Questions to take to the permit office

A short list built from the conditions that show up across the 15 rules on this site. Take the pod's size and the maker's spec page with you.

1. Is the exemption line measured by floor area, roof area or inside the walls? (Seattle and Denver count the roof; Portland measures inside the walls.)
2. Does a 120 sq ft building count as under a "less than 120" line? (Oakland and the city of San Mateo write it that way.)
3. Does the exemption cover an office or music room, or only storage? (Seattle and San Francisco limit it to storage-type use.)
4. Does one cable from the house to a pre-wired pod need an electrical permit?
5. Does a heater, portable AC or mini-split change the answer? (Denver's rule says non-conditioned.)
6. What is the height limit, and is it measured to the peak or the average roof height?
7. What are the setbacks from the side and rear property lines and from the house?
8. Is a zoning permit needed even when the building permit is not? (Portland, Denver, Oakland and Raleigh mention one.)
9. Is the lot in a flood hazard area, a fire district or an environmentally critical area?
10. How many exempt buildings are allowed per lot? (Oakland: one; San Mateo County: a second needs 50 ft of spacing.)

Studio Home publishes its own list of questions for the building department, covering zoning, engineer-stamped plans, lot coverage and setbacks, in its FAQ (read Nov 5, 2026).

HOA rules are separate from city rules. An HOA can say no to a building the city allows.