Checklist: Pre-Construction Land Use for Metal Buildings

Verify [Before] You Buy a Metal Building: The Complete Land Use, Pre-Construction Checklist for Metal Buildings: Avoid Costly Land Use Problems and Building Mistakes.

Before Purchasing a Metal Building

Obtain official written approval from your local planning, zoning, and/or building inspection departments. To avoid permit rejections, ensure your proposal clearly outlines the proposed building’s exact dimensions, intended use, property setbacks, and exact site location.

Conceptual Drawing Package

When conducting meetings with your local governing authorities; a professional rendered drawing package is strongly recommended, as shown below.

Credit for Concept Drawing Fee

Inco Steel Buildings, Inc develops comprehensive conceptual drawings for a nominal fee. This fee is completely credited toward your project cost when you hire us as your Prime Contractor

Summary: Pre-Construction Checklist (Metal Buildings)

To prevent unexpected expenses on your land, ensure the following steps are completed before ordering your steel structure metal building.

Zoning & Permits: Contact the local planning, zoning and building inspections department. Confirm the property allows your intended use and verify all setback requirements, height limits, and HOA covenants.
Site Feasibility & Soil: Ensure the site has enough room for construction access. Verify the soil bearing capacity with a Geotechnical engineer for the building pad project location.
Grading & Drainage: Clear the building footprint of trees, roots, vegetation, rocks, and debris.

Pre-Construction Checklist (1-5)

1). Land Surveys: Boundary Survey Document and Plat Plan (Site Plan) Drawing

Note: Land survey documents PROTECT the landowner.

Filing for a building permit requires precise, up-to-date documentation. The landowner will need a professionally prepared boundary survey and a plot plan, both certified by a state-licensed surveyor. Both documents provide the legal and dimensional proof that your project adheres to municipal zoning laws, setback requirements, and property boundaries. Failing to produce accurate documents can result in permit rejections, stop-work orders, or costly structural tear-downs.
Note: Inco Steel Buildings, Inc. is responsible for and files all applications for required building permits on behalf of each customer.

The Boundary Survey

A boundary survey is a scaled diagram. A boundary survey is a legal document prepared by a licensed land surveyor that physically maps your property’s corners, boundary lines, and total acreage.

Establishes Property Lines: It definitively marks where your property ends and your neighbor’s (or public right-of-way) begins.
Identifies Encroachments: It uncovers hidden issues, such as a neighbor’s fence or shed crossing onto your land.
Reveals Encumbrances: It maps out recorded easements (e.g., utility lines) and deed restrictions that legally prevent you from building in certain areas.

The Plot Plan (Site Plan)

A plot plan is a scaled diagram—often built upon the foundation of a boundary survey—that outlines both your existing structures and your proposed construction.

Demonstrates Setback Compliance: Municipalities enforce strict minimum distances between structures and property lines. The plot plan visually proves your addition or new build will not violate these local zoning codes.
Locates Utilities and Drainage: It maps out power, water, and sewer lines, as well as how water runoff flows, ensuring your build won’t damage city infrastructure or flood adjacent lots.
Guides Inspectors: Code enforcement officers use the plot plan as a blueprint during on-site inspections to confirm the structure was built exactly where and how it was approved.

2). Planning and Zoning Department

Verify Zoning & Property Line Setbacks: Contact the local planning department to confirm your land is zoned for a steel structure metal building. Verify all/any restrictions that may exist related to metal building construction. Ensure the proposed building [size] e.g., (50’ Width by 100’-0” length by 20’-0” height) complies with local setback requirements from all property lines, wells, and septic fields. Confirm if/any HOA protective covenants.
Land Use Zoning: Confirm the property allows your intended use and verify all setback requirements, height limits, and HOA covenants. LINK
Variance Request: If your land is not zoned for a metal building, file the application for a land use variance-the process to change zoning-this process can be lengthy.
Verify Building Permit: Contact the building inspection department to confirm building permit requirements for a metal building on your land.
Review Regulations: Read through a comprehensive Direct Metal Structures guide to ensure you define your needs and align with local structural codes.

3). Site Preparation: Building Pad, Entrance, and Road

Clear the Footprint: Remove all trees including root system, stumps, brush, and large rocks from the build site. Topsoil should be removed until a stable, compacted subsoil is reached.
Grade and Drain: Grade the land to ensure a level pad and proper drainage, which prevents water from pooling around the foundation.
Access and Staging: Provide an open-space area of 50′-feet by 50′-feet for material staging. Clear a driveway or roadway at least 10–12 feet wide so delivery trucks and construction equipment can easily reach the site. Ensure there are no low-hanging tree branches that block large machinery.

4). Foundation and Utilities

Foundation (Turnkey by Inco Steel Buildings, Inc.): Inco’s foundation engineer will design a monolithic slab based on engineered building drawings. The turnkey installation includes:
Thickness: 6” inch to 8” slab thickness slab.
Concrete: 4000 PSI site delivered ready-mix concrete with a slick, hard-troweled finish.
Reinforcement: Engineered steel (rebar/mesh) and saw-cut control joints to minimize cracking.
Utility Stub-Ins: Inco will design the electrical system and/or plumbing system, and specify If your steel building requires special conduit placement for electricity or mechanical, or piping for water, or plumbing, and said installation before the concrete is poured.

Construction Phase

5). Steel Building Construction and Erection

Inco Steel Buildings, Inc will complete all steel erection construction work with is employees and licensed trade partners.