Pole barn building codes

willness33

willness33

Here for the memes
Joined
May 3, 2005
Location
Alexis,NC
I know codes generally vary from county to county, but does anyone have any general knowledge on any codes for pole barns? I'm looking at several different ideas for a shop on my property. One idea is a steel building, but the costs seem a bit steep right now. Another is stick building a pretty large garage. The most appealing, cost wise, is a pole barn type building. Google is turning up useless in this search and short of going to the county building I'm not coming up with much so I turn to the vast knowledge of the board. Any help or info is appreciated.
 
Im not a code official and dont live in NC sooo....take this for what its worth (practically nothing)

My Dad lives in Mecklenberg county.
He recently built a large garage/storage building pole barn. I got the electrical permit to do the wiring. The reason he went with the pole barn and called it a barn was supposedly a farm or agricultural building doesnt require a permit.

That seemed sketchy to me, until i went to get the permit and I was asked for the building permit number. I told them what he said with a slight roll of the eyes, and they replied since we wee adding electricity it would require a building permit.

Implying that if not....

He wanted a separate meter base so e went ahead and paid for the permits and the tax re assessment...

if you could live with it on your existing panel....
 
NC Admin Code and Policies:

you do not need a GC license if:
Owner of property provided they occupy property
Farmers who use the building for farming

Exceptions to the Technical Codes: Farm Buildings, LP Gas equipment, Equipment or facilities other than buildings

Farm Buildings means any building that is not open to the general public and is used to primarily for a bona fide farm purpose.
Farm Buildings do not include such buildings used for purposes of education and research

"106.1 Permit Required: A current permit is required for all work described in the technical codes unless specifically exempted by the North Carolina Statutes or the technical codes. 'Reference NC Gen. Stat. 153A-357 and 160A-417 for exemptions'"

Aside from code 106.1, those are some notes. I'm trying to find the actual codes though...
 
If its your property and your building, you don't need a GC license, regardless of the $$$ of the building. The owner can act as the "GC" and therefore does not need a license. You must act as the GC and hire, procure, etc. all aspects of the project, including permits and subcontractors.

The GC license only applies to a contractor you hire to perform the work. Contractors and subcontractors do not need a GC license unless their individual portion of the job is over $50K.

Pole barns fall under the same building code as any other type of garage. NC codes are not published online, you must pay for the copy of the text. NC has adopted the IBC as its code. I have a copy of it at the office. I can take a look at it when I get there on Monday if you need me to.

You, more than likely, will need a building permit in your county. If you do this, you will prob. need to have varying stages of inspection by the county inspector (elec., plumbing, rebar, etc.) and finally a certificate of occupancy may need to be obtained from the county. You can pull from your existing electrical panel with a 240V breaker to a sub panel in the shop for lights, etc. However, you can install a new meter box with additional breakers in it, one main for the house, and another main for the shop, all off of one meeter. To install a new meter box, the meter must be pulled, which will require an electrial permit. More than likely, if you have to do this, the inspector will notice what you are doing and you will then be required to get building permits if you haven't already.

Building permits are easy to get, but you need some sort of rough sketch or drawing of what you are going to build with measurements and location on a plot plan. In some instances, I've seen them issue permits with hand sketches on a napkin, but it depends on how lenient the county is.

Not knowing the size of your property, you may need Environmental Health there to locate and flag your septic system and repair area to ensure the building footprint does/doesn't interfere with these septic areas. Environmental Health can usually re-establish your repair area (depending on size of your shop and lot and new or recent perk tests) if your shop interferes with it.

If you live in a neighborhood, contact your HOA as some may require approval before groundbreaking, regardless of conformance to local or state requirements.
 
It is and it is. I didn't get that from the read, but then again I was skimming and ignoring most of the lawyer talk. Good to know. Still, I just need to check with the county to make sure they'll pass my plans. I'm thinking something in the way of 32'X56' will make a nice 4 bay shop for me. The wife is tired of me crapping up the current 2 car garage with tools, jeeps and too many parts.
 
I am a contractor and have a degree in construction management. Also, I have taken and passed the GC license test in NC and have studied the requirements quite a bit. Take my information as a fairly reliable source, however, you should always double check information for yourself or check with local authorities in your area.
 
Also, most counties have a minumum of 10' of setback off of property lines for a "permanent" structure.

