Expanding or Adding an Attic Dormer - Minimum Ceiling Height Requirements

Will definitely be consulting with local architects, but curious if others have started going down road of expanding living space in their attic only to find out that:

(1) it is an alteration requiring a permit; and 

(2) under the building code, there is a minimum ceiling height of 7' and you couldn't achieve that (and don't have it in your existing finished attic space) 

[note, finding some info along this line from cursory Google searches, but can't tell enough to know if it's actually the case - particularly if there is an existing condition of not meeting the 7' requirement in a finished attic - which appears to be an NJ req, some other states allow 6'8"]

Thanks.

Yes, you need a permit.  And if it wasn't living space you may need to sister the joists to bring them up to code.

Check with your town building code official to determine what you need.

Adding a dormer can be damn expensive.  We explored the possibility and chose a less expensive alternative that kept us within the space that met code for ceiling height.

And get the permits.  You will need them to sell the house later.