Quick answer
A barndominium is permitted as a house, not a barn. You will need floor plans, a site plan, a foundation designed for the frame’s actual loads, energy compliance and, in most counties, sealed structural drawings. Steel kits usually come with engineered shell drawings, but the foundation, the living-area framing and the separation between shop and home still need design.
Barndominiums are popular because they combine a large open home with a shop or garage under one simple roof. The catch is that many owners plan them like farm buildings and then discover the county reviews them like any other single-family home. This guide covers what the permit actually asks for, so you can budget and schedule realistically.
Steel kit or post-frame: what changes for the permit
Steel building kits
Most steel kit suppliers provide drawings of the shell stamped by their own engineer, designed for your site’s wind and snow loads. What the kit usually does not include is the foundation design, which must resist the column forces listed in the supplier’s reaction report, and the interior wood or light-gauge framing for the living space.
Post-frame (pole barn style)
Post-frame barndos use embedded or surface-mounted wood posts and trusses. Post embedment, uplift resistance and the bracing of tall open walls are frequent plan review questions, and many counties ask for sealed structural drawings.
What the permit set usually includes
- Site plan showing setbacks, driveway, septic or sewer, well or water and drainage. See what a site plan for a permit includes.
- Floor plans, elevations and sections with room sizes, windows, egress, stairs and ceiling heights
- Foundation plan designed for the frame’s column loads and your soil and frost depth
- Structural sheets: the supplier’s shell drawings plus engineered design for mezzanines, lofts, interior bearing walls and connections
- Energy compliance for insulation and windows, which is harder in metal buildings because of condensation and thermal bridging
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing layouts, especially if the shop has heavy equipment or a separate subpanel
The shop-to-living rules most owners miss
- Fire separation. If the shop stores vehicles, the code treats it like an attached garage. The wall and ceiling between shop and home need fire-resistant construction and a compliant door.
- Agricultural exemptions do not cover living space. A building permitted as an exempt farm building cannot simply be finished into a home later without a full residential permit.
- Condensation. Metal roofs over heated rooms need the right insulation and vapor control, or water drips onto the ceiling in winter.
- Lofts and mezzanines need guards, stairs and floor framing designed for living loads, not storage loads.
Popular layouts and what they mean for engineering
Two-bedroom, two-bath barndos with an attached garage or shop are among the most requested plans. They are simple to engineer when the living area sits on one level. Adding a loft, a long clear-span shop with a large door, or a wrap-around porch adds beams, bracing and connection design. Tell us the layout you want and we will tell you exactly which sheets need engineering.
What engineered barndominium plans cost
Construction cost depends heavily on region, finishes and whether you choose a steel kit or post-frame, so treat any single cost-per-square-foot figure online with caution. Engineering is easier to pin down: Residential PE quotes one fixed fee before work starts. Engineered plans with a PE stamp start at $599, and full multi-discipline packages start at $1,999. See pricing.
How long it takes
Engineering for a typical barndominium takes days to a couple of weeks depending on scope, and your quote states a firm delivery date. County review times vary from a few days in rural areas to several weeks elsewhere.
What to send us for a quote
- Your floor plan or sketch, with overall dimensions
- The property address or county
- Steel kit or post-frame, and the supplier’s drawings if you have them
- Any comments the county has already given you
Get a fixed-fee quote or see our structural engineering services.
Common questions
Do I need an engineer for a barndominium?
Usually yes for at least the foundation and any living-area framing beyond the code’s tables. Many counties require sealed structural drawings for every new home, including barndos.
Does a steel building kit include stamped plans?
Most include stamped drawings for the steel shell only. The foundation and interior framing are usually separate and need their own design.
Can I build a barndominium as an agricultural building?
Only if nobody lives in it. As soon as it includes living space, it needs a residential permit.
Is a barndominium cheaper to permit than a house?
Permit fees are usually based on size or value like any home. The savings come from the simpler structure, not from lighter permit requirements.