American Ingenuity's

Most Common Asked Questions

about obtaining a building permit on an Ai Dome

Q: Tell me how to work with my building department.

A: Keep in mind that building departments are concerned with strength and safety. American Ingenuity Domes excel in these areas. Building departments and building codes are not concerned with appearance; although a plan examiner may be unfamiliar with the aspects of dome construction.

When working with building departments, we recommend the following:

• We suggest you start by asking your building department a few questions such as: “What are the requirements for a residential building permit? Are there any additional requirements to build a geodesic dome? Is an Architect’s or Engineer’s seal required on the plans?
• Building departments are unpredictable. No nationwide standard exists for what is required to receive a building permit and as such what is required in the building plans. Each individual building department adopts and implements their individual policies. They can become more information and document hungry when they are faced with plans for a geodesic dome. Since each department will ask for different items, expect that your first visit may only garner a list of what is required as to the building plans and further documentation (e.g. deed, survey, septic tank location, permits.)
• Be prepared for those building officials who seem to be doing all that they can to thwart your efforts. If you encounter one of these remember you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, and you have to have their approval to progress through each phase of construction.
• Ask questions and make a detailed list of what is required. If they seem to be obstructing your project without a valid reason, a polite call to their supervisor requesting clarification on the point of difference may be in order.
• Building Departments could ask for additional details and documentation, if so find out what they require and either email us or call our office.
• Ai’s experience with many different departments, suggests phrasing questions as, "Is it required to have...." rather than "Do you want...” Politely asking if something is required will set a professional and fair tone for the relationship.

Q: How do I know what my building department will require in order to give me a building permit?

A: Ask your building department to provide you with a list of what is required to obtain a residential building permit. If you are building in Florida, ask your Building Department if your property is in a Wind-Borne Debris Region and ask what the "design wind speed" is for your location.  Remember in Florida the American Ingenuity Dome will give you a high score on your Wind Mitigation Form which will cause the hurricane insurance part of your homeowner's policy to be quite low in cost.

Q: Will my American Ingenuity dome be acceptable to my building department?
A: Building plans for American Ingenuity domes can comply with all building codes worldwide including the Universal Building Code, the Standard Building Code, and the B.O.C.A. Code. If required, your plans can be certified by a registered engineering firm. Professional fees will vary by state and complexity of your plan.

In California, some building departments require building kits be certified that they comply with California's building kit requirements. Due to the high cost of this certification, it is not economical for American Ingenuity to purchase the certification.  So if your building department requires that the Kit be certified, then you will not be able to build the American Ingenuity Dome.  As a result you would not want to purchase the engineer sealed building plans. 

Q: Have you shipped domes into UBC building code areas?

A: Yes, we have shipped domes into the Universal Building Code (UBC) territory before. If the UBC will not let you have any floor area (except bedrooms) that has less than seven feet of head room, then the knee wall would have to be moved inward to put that unallowed space out of the room.

Q: Will your Building Plans comply with my area's building codes?

A: We have sold dome building kits into 46 USA states and twelve foreign areas. Our blueprints have been accepted by building departments which use many different Building Codes including the Universal Building Code, the Standard Building Code and the B.O.C.A. Code. Our personal service may include communication with your area building officials to assure the acceptance of your blueprints for issuance of a permit. If required in your area, blueprints can be certified by a registered engineering firm. Professional fees will vary state by state.

Q: Do your Building Plans come with an Engineer Seal on them?

A: No because most of our clients do not need engineered sealed building plans to obtain a building permit.

Our dome design has proved itself by withstanding hurricane Andrew's 200 mph winds, sub zero temperatures and heavy snow loads of Canada and the Northwest Territory, a large tree impact, a double wide horse trailer impact and many other conditions since 1976.

Although our Building Plans have been reviewed by over 30 different engineers, the plans do not come with an engineer's seal for the following reasons.

• Less than half of our dome owners needed engineer sealed Building Plans to obtain a building permit and rather than adding the cost to all plans it is more economical to have the plans sealed as needed.
• As the designer and manufacturer we would not hesitate to guarantee the structural integrity of our dome and we do just that with our guarantee.
• Each state only accepts a seal from an engineer who is registered in that state which prevents us from applying any seal that would be universally accepted.
• When an engineer seals a set of plans he is taking responsibility for the structural design for a single dome in the location intended and the seal would not apply to other projects.

Q: Tell me what the engineer does in reviewing my plans.

A: The engineer reviews the Building Plans to assure that they comply with your state's building codes. He will let us know if anything needs to be changed.

• Ai will make the changes at no cost to you and send the revised plans to the engineer who then crimps them with his seal and signs his name.
• This seal and his signature mean that he certifies that the plans comply with your state's building codes.
• Then either the engineer or we mail the signed plans to you and you take them to your building department.
• Because each city, county within a state can have varying requirements, your city or county building department may request some changes.
• Ai will work with your building department to make those changes at no cost to you. But if the engineer has to get reinvolved, he may charge some money.

Q: What process do engineers or architects have to go through to be registered in each state and how do they maintain their certification year to year?

