Barndominium Permits: What You Need And Who Issues Them

In most of the country, yes, you need a permit to build a barndominium. A barndominium with living quarters is a house, so it goes through the same permits as any new home: zoning approval, a building permit, a septic permit if there’s no sewer, and electrical inspections.

The exceptions are real but narrower than they sound. In some states, rural counties don’t issue building permits for homes at all, but even there you’ll still need a septic permit and, almost always, an electrical inspection before the power company will connect you. This guide covers which permits a barndominium needs, the order to get them in, and the rules in all 50 states.

Do You Need A Permit To Build A Barndominium?

Almost always, for at least some part of the build. How many permits you need depends on where you build:

• Inside a city or town: expect the full set, from zoning approval through a building permit, inspections and a certificate of occupancy.
• In an unincorporated county that enforces a building code: the same, through the county building department.
• In a rural county with no building code: no building permit or framing inspection, but you’ll still need a septic permit, usually an electrical inspection, and any floodplain, driveway or stormwater permits that apply.

Twenty states enforce one residential code everywhere, so a building permit is required wherever you build. In the other 30, it depends on whether your county or city enforces a code. The table further down shows which is which, and our guide to how building codes differ by state covers the codes themselves.

Are Barndominiums Legal?

Yes. Barndominiums are legal homes in all 50 states. No state bans them, and building codes don’t treat a steel or post-frame home differently from any other house once it meets the code.

What can stop a barndominium on a particular lot is local:

• Zoning. Some residential zones set a minimum home size, require a certain roof pitch or exterior material, or limit accessory buildings. Agricultural and rural residential zones are usually the easiest.
• Deed restrictions and HOA rules. Private covenants on a subdivision or rural tract often ban metal siding, set a minimum square footage or require a separate shop to match the house. A county can approve a barndominium that the deed restrictions still prohibit.
• Design standards. Some towns have appearance rules for new homes. Arkansas is unusual here: a 2019 state law (Act 446) bars its cities from regulating cladding and roof style on homes, which protects metal-sided barndominiums inside city limits.

Before you buy land, call the county planning or zoning office with the parcel number and ask whether a single-family home with metal siding and an attached shop is allowed, then read the deed restrictions yourself.

Permits A Barndominium Needs

Not every build needs every permit, but these are the ones to plan for:

Permit	Who Usually Issues It	When You Need It
Zoning or land-use approval	County or city planning and zoning office	Before you apply for a building permit
Building permit	City or county building department	Before construction starts, where a code is enforced
Septic (onsite wastewater) permit	State or county health department	Before construction, if the lot has no sewer
Well permit	State water agency or county health department	Before drilling, if the lot has no public water
Electrical permit	Local building department, or a state agency in some states	Before wiring; inspection before the utility connects power
Plumbing and mechanical permits	Local building department	Before rough-in work
Driveway or culvert permit	County road department or state transportation department	Before connecting a driveway to a public road
Floodplain development permit	County or city floodplain administrator	If any part of the site is in a mapped flood zone
Stormwater permit	State environmental agency	If you disturb one acre or more of land

The stormwater permit surprises people building on large rural lots. Under the federal Clean Water Act, a construction project that disturbs one acre or more, counting the house pad, driveway, septic field and grading, generally needs construction stormwater coverage from the state environmental agency or the EPA.

How To Get A Barndominium Permit: Step By Step

1. Check the land before you buy it. Confirm the zoning, read the deed restrictions, look up the flood map, and get a septic site evaluation or perc test as a condition of the purchase. A lot that won’t pass a septic evaluation is the most expensive mistake in a rural build.
2. Choose your plans and get the frame engineered. A complete plan set, plus stamped engineering for a steel or post-frame structure, is what the building department reviews.
3. Apply for the septic permit. The septic design depends on the number of bedrooms, so it usually needs final plans first, and it is often required before the building permit is issued.
4. Apply for the building permit. Submit the plans, site plan, engineering and septic approval. Review can take a few days in a rural county or several weeks in a busy one.
5. Pass inspections as you build. Typical inspections include footings, the foundation, framing, rough electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and a final.
6. Get the certificate of occupancy. Under the residential code, a home can’t be lived in until the building official issues one. Your lender will usually require it to close a construction loan into a mortgage.

Barndominium Permit Mistakes To Avoid

Building a home as a farm building. Farm and agricultural exemptions cover barns and equipment buildings, not homes. Once a building has living quarters, it’s a dwelling, and in nearly every state it needs the same permits as any house. Kentucky is the notable exception, where a farm dwelling outside city limits is excluded from the state building code, though electrical rules still apply.

Permitting a shop and finishing it as a house later. Converting a permitted shop into living space without a new permit leaves you with an unpermitted home. It can cause trouble with insurance, financing and resale, and the county can require you to open walls for inspection.

Submitting metal building drawings as house plans. A steel building manufacturer’s drawings cover the frame. The building department also needs the floor plan, egress windows, insulation, plumbing, electrical and the separation between the shop and the house.

Assuming no permit means no rules. Even where no building permit is required, septic, electrical, floodplain and stormwater rules still apply, and an unpermitted home can be hard to insure, finance or sell.

Can You Act As Your Own Builder?

In most states, yes. Owner-builders can pull permits for a home they will live in, although many states attach conditions, such as living in the home for a set period or building no more than one home in a year or two. Some states also restrict owner-builders from doing their own electrical or plumbing work. If you plan to manage your own build, check your state’s rules and our guide to choosing a general contractor for the parts you’ll hire out.

