Applying for a Building Permit: Residential Plan Requirements

1.  Town of Residence
2.  Plan Requirements
3.  Required Forms
4.  Permit Application

Residential plans must include all of the following that apply. Additional information may be required during permit and project process.

If you have any questions about the requirements, please contact the Building Codes office.

Requirements

1. Plans must follow Energy Code Compliance, which can be checked using the REScheck Web utility.

2. The 2 sets of plans or drawings must be signed or initialed by the town or village zoning officer. They shall include elevations, floor plans, and cross sections of the construction.

   • Elevations must show grade and height dimensions from grade to porches, decks, doors, windows and roof lines
   • Floor plans must have rooms labeled as to their use (e.g. bedroom, living room, etc.), smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarms labeled and placement shown, and fixtures labeled
   • Window and door header spans and sizes must be labeled
   • Type of heat, insulation values of basement walls or floor joists, walls, ceiling or roof, windows and doors must be shown
   • Landing, stair, handrail and guard information for all interior and exterior locations must include stairway width, riser height and tread depth dimensions, handrail and guard height and opening dimensions
   • Window and door sizes must be shown and a window and door schedule included showing clear opening sizes and square footage of required egress components. Egress windows must be labeled. Minimum natural light 8% and ventilation 4% must be met. Indicate door swing.
   • Indicate and label any heating appliances (e.g. fireplaces, woodstoves, pellet stoves, etc.)
   • Any fire resistant construction must be noted on the plans (e.g. between garage and habitable space, fire walls, party walls, fire rated doors, etc.)

   Cross sections shall be included and must show:

   • Depth and width of footings, how far below grade they are placed, any required rebar
   • Depth, width, and spacing of piers, how far below grade they are placed
   • Thickness of slabs and any required reinforcement
   • Foundation walls (indicate type of wall, size of block or width of poured wall) and any required rebar
   • Indicate height of backfill in feet to be against foundation wall or piers
   • Indicate all required decay resistant wood
   • Carrier beams, ledger boards and/or girders with their dimensions, any required flashing and how they are fastened
   • Size of floor joists, how many feet the joist is spanning, and how many inches on center they will be placed
   • All manufactured lumber (e.g. TJI’s, LVL’s, etc.) spec and layout sheets may be required
   • Size of exterior wall studs and how many inches on center they will be placed
   • Size and span of ceiling joists, how many inches on center they will be placed
   • Size and span of roof rafters, how many inches on center they will be placed, pitch of roof and collar tie placement
   • If trusses are to be used, indicate this (engineered truss spec sheets will be required prior to framing inspection and layout sheets will be required)
   • Ceiling heights must be indicated including stairway headroom clearance

If your plans meet all of these requirements, you can continue to download the required forms. We're going to ask you what kind of applicant you are, to determine what forms you need.

Next: Required Forms