The answer is YES OF COURSE you are supposed to pull a permit. It's no different than getting married, driving, collecting rainwater or having chickens. Except with awnings, it's much more expensive and time consuming. (Well maybe not as difficult and expensive as the marriage or divorce thing.) Without taking a deep dive into the politics of it all - because Patriot Awning has NO OPINION on politics, this blog post covers the basics on permitting awnings.
IT'S ALL OPEN TO WHOEVER INTERPRETS THE CODE! Yes, that's right. What may be acceptable for the city to do, you may not be able to do. What may be acceptable for your competitor a code official may take issue with for your commercial project. Perhaps your competitor had a different person review his plans. Maybe you're in a fire district. Perhaps there's another agenda...
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS:
Whether you've got a small awning that's 2'-6" Wide x 2'-0" Tall x 1'-6" Projection or a canopy that you're parking three school busses under, the permit process is the same. You will need an Appendix B, Site Plan, Plan View, Attachment Details, a Flame Certificate and ENGINEERED DRAWINGS indicating that your proposed structure meets load requirements outlined by the North Carolina State Building Code.
With every revision of the NCSBC this gets more complicated and subjective. Getting a commerical awning project in Charlotte permitted is expensive and time consuming. Getting a commercial canopy project in Mooresville is expensive but less time consuming. Getting an awnings permit in Union County is relatively simple and painless. Patriot Awning Company can provide the engineered drawings by a professional engineer and can pull your permit anywhere in the Carolinas. We charge a flat fee for commercial projects but the customer pays the permit fees. If you don't want to assume the risk of having issues down the road, it's best to just bite the bullet and let us permit your project on the front end.
RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS:
It's easier and less expensive. On residential projects, we usually let the homeowner handle the permitting process. We are able to provide CAD drawings for any project that we undertake.
PATRIOT AWNING IS YOUR CHOICE FOR A PERMITTED PROJECT IN THE CAROLINAS! We have permitted several jobs from Rock Hill, SC to Raleigh, NC and are familiar with the North Carolina State Building Code and we can help you build your awning project in the Carolinas and do it with the city and counties blessing. Talk to your salesman about the permitting process and you can decide what's right for your home or business.