Barndominium Permit Rules By State

The table shows whether a building permit is required everywhere in each state, who handles septic permits, and whether the state licenses home builders. Each state links to our full state guide.

State	Building Permit	Septic Permit	State Builder License
Alabama	Only where enforced locally	County health department (state Dept. of Public Health rules)	Over $10,000 (Home Builders Licensure Board)
Alaska	Only where a local code exists	State Dept. of Environmental Conservation; Anchorage adds its own rules	Required, with residential endorsement
Arizona	Only where a local code exists	County environmental agency (state ADEQ rules)	Required (Registrar of Contractors)
Arkansas	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Health	Over $2,000 (Contractors Licensing Board)
California	Required statewide	County environmental health (state and regional water board rules)	Any job $1,000+ (CSLB)
Colorado	Only where a local code exists	Local public health agency (state CDPHE rules)	None (local)
Connecticut	Required statewide	Town or district health department (state DPH rules)	Registration (new home contractors)
Delaware	Only where a local code exists	State DNREC	None (local)
Florida	Required statewide	County health department (state DOH rules)	Required for any home built for others
Georgia	Only where enforced locally	County board of health (state DPH rules)	Over $2,500 (State Licensing Board)
Hawaii	Required statewide	State Dept. of Health	Over $1,000 or any permitted job
Idaho	Only where enforced locally	Public health district (state DEQ rules)	Registration, over $2,000
Illinois	Only where a local code exists	Local health department (state IDPH rules)	None (local)
Indiana	Only where enforced locally	County health department (state IDOH rules)	None (local)
Iowa	Only where enforced locally	County board of health (state DNR rules)	Registration (DIAL)
Kansas	Only where a local code exists	County, under its sanitary code (state KDHE standards)	None (local)
Kentucky	Only where enforced locally; farm dwellings excluded	Local health department (state rules)	None (local)
Louisiana	Required statewide	Parish health unit (state Office of Public Health)	Over $50,000 (State Licensing Board for Contractors)
Maine	Only where enforced locally	Local plumbing inspector (state CDC rules)	None
Maryland	Required statewide	County health department (state MDE rules)	Registration (Home Builder Registration Unit)
Massachusetts	Required statewide	Local board of health (MassDEP Title 5 rules)	Construction Supervisor License
Michigan	Required statewide	County or district health department (no statewide septic code)	Residential Builder license (LARA)
Minnesota	Only where enforced locally	County, city or township (state MPCA rules)	Residential Building Contractor license
Mississippi	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Health	Over $50,000 (State Board of Contractors)
Missouri	Only where a local code exists	County health department or state DHSS	None (local)
Montana	Only where enforced locally	County health department (state DEQ rules)	Registration (Dept. of Labor and Industry)
Nebraska	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Water, Energy and Environment; some counties	Registration (Dept. of Labor)
Nevada	Only where a local code exists	State health authority, or Clark and Washoe county health districts	Required for any permitted work (State Contractors Board)
New Hampshire	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Environmental Services	None
New Jersey	Required statewide	Local health department (state DEP rules)	New home builder registration
New Mexico	Required statewide	State Environment Dept.	Required (Construction Industries Division)
New York	Required statewide	County or local health department (state DOH rules)	None (local)
North Carolina	Required statewide	County health department (state rules); private permitting option	$40,000+ (Licensing Board for General Contractors)
North Dakota	Only where enforced locally	Local or district public health unit	Over $4,000 (Secretary of State)
Ohio	Only where enforced locally	Local health district (state ODH rules)	None (local)
Oklahoma	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Environmental Quality	None (trades only)
Oregon	Required statewide	County, or state DEQ in some counties	Required (Construction Contractors Board)
Pennsylvania	Required statewide	Local sewage enforcement officer (state DEP rules)	None (registration covers remodeling only)
Rhode Island	Required statewide	State Dept. of Environmental Management	Registration (license from 2028)
South Carolina	Required statewide	State Dept. of Environmental Services	Over $5,000 (Residential Builders Commission)
South Dakota	Only where a local code exists	State DANR rules; some counties permit	None (local)
Tennessee	Only where enforced locally	State Dept. of Environment and Conservation	$25,000+ (Board for Licensing Contractors)
Texas	Only where a local code exists	County or authorized agent (state TCEQ rules)	None (trades only)
Utah	Required statewide	Local health department (state DEQ rules)	Required (DOPL B100 or R100)
Vermont	Only where a local code exists	State DEC regional office or delegated town	Registration, $10,000+
Virginia	Required statewide	Local health department (state VDH rules)	Class A, B or C license (DPOR)
Washington	Required statewide	Local health jurisdiction (state DOH rules)	Registration and $30,000 bond (L&I)
West Virginia	Only where enforced locally	County health department (state rules)	$5,000+ (Contractor Licensing Board)
Wisconsin	Required statewide	County sanitary permit (state DSPS rules)	Dwelling Contractor certification
Wyoming	Only where a local code exists	County (state DEQ rules)	None (local)

“Only where enforced locally” means the state has a code, but building permits are issued only where a county or city enforces it. “Only where a local code exists” means there’s no statewide residential code, so it depends entirely on your county or city. In either case, call the county before you assume no permit is needed.

Barndominium Permit FAQ

Start With A Plan Set That’s Ready For Permits

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This page is for general information and isn’t legal advice. Permit requirements change and vary by county and city, so confirm the requirements for your parcel with your local planning, building and health departments before you buy land or build.