Obtaining a Permit

Whether you purchase a Patio Cover from us or from one of our competitors make sure the awning you purchase is designed properly - this is very important! All of our Patio Cover kits are carefully designed based on product specific engineering. A permit is usually easy to obtain from your local building department, however verify that your local building dept. does accept the engineering before you purchase a Patio Cover from us.

Verifying local Patio Cover Requirements

Contact your local Building Department or governing agency and ask:

1. - What is the required live load or snow load for an Aluminum Patio Cover for my area?

2. - What is the required Wind Factor (MPH) for an Aluminum Patio Cover for my area?

2. - Does your dept./agency accept the product specific engineering for the Patio Cover?

Tip for contacting your local building dept.

Make sure the Building Inspector is aware that you are not attempting to obtain a permit at this time; you have not purchased anything yet and want to make sure that the engineering report is accepted and you have the correct requirements before you have purchased the awning.

Not Obtaining a Permit?

Patio Covers are an investment to your home; making both your back yard enjoyable and increasing the value of your home.

The last thing you want is to have a patio cover up that is considered to be of no value to your property because it is not engineered properly; if a permit cannot be obtained it will not be considered an asset to a buyer; the building dept. could make you tear down your patio cover if you do not have a permit.

Ensure the patio cover will be safe.

Ask the right Questions:
Make sure the awning has been design properly, ask questions!
A few general things to verify:
Post spacing
Rafters are the correct size and thickness
Beam thickness
Note: For heavier than 10lb snow loads the design will change, post spacing will be less, rafter size and thickness may increase, steel post and or beam inserts may be required, and you may need to pour new concrete footings to handle the post load.

Also make sure these figures are for the correct Snow load (also known as live load) for your area. A 10 pound live load will have different post spacing and material thick nesses for a 20, 30 or 60 pound snow load.

This may seem daunting to you at this moment but don't worry, we can help. We have taken the initiative and included the engineering design breakdown for every do it yourself kit; look up the size awning you're interested in and you will see an engineering/design breakdown for that exact unit based on the live load you select (10, 20 or 30 pound snow load). Note: If you have a special application or a heavier snow load we can design it for you, just fill out a free 24 hour customized quote.

When pouring concrete footings make sure you check with you building department regarding your frost line requirements to ensure your footings are deep enough.

We're here to help! - If you have any questions please contact us as this is the part of your purchasing process that needs to be paid close attention to.

Try-Tech Ethics

We pay special attention to your order and we will work diligently to assist you with any challenges you are faced with; we are here to help! Contact us if you have any questions or concern in obtaining a permit; give us a call at 866-337-2381 or email us. We want to ensure that you will be starting off doing your Do It Yourself project right saving you time and money in the long run, we want to ensure you will have a very easy and stress free installation.