Jeff, I want a pit for my garage as well. If I try to get a permit for a pit for working on a car it is immediatly denied because "fumes accumulate down there and can cause the worker illness, and it is an enviromental hazard from the oil and fluid spillage."
If I ask for a permit for a tornado shelter that just happens to right in the spot where I park in the garage that is no problem. Someday I want to put in a nice tornado shelter. The real advantage is it has a nice solid cover so tools and other stuff will not be falling into the pit. The cover slides back out of the way for "cleaning"
