Under the laws of all states in this country the time period to sue a person for a tort, contract or failure to do something usually tops out at five (5) years under the laws of all states in this country. The permit as to the deck on a home that was not obtained seventeen (17) years ago could still be an issue if citation by your local permit and resource department assuming you still own the unit.However, if you sold the unit to a third person more than five (5) years ago, the time period for being sued for an unpermitted portion of it most likely has run.