About half of all sales at the lake are lakefront or lake
access homes. Many of these sales
include a private boat dock. When
purchasing or selling a home, you need to be aware of the requirements by both
Ameren Missouri and the appropriate fire protection district in order to
transfer the dock permit to the buyer.
When a property
located in the Osage Beach or Lake Ozark Fire Protection District or Village of
Four Seasons transfers ownership, an inspection of the electrical system on the
dock must be made by the Fire District or the Village before transferring the
dock permit to the new owners. A copy of this inspection approval must be
submitted with the permit transfer application to Ameren Missouri.
All Lake Area
Fire Districts and the Village of Four Seasons require a permit and inspection
when installing or modifying a dock as well as any time work is being performed
on the electrical system of a dock. In
order to complete the initial or modification dock permitting process, Ameren
Missouri requires a copy of the Inspection Approval.
If you are
selling your property with a dock, I recommend that you complete the electrical
inspection approval as soon as possible.
Due to an onslaught of inspection requests, some of the districts have
up to a 6 week backlog. This could
possible cause a delay in the closing of your home if you wait until you have a
contract in place to start the inspection process. Also, if there are any items that need
attention, you will be able to address these and present this information to
potential buyers. The added benefit to
you is knowing that your dock is safe while you and your family continue to use
it.
When you are
purchasing a property with a dock you should make sure that the dock is
properly permitted with Ameren Missouri and that there have not been any
changes since the permit was issued. If
required, you will also need to request an electrical inspection from the
proper entity in order to have the dock permit transferred into your name. This will allow you to discover any potential
issues prior to closing in the event that there are compliance problems that
need to be addressed.
If your property
is not for sale or is not located in an area that requires an electrical
inspection for the transfer of the permit, I highly recommend that you still
contact the appropriate agency for an inspection. Most of the districts charge a $50 fee for
the inspection. In my opinion this is a
bargain, especially if you consider the potential cost of having an electrical
issue on or around your dock.
AmerenMissouri.com/Lake
has a wealth of information on their website about permit requirements
including contact information for fire districts and other inspection agencies.
Michael has been selling real estate at the
Lake of the Ozarks since 1981. He is one
of the most respected brokers in the area.
If you would like to work with Michael in the sale or purchase of
property, contact him at 573.365.SOLD or cme@yourlake.com View thousands of lake area listings at www.YourLake.com. You can also view each months’ article, ask
questions and offer your opinion on Michael’s real estate blog, www.AsTheLakeChurns.com
