Permit & Engineering Guides
Plain-English answers to the questions homeowners, builders and designers ask us every day: what needs a permit, what goes in a plan set, and when a licensed engineer has to stamp the drawings.
All guides
How to Split a Lot: Lot Splits and Small Subdivisions Explained
How lot splits and small subdivisions work: zoning checks, survey and plat, utilities and access for each lot, approvals and recording.
Read more →Zoning Variances: When You Need One and How to Get Approved
What a zoning variance is, when you need one, the hardship standard, how hearings work, and practical ways to improve your chances of approval.
Read more →Buying Land to Build a House: Engineering Checklist Before You Close
What to check before buying land to build: zoning, buildable area, utilities, septic and well, soils, flood zones, slopes, easements and access.
Read more →Septic System Design and Permits: What Happens Before You Build
How a septic permit works, from soil testing to system design, setbacks and inspection, and why it should come before the house design is…
Read more →Shipping Container Homes and Offices: Permits and Engineering
Why shipping container buildings still need engineered drawings, what changes when you cut openings or stack containers, and what the permit asks for.
Read more →Grading and Drainage Plans: When Your Permit Needs One
When a permit needs a grading and drainage plan, what the plan shows, and how stormwater and erosion control requirements apply to homes and…
Read more →Pop-Up Shop Permits: What You Need to Open Temporarily
The permits a pop-up shop may need, which ones depend on your build-out, and when displays or temporary structures need engineering.
Read more →Tent and Temporary Structure Permits for Events: What Needs Engineering
When tents, stages, bleachers and other temporary event structures need permits and engineering, and what fire and building officials check.
Read more →Permit Expediter vs Engineer: Who Do You Actually Need?
What permit expediters and engineers each do, when one is enough, and when complex projects benefit from both.
Read more →Replacing a Rooftop HVAC Unit? When You Need a Structural Letter
Why rooftop HVAC replacements often need a structural letter, what the engineer checks on the roof, and how to get one quickly for your…
Read more →EV Charging Station Permits: Electrical Load, Site Plans and Accessibility
What an EV charger permit needs for homes, apartments and businesses: load calculations, service capacity, load management, site plans and accessible spaces.
Read more →Mezzanine Permits: Storage and Office Mezzanines That Pass Review
What a mezzanine permit needs: the code size limit, exits, guards, floor loads and slab capacity, including pre-engineered steel mezzanines.
Read more →Sign Permits: When a Commercial Sign Needs Structural Engineering
Which commercial signs need sealed structural calculations, what the engineer designs, and how zoning and building permits fit together for signs.
Read more →ADA Upgrades During a Remodel: The 20% Path-of-Travel Rule Explained
When a commercial remodel triggers accessibility upgrades beyond the remodeled area, how the 20% cost rule works, and the order in which upgrades should…
Read more →Franchise Site Adapt Drawings: Turning Prototype Plans into a Local Permit Set
What site adapting a franchise prototype involves, from local loads and soils to drive-thrus, canopies, signs and remodel programs.
Read more →Tenant Improvement (TI) Permits: The Drawings You Need for a Commercial Build-Out
What a tenant improvement permit needs, how landlord approval fits in, and the drawing list for offices, stores, clinics and other commercial build-outs.
Read more →Change of Use Permits: When a New Business Needs New Drawings
How occupancy groups work, what counts as a change of use, the upgrades it can trigger, and how to find out before you sign…
Read more →ADA Restroom Requirements: A Clear Checklist for Commercial Spaces
The key 2010 ADA Standards dimensions for a single-user commercial restroom: turning space, toilet clearance, grab bars, sink, mirror and door.
Read more →Los Angeles Permits and Fire Rebuilds: LADBS Engineering Requirements
How Los Angeles permits work today, the like-for-like 110% fire rebuild path, City versus County jurisdiction, and the engineering LADBS expects.
Read more →San Diego Building Permits: ADUs, Coastal Rules and Engineering
What San Diego permits need under the 2025 California codes, from ADUs and additions to coastal, hillside and fire-zone projects.
