During the process of selecting and purchasing your house plan you’ve probably heard "building codes," "permits" and "engineer stamping" mentioned, but you may not know what these are or how they pertain to you. Allow us to shed some light on this murky subject.

Once you purchase your stock house plan* from House-Plan.org  you should contact your local building department, if you haven’t done so already. You’ll need to find out what you need to do to obtain a building permit. 

This may simply require completing the necessary forms, or you may need professional assistance to generate documents and reports to ensure that your house won’t be compromised by risk factors such as the extreme weather or geographic characteristics of your local area. Your new home will need to comply with your city’s building codes.

Building codes are standards created to ensure the structural safety of buildings. They’re established and enforced by your local government, usually through your city or county's building department. 

Every state, county, and local municipality has adopted their codes from one of the three nationally recognized building codes: UBC (Uniform Building Code), BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators), and CABO (Council of American Building Officials). 

The new IRC (International Residential Code) is a combination of all three. All are very similar in content. However, many regions have specific, more stringent regulations because of extreme weather or geographic conditions. If you live in one of the following areas, be sure to inquire about the specifics of these additional requirements:


• Nevada 

• Greater Chicago area

• New Jersey

• New York 

• Earthquake-prone areas of the Pacific Coast 

• Hurricane risk areas of the East and Gulf Coasts


Before you begin construction of your home, you'll need to obtain a building permit by demonstrating – with your house plan and any additional required documents – that your new home will comply with all applicable building codes. 

Depending on where you live, this can be a simple process of completing a form, or it may require additional steps if your area has established patterns of hurricanes or earthquakes. 

Building departments in these high-risk areas typically require you to hire a state-licensed structural engineer to analyze your design and produce additional drawings and calculations, which you include in your permit documentation. Many areas have established energy codes. To comply with these regulations, you usually complete a short form. 

Many building departments require a professional stamp from an engineer or architect who is licensed in the state where you plan to build your home. In some areas you won’t be able to obtain a permit unless your house plans are stamped. 

Most building departments can provide you with a handout that includes a checklist of all the required documentation to ensure that you get your permit.

Our house plans at House-Plan.org are designed to conform to the local codes where the original house was constructed. For most areas of the country, when you purchase a house plan from us, your plan includes all the information you'll need to build your house, but not necessarily everything you need to obtain a building permit. 

Excluding hurricane and earthquake requirements, you’ll need to submit a site plan to show the house's placement on your property. 

For other local requirements, you may, for example, need to resize beams to accommodate roof loads specific to your area, or if your lot is not served by a sewer system, you may need a septic design. 

Builders can usually help you obtain these documents because they’re familiar with local codes and permit process. If not, give us a call and we'll help you find the information or professional assistance. If you need to modify your house plan, we can help you with that as well through our Plan Modification services.

Following the necessary steps to obtain the right permits and adhering to your local building codes will save you time and money in the long run.


*Additional recommendation from www.House-Plan.org  

Q: Could a construction set be purchased and the plans engineered if necessary?


A: It would be best for a person to find out first if they need their plans sealed by a local state licensed engineer. If so, it's best, but not absolutely necessary, that they purchase a reproducible or CAD file. In some cases, certain engineers may not be willing to work on anything else. 

However, some will simply do separate structural sheets that the buyer can add in with the basic plans when submitting to the building department. Along with this there will usually be several sheets of structural calculations.

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