How to research permit requirements for an RV carport

This page is about making that call efficient.

Step one: identify the authority that actually governs your site

Work out, in this order:

1. 01Are you inside city or town limits, or in unincorporated county land? This determines whether the city or the county has jurisdiction.
2. 02Which building department serves that jurisdiction?
3. 03Which planning or zoning office serves it? Building and zoning are often separate, and an accessory structure can raise questions for both.
4. 04Does a homeowners association or any recorded covenant apply to your property? This is separate from and additional to public permitting.
5. 05Is the property in a special district — floodplain, historic, coastal, or wildfire overlay — that adds requirements?

Finding the office

Search for your county or municipality name together with "building department" or "planning and zoning". Use the official government domain rather than a directory site — the contact details on aggregator sites are frequently out of date, and the forms they host are frequently the wrong version.

Step two: have your numbers before you call

The first thing you will be asked is what you are proposing. Vague answers produce vague guidance. Have ready:

• —Overall footprint — width by length
• —Overall height of the structure
• —Whether it is open-sided, partially enclosed, or fully enclosed
• —Foundation type — existing slab, new slab, or ground anchors
• —Approximate distance to each property boundary
• —Whether it will be attached to any existing building
• —Whether the manufacturer supplies engineered drawings

The first two are the ones people arrive without. If you have not established them yet, the Size Finder produces both — a required footprint and a clear opening height, with every allowance itemised — which is the form the office will expect them in. Bring the figures, not the vehicle's dimensions.

Step three: the questions to ask

1. 01Does a structure of these dimensions require a building permit here?
2. 02Is there a size or height threshold below which no permit is needed?
3. 03What are the setback requirements from side, rear, and front boundaries?
4. 04Are there lot coverage limits that this structure would count toward?
5. 05Do you require engineered drawings, and must they be sealed by an engineer licensed in this state?
6. 06What wind and snow load values must the structure be rated for?
7. 07Is a separate zoning approval needed in addition to a building permit?
8. 08Does an open carport get treated differently from an enclosed structure?
9. 09What is the current fee schedule and typical review time?
10. 10Can the manufacturer or installer submit on my behalf?

Write down who told you

Record the name of the person you spoke to and the date. If guidance later turns out to be inconsistent, that record is the difference between a quick clarification and starting over.

Of everything on that list, one question has a larger effect than the rest on what you are able to buy at all.

Questions worth asking an installer

Installers who work regularly in your area often know the local requirements well. That knowledge is useful and is not a substitute for the authority's answer. Ask them what they typically see required locally, then confirm it with the office.