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Many purchasers considering a new steel building are unsure of the paperwork and applicable codes that will be needed to ensure a successful completion to their project. This article will answer a number of those questions directly. In most cases, a building permit is required before erection of any steel building. The exception is for most agricultural steel buildings as they are in remote areas and/or outside of any community’s coding jurisdiction. Potential purchasers of steel buildings should check with their local building code office to determine if their structure will be allowed before committing to any purchase. Buyer beware.
A number of steel building manufacturers or suppliers will portray the minimum specification requirements for coding and represent them as sufficient to any permitting process. This can leave you with a building that will not be approved for construction. It is the consumer’s responsibility to make sure that their building will meet or exceed any local codes. Obtaining a copy of the purchase contract for the steel building you are planning to purchase from a manufacturer or supplier prior to purchasing is the recommended course. An inspector at the code office will be better able to determine if your building will be approved if you furnish him with a copy of the contract.
An additional item that is widely required from building code offices is a permit drawing. Inquire with the steel building company you are dealing with about whether these drawings are available pre-purchase. Engineer-stamped drawings are required by some building inspectors. Design calculations and engineer-stamped drawings are available from most credible steel building manufacturers and suppliers. Before complete, standard erection drawings can be offered, most steel building companies will require an engineering deposit from you. Most of these companies will utilize a computer generated drawing that will include the anchor bolt plan, providing your local foundation engineer with all information necessary to design the proper foundation for your steel building.
The drawings provided by the steel building company will also include diagrams of each connection that will be used in your steel building as well as cross-section diagrams for every part of your building. Keep in mind that the responsibility for getting the proper paperwork approvals for your steel building project is yours. Be extremely thorough in asking a lot of questions of the steel building company you are considering doing business with along with communicating with your local building code office.
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