Are you a resident of a single family home or a 3 story or less townhome or duplex interested in building a deck? Deck construction is considered an addition to a home, and therefore requires permits and inspections to ensure your deck is safe for your enjoyment. You are encouraged to review the Deck Details document prior to your permit submission.

Permits Required

Your basic deck usually only requires a Residential Building Permit. However, listed below are all the types of permits that could be required, depending on the complexity of the project.

• Residential Building Permit for construction of architectural and structural elements
• Electrical Permit for all electrical installations such as hot tub, spa or similar
• Plumbing Permit for all installations of plumbing and gas piping systems.

Permit Process

Building a deck can either be a walk-through or a route-through depending on the complexity of your project.  For details about the process, see the Resident Permit Review Process link below.

Residential Permit Review Process

Construction Document Requirements

Submitted Construction documents must contain sufficient information for plan reviewers to be able to review the proposed construction work. For details about what information needs to be submitted, see the Residential Permit Submission Requirements link below.

Residential Permit Submission Requirements

In addition to the Residential Permit Submission Requirements, when building a deck you need to submit the following information:

• A scaled plat
• Elevation drawings of all sides of proposed decks
• Footing details (minimum footing depth is 24 inches)
• The size, spacing and length of all posts, joists, and beams shown on a framing plan (“bird’s eye view”).
• Handrail and guard details and dimensions
• Stair details and dimensions (if applicable) including a note relative to stairway illumination (e.g., “all stairs shall be provided with an artificial light source which will illuminate the stair including all treads and landings”)
• Attachment details, such as the attachment to the house, joist to beam connections, rail to post connections, post to footing, etc.
• Hot tub manufacturer’s information showing structural loading requirements (if applicable)

Inspections

Throughout your building permit process and depending upon the extent of the work, you will be required to complete different inspections throughout your building process. For details about Inspections, see the Residential Inspections link below.

Required Residential Inspections

Inspections required for a deck:

• Footing Inspection:  footing holes are inspected prior to concrete placement.  At the time of the footing inspection, you must have the ledger board attached to the existing house.
• Framing Inspection:  joists, beams, connections and mechanical attachments are inspected prior to placement of decking. In this inspection, lag screws, thru bolts and expansion anchors at the ledger board are inspected and turned to insure proper installation and tightening.  Access to the inside of the house may be required.
• Final Inspection:  all remaining items are inspected

Fees

The cost for permits varies depending upon each project. For an overview of permit fees, see:

• Fee Schedule

Additional Information:

• Some home center stores have deck design services available to the public.  These plans are generally not acceptable for submission to the county during permit application.
• Any permit expires 6 months after the last approved inspected activity on the site.
• If someone other than the permit holder is tasked with getting the permit from CPHD, they must have an Affidavit of Permit Authorization.