Office of Community Development - Building Division

M.A.Q.'s (Most Annoying Questions)

As children, we learn many ways to, shall we say, "deal" with certain situations. Parents and teachers benefit the most from our imaginative methods of justifying our actions during these times. A favorite of all has to do with a ravenous dog and a missing homework assignment.

As the years pass by, many slip into what we term maturity and abandon these habits. Some, however, cannot seem to escape its grasp. In fact, as time goes by their imagination and ability to dramatize increases. Like the child with the chewed-up homework, the stories seem perfectly legitimate to them, but to the listener they tend to become a little annoying. So, just to show that teachers and parents are not the only audience to this production, we have developed a list of the Most Annoying Questions/Statements that our inspectors must endure:

1.    They let me build it in all the other towns

2.    I've built this one for twenty years. Why do I need plans?

3.    Oh! Did I need a permit for that?

4.    It's just like the other one, except it's two feet wider, six feet longer, has a jog, a full basement, second floor...

5.    They plumber cut 'em. Let the plumber fix 'em.

6.    If I'm willing to pay for the fuel, why do I have to bother with the energy code?

7.    When did they change that in the code?

8.    Well, somebody inspected it!

9.    The closing's tomorrow!

10.    They must have put the wrong address on the permit card.

11.    It must be grand-fathered by now.

12.    I'll take my illegal sign down when everyone else does!

We could go on, but that might get a bit annoying.

Author Unknown