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City of Lincoln  
City of Lincoln
Building & Safety Department

Michael Merwick, Director

 
Patio Decks Structural Requirements

Building a patio deck
Adding a patio deck to your home can really enhance your property.
The Building & Safety Dept. can assist you with general building guidelines to help you with the planning and construction of a safe & properly constructed deck.

Structural requirements for decks are based on loads of 50 lbs./sq.ft. The following tables should help with floor joists selections.

Floor Joist Maximum Spans
Live Load 40#, Dead Load 10#
Delection (LL), L (inches)/360

2 x 6
Spacing
Redwood
SYP CCA
Cedar
12" o.c.
#1
9'-8"
10'-7"
8'-10"
#2
9'-5"
10'-4"
8'-10"
16" o.c.
#1
8'-9"
9'-7"
8'-1"
#2
8'-7"
9'-5"
8'-1"
24" o.c.
#1
7'-8"
8'-5"
7'-0"
#2
7'-6"
7'-10"
7'-0"
2 x 8
12" o.c.
#1
12'-9"
13'-11"
11'-8"
#2
12'-5"
13'-8"
11'-8"
16" o.c.
#1
11'-7"
12'-8"
10'-7"
#2
11'-3"
12'-5"
10'-7"
24" o.c.
#1
10'-1"
11'-1"
9'-3"
#2
9'-10"
10'-2"
9'-2"
2 x 10
12" o.c.
#1
16'-3"
17'-9"
14'-11"
#2
15'-10"
17'-9"
14'-11"
16" o.c.
#1
16'-3"
16'-2"
13'-6"
#2
15'-10"
15'-10"
13'-6"
24" o.c.
#1
12'-11"
13'-6"
11'-5"
#2
12'-7"
13'-1"
11'-3"
2 x 12
12" o.c.
#1
19'-9"
21'-7"
18'-6"
#2
19'-3"
21'-2"
18'-1"
16" o.c.
#1
18'-0"
19'-8"
16'-3"
#2
17'-6"
18'-10"
16'-0"
24" o.c.
#1
15'-5"
16'-1"
13'-3"
#2
15'-0"
15'-5"
13'-0"

Is a building permit required?
     Yes, a building permit is required for all decks constructed in Lincoln and Lancaster County. Applications can be submitted to the Building & Safety Department along with two sets of site plans and two sets of building plans.
Office hours to submit building permits are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Building plans should show:

  1. Pier footing locations, depth and width.
  2. Size of material of posts, beams, and joist.
  3. Size, height and spacing of guardrails and spindles.

Site plans should show:

  1. Property address and legal description.
  2. Property dimensions.
  3. All easements on the property.
  4. Location of all permanent structures.
  5. The location of the deck, including the distance from all property lines.

Plans should be drawn to scale. Normal scaling is 1/4" per foot for the building plan and 1"=30' or 1"=20' for the site plan.

Building Regulations

The following list includes most of the building code and land use regulations for decks.

  1. All setbacks must be per zoning requirements or according to: Title 27 of the Lincoln Municipal Code (LMC).
  2. Rear yard setbacks must be 20% of the lot depth or according to: Chapter §27.71.110 LMC
  3. Footings and piers must extend 36" below grade and bear on undisturbed soil. Title 20 LMC
  4. Guardrails must extend 36" above the deck. Title 20 LMC
  5. One sq. ft. of footing, or pier, is necessary for each 40 sq. ft. of deck (2,000 lbs. Soil, 50 lbs./sq. ft. load).
  6. Handrails are required on at least one side of stairs and all open sides. Title 20 LMC
  7. Guardrails and stairs railings shall have intermediate rails, or an ornamental pattern, close enough so that a 5" ball cannot pass through them. This includes spaces around the under seats. Title 20 LMC
  8. Stairs shall have a maximum rise of 7-3/4" and a minimum step of 10" with a handrail of 34" to 38" above the nosing of the step. Title 20 LMC

How to get a Building Inspection:

As in all types of construction, when building a deck, inspections are required for different phases of work being done. Footings need to be inspected before the placement of any concrete. A framing/final inspection is also needed once work is completed.

Office hours for Building Inspectors are 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. Requests for same-day inspections must be received by 7:30 a.m. Requests for inspections received after 7:30 a.m. are scheduled for the following day. Because of the number of request for inspections, specific appointments times are not possible except for emergencies.

For Questions on:
       Building or zoning requirements 441-7521

For Building Inspections:
       Building Section 441-7061
       24-hour Request line 441-8213

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