the right officials are happy
.... BUT I'll put a case of beer down right now and bet that somewhere in a dusty room under a coffee cup and a rusty theolodite a building code does
indeed exist... now finding it is another matter...
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Marie-Rose
Senior Nomad
Posts: 894
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: Victoria, B.C. and Todos Santos
Member Is Offline
Mood: Worried...
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In TS (as Amir pointed out) we certainly had the engineer come to our site several times during construction...and our architect was there several
times a week!
I was astounded by the paperwork we recieved upon completion along with a booklet that had pictures from start to finish.
We also have a friend who's very small addition was halted as the permit was not posted where it could be seen.
Amir...I believe I know which monstrosities you speak of... certainly not in our barrio of San Ignacio!!
Check your u2u!
[Edited on 2007-6-21 by Marie-Rose]
Remember, when in Mexico, yes may be no and no may be
maybe!
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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The zoo keeper has the codes posted on the one of the cages you can guess which one.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Aha. I believe that you will have to come to San Jose to catastro for your permits. We did get an architect to handle all that and it went smoothly.
When you come to town for these formalities, take the road in front of the bomberos out to La Playa and stop in and say HI. After you cross the
arroyo, look to your left. You will see a tall sand colored building with LIBROS BOOKS on the side...thats me.
Welcome to the neighborhood. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.
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bajatorres
Junior Nomad
Posts: 51
Registered: 9-11-2003
Location: Buenavista, BCS
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Not online as far as I know..........
but we were told by the building permit dept in San Jose del Cabo ( for Los Cabos municipal) that the maximum height is 7 meters (22.75 feet) and that
if you build lot line to lot line, you have to have a 1 meter ( 3.25 feet) clearance for 1 story and 2 meter (6.5 feet ) clearance for 2 story. If you
don't comply with the clearance, you may not have any windows or openings to your neighbor's sides. If you do have openings, be prepared to have them
closed off.
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
Member Is Offline
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How about a Nomad engineer ??
I hope to get my license for civil engineering and architecture in Mexico soon.
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
longlegsinlapaz where are you.......................?
I would bet she knows!
Ken |
Ken:
Hey, I swear I only abandoned my post for about 11 hours to go into town!!
Yes there are codes; a couple of the ones I know have been posted here, about setback from property line & no windows if on property line, for the
most part, the ones I know are ones that have pertained to me specifically. I've got an inquiry out to see if they come in any type of publically
consumable form. I think there is an online site...just gotta find it! Of course, they'd be in Espanol!! Give me until Friday evening & I'll
post my findings.
I do know what's basically been posted here...with some corrections to inaccurate information...Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is REQUIRED in all
but odd cases (i.e., the land was cleared by someone else prior to your purchasing it & then, a letter stating it was cleared by a prior owner is
required by at least the last owner). So many people have ignored this teensy weensy little technicality, that the law is currently being changed to
require the seller to have it done as a part of the sales process. Not sure when this will become legal.
I take exception to anyone (Amir ) recommending to others to be
prepared to pay a bribe to get inspectors to look the other way. You still don't have the legal paperwork you need & the person you bribe will
get fired & jail time if they're caught, but you still have the legal obligation to pay for the missing studies, surveys, permits, etc., as well
as late payment fees, fines for not having done them in the first place & monetary penalties for bribing a Federal employee!! It's not worth it
& it's not fair to offer low-paid people extra money to break the law!! IMNSHO (In my not so humble opinion) Hey! What can I say...I'm an
ethical kinda person and I don't apologize for that!! islandmusicteach is trying to do the right thing here, please don't encourage him to break the
law!
Because La Paz is where the applications end up for all of BCS, I sincerely doubt that there are several different codes, it's more likely, the
farther from La Paz, the less adherence & enforcement of the codes & laws. The codes that I know of lean towards structural integrity, as
opposed to aesthetics.
A survey is ALWAYS required, as is EIS (if one has not previously been done), alignmiento for setback of fence on road side...and I DO
NOT recommend that you just ask your builder to make you legal. Many (I DIDN'T SAY ALL!) builders won't protect you, the
client, they'll just start construction because the sooner they start, the sooner they get $$$ rolling in! Builders and/or architects are NOT liable
for any omissions, YOU, the owner is totally liable, whether the omission was done through ignorance or stealth! These process can take a long
time...I applied for EIS in December & hope to get the final approval to clear my land manana!!! And yes, I waited...because it's the law & I
figure the Feds get enough in fees without adding a $100,000 peso fine to the mix!
islandmusicteach as I said above, I hope to have some definitive information regarding printed or on-line codes for BCS within 24 hours.
Vandenberg, who designed your casa?? Please post his name, so everyone will know who NOT TO USE! He obviously failed "Attention To Detail #101"! 
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amir
Senior Nomad
Posts: 559
Registered: 5-4-2007
Location: Todos Santos, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: chiropractic
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Longlegs, I'm not advocating bribery here. I was just reporting how one, in Todos Santos, gets the proper legal paperwork to proceed, finish, and
manifest a construction.
Let me clarify: You tell the building inspector what you want to build. He tells you what you need to get - a permit, architects, engineers, reports,
whatever you will need for your project. Then he tells you the fee. There is a schedule of fees for permits for whole new buildings, remodels,
additions, replacement of roofs, replacement of windows, block or stone fences, everything!
Some of these requirements you will have to pay separately for their services, like architects and engineers and reports and so on. But us far as the
BUILDING CODE of the County of La Paz is concerned, the building inspector himself gets you the construction permits and the registration with
CATASTRO. It is a service he provides. His "fees" are higher than if I went and file myself, but hey, he knows the codes, he files the papers, he gets
me the permits, he manifests the construction, I save one or two days of work, and I have no hassles. And it is all legal. Just a little mordida, a
little bite, a gift. But NOT "to look the other way," as you say, but to facilitate the process and grease the wheels, so to speak...
And of course, when I said "to hire the services of a builder in your area who knows all the rules of that jurisdiction," I thought it was clear that
your employee follows your orders and gets all you will need legally to keep you out of trouble. This builder has to be somebody you trust and with
impeccable reputation in following the law. He must understand that if he screws up, YOU will be liable.
I thought it was understood that you hire reliable people and you pay for whatever licenses and fees you are assessed for your construction. And for
convenience, in this rural district of Todos Santos in the Ayuntamiento de La Paz, the Building Inspector gets a cut of the action directly from you,
in exchange for services that save you a heck of a lot of time and headaches.
--Amir
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