Last year I hired a licensed and bonded contractor to do some work in my backyard. They poured a concrete patio and walkway, built a garden bed, constructed a pergola from a kit, and tapped into an exterior outlet to add electricity to the pergola. I was talking to a friend who is in the home-buying process and that conversation got me worried about whether my project was permitted. I checked online and the city's website said the following require a permit:

• Overhead patio structures (either attached or detached)
• Any electrical work

I don't recall any building inspectors coming out. I didn't sign any paperwork from the city. I do have the contract with the builder and copies of the checks I wrote for the work. There's a form I can submit if I think the builder did unpermitted work--what will happen if I do that? Could the contractor retaliate in any way? Would I have any legal liability? This is normally something I would talk to my dad about, so right now I think I'm looking for Reddit to be my dad for me--thank you!!