So you’ve decided on the perfect carport/metal building and you’re ready to place an order. What should you do next? American Steel Carports recommends that ALL customers or future customers get familiar with their city codes. You wouldn’t want to install a building only to have it tagged for noncompliance or for not pulling a permit. Although not all cities and counties require permitting, you should always check to be 100% sure that your building will be allowed. Sometimes the requirements are simple (being a certain distance from a fence or a certain size). Some permitting could require you to meet wind or snow loads, though.

The following will explain the types of plans/drawings that some counties or cities might require before installation:

Generic Plans are available for certain areas and certain sizes of buildings (ask your sales rep. to see if your building qualifies) at no additional cost. Generic plans are specific to width size only and will not state the name or address of the installation. These plans can be requested after the order is placed and take 7-10 business days to be sent out AFTER the order is received.

Site-Specific Plans are made per order at an additional cost. These plans include the name and address of installation for your future building as well as snow and wind requirements and info on how the material is installed and its construction elements. Specific plans must be paid for when the order is placed. They take between 10-14 business days to be sent out AFTER the order is received. Specific plans can be requested (but are not always required) with our Calculations, which also come at an additional cost. Calculations include the stress and strains or forces and displacements of your metal structure. Specific plans can be requested on their own, but Calculations can only be requested as an addition to Specific Plans.

Make sure you ask for or purchase the correct set when placing your order.