A: Engineer's have to pay for and pass a test in each state they are registered. Plus each year they pay an annual fee to each state to maintain their registrations.

Q: In Florida what is commonly required to obtain a building permit?

A: To obtain a Florida Building permit you will need engineer sealed building plans and Florida Energy Calculations. You will want to ask your Building Department if you are in a Wind-Borne Debris Region and ask what the "design wind speed" is for your location.

• The Building Plans are purchased through American Ingenuity (see our price list for costs).
• Florida Energy Calculations are purchased through us for $85.
• We use an engineer outside our office to seal the building plans which is a separate fee. The Florida engineer seal cost for one dome is $400, a second dome is $100, and an attached screen dome is $50. A 60’ dome's engineer seal ranges from $600 to $800.

Q: What will the engineer seal cost for California and other states?

A: For California: we can only quote you the cost of the building plans because the price of the seal comes from a California licensed Engineer. California building departments are extremely difficult to deal with and that makes it also difficult for any engineer to provide a fixed cost when they don't know exactly what the building department will require. A rough estimate for engineering to get through a typical California building department is $1,500 to $3,000.

For North Carolina: Some of our domes have been constructed in North Carolina that needed engineer sealed plans. We used a local firm for the seal. A North Carolina engineer seal for a single dome not complicated is about $500-$700. If it is a two dome plan the seal is about $600-$800 and if there is a basement add $100.

For other state's engineer seal costs, please call us.

Besides assuring that your property has no deed restrictions or homeowners association regulating it, contact your building department and find out what they require to issue you a residential building permit.

Building departments are basically concerned about safety and structure, not appearance.

To obtain a new house building permit in California and Florida, the building plans have to be sealed by a licensed engineer certified for that state.  We know of California licensed engineers that have sealed our plans.  We can contact them for a quote, but typically a California seal is $1,500 to $3,000 per dome. A Florida engineer seal for one dome (22’ through 48’ sizes) is $400.  In California, the seal cost varies based on the size of the dome and the complexity of the floor plan.

In California, some building departments require building kits be certified that they comply with California's building kit requirements. Due to the high cost of this certification, it is not economical for American Ingenuity to purchase the certification.  So if your building department requires that the Kit be certified, then you will not be able to build the American Ingenuity Dome.  As a result you would not want to purchase the engineer sealed building plans. 

Q: Can I find my own engineer to seal my Building Plans?

A: Yes, you could try to find some other structural engineer to seal the plans, but they will probably charge you this much or more. They tend to charge more because they have not sealed our dome plans before. Therefore, they would have to start from scratch and research everything about the A.I. dome.

Q: Does a site plan come with the Building Plans?

A: As far as the site plan, it is not included in the Building Plans and is usually designed from a survey. It is best to hire a local firm to complete your site plan. Some items like locating trees and elevations are best done by a local person or company.

Begin by drawing a building site plan (plot plan) to the same scale as the Stock Plans and Floor Planner Kit (1/10 inch = 1 foot). A handy scale ruler is included in the back of the Stock Floor Plan Booklet on tan colored paper. Show everything that will affect your dome on your property:

•  
  • North, south, east and west
  • Setbacks
  • Roads, rights of way, easements, and utilities
  • Views
  • Prevailing winds
  • Trees, ponds and existing structures

Once you have your building site plan, you can place cut out copies of floor plans on it to select the best size, location and orientation for your dome. If you are designing a dome complex, you will find it simple to combine the cut outs since they are all the same scale.

Q: Have any of your clients ever been denied a building permit?

A: Yes. In 2006 American Ingenuity had its first client denied a building permit who wanted to build his dome in Redding California. The building department required that the A.I. dome building kit be certified that it complies with the State of California’s building kit regulations. Due to the cost and complexity of the tests, we concluded it is not economical for us pay for this test. If the California building department will accept a California registered engineer’s assertion that our buildings pass this test, this documentation can be provided at a reasonable fee.

We have had three clients assemble our dome kit in California without the building kit needing to be certified. These areas were remote rural areas. If you would be building within a city limits, you would want to check with your building department to see if the actual building kit needs to be certified before you purchase the building plans.

Q: Through out the United States are there any counties where the Ai dome cannot be built?

A: Yes. We have been informed that Dade and Broward Counties in southern Florida require additional testing to verify that the wall segments are capable of withstanding missile impact. Our dome building complies with the new 2002 Florida Building Code. Due to the cost and complexity of the tests, we have concluded it is not economical for us to perform this test. If the building departments will accept a Florida registered engineer's assertion that our buildings pass this test, this documentation can be provided at a reasonable fee.

Q: What do the American Ingenuity Dome Building Plans contain?

A: Building plans include the basic drawings for the dome that are needed when acquiring a building permit. They are composed on our computer aided drafting system as stock plans, or custom plans based on your individual requirements and design. Some of the pages are a 3-D elevation and a 3-D perspective view. These plans include all the structural drawings, show the placement of the electrical outlets, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures; however, they do not have the electrical, plumbing, HVAC layouts. We have found if the layouts are included, then the inspectors require the subcontractors to follow the diagrams when usually the subs like to do their own layouts.