Rack Installation Permit

A question that always arises when expanding your warehouse storage capacity is, “Do I need a pallet rack installation permit?” the answer is “YES!”.

Can you install pallet racks without a permit? Again, the answer is yes, but we do not recommend it. We do not recommend it because many issues may arise.

For example, is the pallet rack seismic code compliant? Do the Step Beams meet your weight capacities, –

And the most important of them all; what is the height of your pallet racks? Before you decide to purchase or install the pallet racks, call us. We will come out to your warehouse to advise you, and if you choose for us to design, layout, and submit your Rack installation permit, we will provide you with an affordable quote.

What permits do I need to install pallet racking in my warehouse?

To install pallet racks in a warehouse, you need two permits. A Pallet Rack Installation Permit and a High Piled Storage Permit if you plan to store higher than 12 feet in an area 500 square feet or larger.

What is the difference between a Pallet Rack Installation Permit (Building Permit) and a High Piled Storage Permit? The Pallet Rack Installation Permit contains the rack’s structural information, seismic capacities, and how much weight you can put on the pallet racks. It also includes information on the types of anchors you should use, the aisles widths, and tells the installers how far apart your elevations should be.

The High Piled Storage permit, on the contrary, gives the Fire Department information about the products you plan to store on the pallet racks, how high you are planning to store in the pallet racks, and information about your fire sprinkler system. Other information found on the High Piled Storage permit is the emergency evacuation path (egress paths) and if you are storing on the floor, how high you can stack, and how many fire breaks there should be on the floor.

THE RACK INSTALLATION PERMIT PROCESS

The Pallet Rack Installation Permit Process is very straightforward. First, we gather information about your products, their weights, the type of racks you are planning on using, and how high you are planning to store.

Then, based on that information, we will request prelims. Prelims are also known as preliminary structural and seismic analyses. Then, depending on the prelims’ information, we will advise you whether the pallet racks you are trying to buy meet your requirements.

Upon your approval of the prelims, we move into the Design & Layout phase. During the Design & Layout Phase, we provide you with architectural drawings to review and approve. If the Design and Layout meet your needs? We then send the architectural drawings to get stamped by a structural/seismic engineer. This process takes about two weeks.

Finally, Once we have the drawings stamped by the Engineer, we are ready to submit your Jurisdiction.