Obtain a Building Permit for your Growing Dome Geodesic Greenhouse

Does your greenhouse need a building permit?

Growing Dome Greenhouse 33'
42 Growing Dome Greenhouse

After 30+ years of manufacturing and building Growing Dome® geodesic greenhouse kits, Growing Spaces® is well-practiced at facilitating the greenhouse permitting process. Plus, we have a positive precedent; owners of Growing Dome greenhouses around the country from backyard gardeners to schools and large institutions have had great success in obtaining building permits for their geodesic greenhouse kits where necessary.

The Growing Dome greenhouses are geodesic structures designed for use solely as a year-round greenhouse.

Many building departments regard Growing Dome geodesic greenhouses as temporary structures that do not require building permits. There are two reasons these solar greenhouses are classified as temporary structures: A concrete foundation is not needed for Growing Dome sizes 15′ to 33′ in diameter, and in some building department jurisdictions our six geodesic dome greenhouse kits can be classified as unoccupied or agricultural structures, which often will simplify the building permit process even for our largest 42′ greenhouse kit. However, many building departments use square footage to determine if the structure is temporary or permanent.

Growing Spaces manufactures geodesic dome greenhouses using top-grade materials, and each of our Growing Dome sizes is designed to withstand the rigors of severe weather including strong winds, hail, summer heat, cold winters, seismic loads and wildfires.

Building Permit Process

Snow on a Growing Dome geodesic greenhouse
Growing Domes can be modified to meet up to 175 psf snow loads

If geodesic greenhouses in your area require a building permit we are well prepared to help you through the permitting process. We have a questionnaire for you to take to your building department to fill out so we can supply the appropriate engineered drawings for you to obtain a building permit. Once you return it to us, we can tell you if our general set of plans will work or if modifications will be necessary. We can also recommend what type of foundation is required for the wind and snow loads in your area. If you need changes to the drawings, we will help facilitate or connect you directly with a licensed engineer familiar with our strong and durable year-round greenhouse design. Estimated charges for greenhouse kit drawing changes typically run between $300 and $1,500. Our engineers have licenses in Colorado, and many other states that require a licensed PE stamp.

While we offer assistance with the building permit process to committed customers, the customer assumes sole responsibility for obtaining and purchasing building permits for our Growing Dome greenhouse kits. We will not speak with building departments on your behalf or cover any charges incurred as a result of obtaining a building permit for the installation of our Growing Dome greenhouse kits. We also offer full refunds if you are unable to obtain your building permit.

Download the Growing Spaces Building Department Questionnaire (pdf)