I'd suggest developing all necessary questions and then call your local permit office. They will be happy to answer all questions. If they don't know, demand a correct answer or ask to be transferred to someone who knows. A lot of those workers are peons and provide incorrect information, mostly because they misunderstand the question or your intentions with the buildings.
 
rockcity said:
NC codes are not published online, you must pay for the copy of the text. NC has adopted the UBC as its code. I have a copy of it at the office.
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The current applicable code is the 2006 North Carolina Building Code, which is based on 2003 IBC. It's similar to the 2003 IBC, but there are differences.

For projects permitted between 1/1/09 to 6/31/09, you'll be able to use either the 2006 NCBC or the 2009 NCBC.

You'll probably have more difficulty with zoning and municipality rules than you would with the actual building code. Setbacks, impervious area limitations, height limitations, etc would be governed by laws at the county or city level.

But yeah, figure out how big you'd like the building to be, how far it would be from the septic, from your house, property line, flood plain lines, etc, and then start working through your questions with the county.
 
Easements won't be a problem and neither will the septic. I don't live within any city limits so I'm only dealing with the county. Thanks for all the help so far guys!
 
willness33 said:
Easements won't be a problem and neither will the septic. I don't live within any city limits so I'm only dealing with the county. Thanks for all the help so far guys!
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I,m gonna whine to the HOA...Too close to my septic tank:flipoff2: ...........Neck!
 
redneckcj5guy said:
I,m gonna whine to the HOA...Too close to my septic tank:flipoff2: ...........Neck!
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HOA???LOL Yeah, right. Not where we live.

In all seriousness, I'm going to be at least 50' from my leach field and further than that from the "repair area". I think I should have most of those requirements in shape.
 
willness33 said:
HOA???LOL Yeah, right. Not where we live.
In all seriousness, I'm going to be at least 50' from my leach field and further than that from the "repair area". I think I should have most of those requirements in shape.
Click to expand...


Keep in mind the inspector may ask that you identify the repair area and the septic field, which will require county Environmental Health personnell to charge you $75 to identify the field. This is for the inspector to know that you have properly identified the septic areas and he can ensure you have the proper setbacks from it. Your particuliar county may be more reasonable, but keep it in mind that you may be asked to do this by the inspector...
 
and let's hope there isnt any field shrews living on your property!
 
rockcity said:
Keep in mind the inspector may ask that you identify the repair area and the septic field, which will require county Environmental Health personnell to charge you $75 to identify the field. This is for the inspector to know that you have properly identified the septic areas and he can ensure you have the proper setbacks from it. Your particuliar county may be more reasonable, but keep it in mind that you may be asked to do this by the inspector...
Click to expand...
I still have the papers from the health dept showing the field and repair area with the measurements from when the house was built 4 years ago. Good to go there.
 
BigRedB2 said:
and let's hope there isnt any field shrews living on your property!
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I had to google that one! It seems there aren't many shrews in this area, and even if there were, what impact would that have on me or my biulding?:confused:



Did I miss some sarcasm?
 
Every manicipality has their own requirements. Just call theem up and ask. Durham County is a tad more stringent that some requiring a Site Plan for anything built above ground no matter WHAT the size of it is. Not saying everyone abides the manicipalities rules but keep in mind "all fees are doubled if caught building without a permit". And the red tape can get real ugly by the Inspectors knowing you tried to cut them. It's all about money! I'm one that don't like looking over my shoulder...
As for electrical, I do my own and have been told by 2 Licensed Contractors that tell me same as what Rob stated.
 
the NCLBGC governs contractors, not private owners, so you are OK there and don't need a GC license (contractor may though if over $50K), 100% positive.
 
Gaston County has been a relative PITA about my project, and then I got married, so I have made no progress, haha. We're looking to build a 32x40 barn, with half living quarters and half garage area, and they have nit-picked every daggum thing to death. It should be a lot easier with it not being living quarters. Here's there website: http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/BuildingInspections/index.htm
I believe the information you need is this:
4. Q. Do I need a permit for a residential storage building?
A. Any building greater than 12’ in any dimension requires a building permit.
If it is greater than 400 sq ft it requires a permanent foundation. All
buildings used for commercial purposes require a building permit and a
permanent foundation.

It can be found in the FAQ, here: http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/BuildingInspections/PDF/WebsiteFAQs.pdf

Hope this helps.
 
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