Read more →Austin, TX Building Permits: Foundations, Additions and Extra Units
What Austin residential permits need under the 2024 codes, why Central Texas clay makes foundation engineering important, and how extra units on a lot…
Read more →New Jersey Building Permits: Drawings, Engineering and the 2024 Code Change
How New Jersey permits work under the Uniform Construction Code, what the 2024 code change means for your timing, and when drawings need an…
Read more →NYC Building Permits: When You Need a PE or RA, and What DOB Asks For
Who can file with the NYC Department of Buildings, which codes apply now and from July 2027, and what co-op and condo owners need…
Read more →Restaurant Build-Out Permits: The Engineering Drawings You Need
What a restaurant build-out permit needs, discipline by discipline: layout and exits, kitchen hood and ventilation, grease interceptor, electrical load and structural supports.
Read more →Storage Rack Permits: When Pallet Racking Needs Engineering
When storage and pallet racks need a permit and engineered calculations, what the engineer checks, and how fire code storage rules affect taller racks.
Read more →Do Solar Panels Need a Structural Engineer Letter?
When a solar permit needs a structural engineer letter, what the engineer checks on your roof, and what happens if the roof needs reinforcing.
Read more →How Long Does It Take to Get a Building Permit?
Typical building permit timelines by project type, where the time actually goes, and six practical ways to get approved faster.
Read more →How Much Does a Structural Engineer Cost? Prices and What Changes Them
What structural engineering really costs for residential projects, the fixed-fee tiers, what pushes the price up or down, and what is not included.
Read more →Structural Engineer in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples: Permits, Storm Repairs and the 50% Rule
What Southwest Florida permits need from a structural engineer: storm repairs, additions, elevated homes, the FEMA 50% rule, and Florida's 9th Edition code starting…
Read more →What Is a Site Plan for a Building Permit? (Checklist and Example)
What a permit site plan must show, how it differs from a survey, an item-by-item checklist, and how to get one without delaying your…
Read more →Structural Inspection of a House: When You Need One and What the Engineer Checks
When a house needs a structural engineer rather than a home inspector, what the engineer checks, what the report says, and what happens if…
Read more →What Is a PE Stamp, and How Do You Get Drawings Stamped?
What a PE stamp means, when a permit needs one, digital versus wet stamps, why the engineer must be licensed in your state, and…
Read more →Manufactured Home Foundation Certification: The Engineer Letter Your Lender Wants
Why lenders ask for a manufactured home foundation certification, what the engineer checks, the usual reasons a foundation fails, and how to get the…
Read more →Barndominium Plans and Permits: Engineering, Costs and What to Expect
What a barndominium permit needs, steel kit versus post-frame, the shop-to-living rules most owners miss, and what engineered plans cost.
Read more →Deck Permit Drawings: What to Draw and When You Need an Engineer
Exactly what deck permit drawings must show, how to draw them yourself, and the situations where a deck needs an engineer instead.
Read more →Pre-Submittal Meetings: How to Avoid Plan Review Surprises
A pre-submittal meeting lets you settle questions with the building department before you finish drawings. Here is when it is worth it and what…
Read more →How to Respond to Plan Review Comments (and Get Approved Faster)
A comment letter is a normal part of permitting. Here is how to answer it so the second review is the last one.
Read more →How the Building Permit Process Works, Step by Step
The eight steps of a typical residential building permit, from zoning check to final inspection, and where projects usually lose time.
Read more →Can I Draw My Own Building Plans for a Permit?
Many building departments accept homeowner-drawn plans for simple work. Here is what they must show, and when an engineer still has to design and…
Read more →What a Permit-Ready Plan Set Includes: Sheet-by-Sheet Checklist
A sheet-by-sheet checklist of what building departments expect in a residential permit set, plus the format rules that get sets bounced before review.
Read more →Owner-Builder Permits: Can You Pull Your Own Building Permit?
Most jurisdictions let homeowners pull permits for work on their own home. Here is what that makes you responsible for, and what it does…
Read more →ADU Engineering Requirements: What Your Building Department Will Ask For
What an ADU permit set includes, what changes for garage and basement conversions, and where ADU permits usually get delayed.
Read more →When Is a Structural Engineer Required for a House?
The residential code covers simple houses with prescriptive tables. Wind, snow, seismic, soil and design choices decide when a home needs engineering.
Read more →Which Home Renovations Need a Structural Engineer?
Most renovations need a permit, but only some need an engineer. The dividing line is whether the work changes how the house carries its…
Read more →Ready for a fixed-fee quote?
Send your plans or a sketch. You get a written scope, the engineer name and licence, and one fixed price the same business day.