Structural Engineer Stamp Requirements Per State

List of States that do and do not require Structural Engineer stamps.

The list above provides information on states and there Structural Engineer stamp requirements for residential building plans. This information was gathered by calling or emailing the largest city per state. We contacted the larger cities because they tend to be stricter than the smaller cities and the counties. We are still waiting on some responses. If you find out some information that is different we would appreciate an email or post. Thanks. Information as of 6/05/12.

When a Structural Engineer stamp might be required.

If you are doing a commercial or an industrial project, then you will most likely need a Structural Engineer stamp on your drawings. We did not list these below. Most states do not require an Structural Engineer stamp for residential house plans. If you are a home builder doing large tract home subdivisions, then the local government might require a Structural Engineer Stamp. Some states made it a law that a Structural Engineer stamp is to be on the building plans in order to get the building permit. Most states only require a Structural Engineer if the design of the home requires it. Some features in a design of a home may require a Structural Engineer stamp to get approved.

Design features that may require a structural engineer stamp.

Some states are a little stricter then others on what may trigger a Structural Engineer stamp. It also can very from one city to the next or county to the next. It depends on the resources and employees that they have. Here are a few common house plan design features that require an engineer stamp on the plans.

• Ceiling heights over 10 feet

• Structural walls that have a large openings

• Beam spans over 20 feet

• Basements

• Unconventional building material

When to include the Structural Engineer.

Most Custom Home Designers can design a simple home and not require an engineer stamp. Drafters will all handle it a little differently when they know that the Structural Engineer Stamp is required. Some drafters will include it in there price and work directly with the engineer and others will direct you to several Structural Engineers they use and let you take the plans to them. Besides the additional cost, using a Structural Engineer can bring peace of mind. Even when you might not necessarily need one. To find out if you need an Architect Stamp visit our Architects and Stamps page.

Do to city and county making constant updates and changes of code, all information shared above should be verified with the city or county that the plans are being built in.