Shed Plans for a Permit: What Reviewers Actually Look For

Nothing in this guide is legal advice. Permit rules are set by your county or city, change on multi-year code cycles, and depend on your address and your project. This guide explains what a typical shed application contains and where the answers for your own address live. Confirm everything with your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before you build.

The 90-second version

• Most shed permit applications are a short packet of drawings plus a form. The drawings are the part people get stuck on: a site plan, a floor plan, elevations, a section, framing plans and a list of the hardware that holds it together.
• The drawings must be of your shed. A generic plan bought for another building's dimensions is the most common reason a reviewer sends an application back.
• A generated plan set can supply the drawings. ShedBuilder.ai's plan set draws every sheet from the design you made, in the form reviewers usually ask for. It is not PE-stamped, and some jurisdictions will still require an engineer's stamp for larger buildings or high wind and snow loads.
• Whether you need a permit at all is a separate question. Read Do I Need a Permit to Build a Shed? first if you have not settled that.

What a typical application contains

Requirements vary, but the same list shows up on most residential accessory-structure checklists. Ask your building department for theirs; it is usually a one-page PDF.

The form. Owner and contractor information, the parcel number, the use of the building (storage, workshop), its footprint in square feet, and the estimated value of the work. Owner-builders normally sign an affidavit stating they will do the work themselves or supervise it.

A site plan. A top-down drawing of your lot showing property lines, the house, driveways, easements, and the proposed shed with its distance to each property line and to other structures. Setbacks are the thing reviewers check first. Many departments accept a marked-up copy of your plat or survey.

A floor plan. The footprint with overall dimensions, wall thickness, and the location and size of every door and window.

Elevations. One drawing per side showing wall height, roof pitch, overhangs, siding, and the openings in that wall. Height limits for accessory structures are common, so the overall height matters.

A building section. A cut through the building showing the foundation, floor framing, wall framing, and roof framing as one assembly, with the members labeled.

Framing plans. The floor framing, each wall's framing, and the roof framing, with member sizes and spacing. Headers over openings are called out with their size and the number of jack studs under them.

Foundation detail. Skids, piers, a slab, or a footing, with the anchorage from the building to the foundation.

A fastening and hardware schedule. Nail sizes and spacing for sheathing, and the connectors at the plates, headers, and roof-to-wall connection. Reviewers in high-wind regions read this sheet closely.

What the plan set covers

The ShedBuilder.ai plan set is drawn from the design you made in the 3D designer, so every sheet carries your dimensions, your openings, and your roof:

• Floor plan with overall and opening dimensions
• Four elevations with wall height, pitch, and overhangs
• A building section
• Floor, wall, and roof framing plans with member sizes, spacing, and headers
• A foundation sheet for the foundation type you chose
• A fastening and hardware schedule
• A materials list with quantities

It does not include a site plan, because it does not know your lot. Draw that on a copy of your survey or plat, or on the site plan sheet your department provides.

It is not stamped by an engineer. Plans are generated design tools, not PE-stamped construction documents, and you are responsible for verifying them for your site and local code and for obtaining professional engineering review where required.

When an engineer's stamp is still required

Thresholds are local, but these are the situations that most often trigger a requirement for sealed drawings:

• Size. Many jurisdictions require engineered plans above a footprint limit, commonly somewhere between 200 and 400 square feet, or for any accessory structure over one story.
• Wind and snow. Coastal and high-wind regions, and areas with heavy ground snow loads, often require an engineer to verify the roof and the wall-to-foundation connections regardless of size.
• Spans. Clear spans beyond the tables in the residential code, such as a wide door opening without an intermediate post, need a designed header or beam.
• Unusual foundations. Sloped sites, fill, or a shed attached to another structure.

If your department says a stamp is required, a local engineer can review and seal a generated plan set far faster than starting from nothing. Bring the framing plans and the section; they are the sheets an engineer works from.

How to find your local rules

1. Identify your AHJ. For most addresses it is the county or the city building department. If you are inside city limits, the city usually governs. Search for "[your city] building permit accessory structure".
2. Get the checklist. Nearly every department publishes a residential accessory structure or shed handout. It lists the drawings, the fees, and the size threshold.
3. Confirm setbacks and height. These come from zoning, which may be a different office from building. Ask both.
4. Ask about the review path. Small sheds are often approved over the counter. Larger ones go to plan review with a turnaround measured in weeks.
5. Check HOA rules separately. A permit does not override a covenant.

The International Residential Code is the model code most states adopt with amendments; IRC R105.2 is where the common one-story accessory structure exemption lives. Your state and your AHJ may amend the number.

Submitting

Print the plan set at full size, fill in the site plan, and attach the form. Most departments now accept PDF uploads; some still want two paper sets. Expect a reviewer to mark up the drawings with questions the first time. That is normal. Answer them on the drawings, resubmit, and keep the approved set on site during the build. Inspections typically happen at the foundation, at rough framing before sheathing hides it, and at completion.

Last reviewed September 5, 2026. Found something that's changed or looks wrong? Email support@shedbuilder.ai and we'll take a look.