Homeowner Building Permits

Plan your project

• A site plan showing the location on the lot is required for a new building, addition, deck, or shed.
• Sheds in area of 120 sq. ft. or less require a permit but only need a site plan for the permit drawings.
• Full construction drawings are required for most other types of projects.
• During the application process you will need to provide plans showing the location, size, and details of the proposed project.
• A helpful rule-of-thumb is that plans should have enough detail for another person to do the work without talking to the person who prepared the plans.

Review the requirements

Depending on the scope of your project, these other permits may also be required:

• Electrical Permit – May only be issued to a licensed contractor or a homeowner for their primary residence
• Mechanical Permit – May only be issued to a licensed contractor or a homeowner for their primary residence
• Plumbing Permit – May only be issued to a licensed contractor or a homeowner for their primary residence
• Demolition Permit – Required to demolish a complete structure, such as for complete tear-down and rebuild
• Flood Plain Permit(PDF, 471KB) – Required to build if property is located in flood plain.

Calculate the value of improvements

Include these costs to determine the value of improvements you'll make for this project:

• Building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, excavating, grading and other values
• Construction labor values

You won't need to include these in your calculation: 

• Architectural fees, cost of lot, landscaping and/or personal property

Have your form of payment ready

• For some types of Building Permits the fee is required up-front, otherwise the fee is paid after the city has reviewed your application. 
• For New Homes the permit fee is calculated based on the square footage with a $100 deposit.
• The minimum fee starts at $65 and increases from there.