When is a building rebuilt vs repaired?

Question

My neighbor has a shed on my property and I told him he could leave it there because its been there for 70 yrs already. However, I also told him that since its rotting out that he was not allowed to rebuild it. Now he is taking off the sides, putting in a new sill, and new floor because its all rotted out. The town is not requiring him to get a permit because they say its a repair? When does a repair become a rebuild?

Answer 1

To repair is just to improve an existing shed or building while rebuilding is to build new one over a demolished shed or building. In the first, a permit is not needed but the latter requires a governmental approval.