Screened porch permits, explained
Yes. A screened porch is a roofed addition to the house, and cities require a building permit for it: Minneapolis requires permits for all porches, screen porches included, and Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, requires a permit before any screen porch construction. A screen enclosure on an existing patio is reviewed under the code's patio cover rules instead.
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- Minneapolis states that building permits are required for all porches, including screen porches, three-season porches and open porches.[1]City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services, Porches at single-family and…
- The openings may be filled with insect screening, approved translucent or transparent plastic up to 0.125 inch thick, glass that meets the code, or a mix.[6]Tazewell County, Illinois, Community Development, Helpful Building Guidelines, Patio…
- Hawthorn Woods asks for plans showing the elevation above grade at all points, prefabricated truss calculations and layout signed and sealed by an engineer, and Lake County Health Department well and septic approval.[3]Village of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, Building Department, Screen Porch Requirements
- Inver Grove Heights lists the full sequence: Footings, after the holes are dug and before pouring concrete; Electrical rough-in, if the porch has wiring; Framing, once the electrical inspection has passed and the framing is complete; Insulation, for a four-season porch; Electrical final, if wiring was installed; Final, when the structure is complete.[2]City of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Screened Porch, 3 and 4 Season Porch Building…
- Hutchinson, Minnesota, is a transparent example: its 2026 schedule values a screened porch at $59.58 per square foot, a three-season porch at $105.34 and a four-season porch at $150.49, then applies the permit fee to that value.[5]City of Hutchinson, Minnesota, 2026 Fee Schedule
Do you need a permit for a screened porch?
Yes, in every jurisdiction we checked. Minneapolis states that building permits are required for all porches, including screen porches, three-season porches and open porches[1]. The Village of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, requires a permit before any screen porch construction, and warns that failing to obtain it results in penalties to the owner under village code[3]. Minnesota's statewide guidance says the same for all porches[8].
Two different projects hide behind the words "screened porch", and the city reviews them differently:
| Project | What it is | Rules that apply |
|---|---|---|
| Screened porch | A raised floor, a roof and screened walls, built against the house | Porch rules: footings, floor framing, guards, stairs, roof[2] |
| Screen enclosure on a patio | A roof on posts over an existing slab, with screens between the posts | Patio cover rules: Goose Creek files screened enclosures under Appendix H of its residential code[7] |
| Three- or four-season porch | Windows instead of screens; heated for four seasons | Porch rules plus energy rules for heated porches[8] |
What the screen rules allow
For a screen enclosure, the patio cover appendix of the International Residential Code sets the limits. Walls may take any shape, provided the longer wall and one additional wall are at least 65 percent open or glazed below 6 feet 8 inches. The openings may be filled with insect screening, approved translucent or transparent plastic up to 0.125 inch thick, glass that meets the code, or a mix[6]. The structure is limited to one story and 12 feet in height, and it cannot be used as a habitable room[6].
For a raised screened porch, the floor rules come from the porch side of the code. Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, requires the porch floor to be designed for a 40 pound per square foot live load and a 10 pound per square foot dead load[2].
What the city asks for
The Inver Grove Heights checklist is a clear model of a screened porch application[2]:
- The permit application.
- A certificate of survey, to scale, with the lot dimensions, the existing buildings, the proposed porch and its setbacks from the property lines and other buildings.
- A floor plan: porch size, size, grade and spacing of the floor joists and roof rafters, decking or subfloor, beams and the posts.
- A cross section: footing diameter and depth, beam plies, headers over the screened openings, joists, flooring, guard height, ceiling height, sheathing and siding, rafters and roof pitch, or the truss layout.
- Elevations: height from grade, header sizes, roof covering.
Other places add their own items. Hawthorn Woods asks for plans showing the elevation above grade at all points, prefabricated truss calculations and layout signed and sealed by an engineer, and Lake County Health Department well and septic approval[3]. Lancaster, Ohio, wants a plot plan that shows the storm water drainage routes from the foundation to the property edge, and an electrical plan with all lights, receptacles and switches[4].
The inspections
Inver Grove Heights lists the full sequence[2]:
- Footings, after the holes are dug and before pouring concrete;
- Electrical rough-in, if the porch has wiring;
- Framing, once the electrical inspection has passed and the framing is complete;
- Insulation, for a four-season porch;
- Electrical final, if wiring was installed;
- Final, when the structure is complete.
The approved plan and survey must stay on the job site, and the inspection record card must stay posted on an exterior wall of the porch until the final inspection[2]. Hawthorn Woods charges a re-inspection fee when the inspector cannot approve the work, deducted from a refundable bond[3].
What a screened porch permit costs
Most cities price a screened porch by its value. Hutchinson, Minnesota, is a transparent example: its 2026 schedule values a screened porch at $59.58 per square foot, a three-season porch at $105.34 and a four-season porch at $150.49, then applies the permit fee to that value[5]. The city's own example, a 100 square foot three-season porch valued at $10,534, pays $222.52[5]. A 100 square foot screened porch is valued at $5,958, and the same formula gives a fee of $148.34[5]. Your permit file shows your own city's fee schedule, with the link.
How long it takes
Review times are rarely published and change with each city's workload. The fastest route is a complete first submission: the survey with setbacks, the section with the footing and header sizes, and the truss documents if you use trusses.
Building it without a permit
A screened porch is hard to hide: it changes the outline of the house on the survey. Hawthorn Woods says plainly that failure to obtain the required permit results in penalties to the owner as per village code[3]. Screening an existing deck is not a loophole either: Mound requires a building permit to convert an existing deck or space into a porch[9].
How we can help
The All-in offer prepares your screened porch file for your address: the city's porch and screen rules with links, the survey-based site plan, the floor plan, section and elevations for the permit application, the forms and the fee. Our permit team reviews the file before you file it and follows up until the permit is approved.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to screen in an existing porch or deck?
Usually, because you are changing the structure and how it is used. Mound, Minnesota, requires a building permit to convert an existing deck or space into a porch. A screened enclosure is also listed by Goose Creek, South Carolina, as a structure covered by Appendix H of its residential code.
Is a screened porch a room?
Not for the building code, as long as it stays open to the air with screens. A three-season porch with windows, or a four-season porch that is heated, is reviewed differently: Minnesota requires heated porches to meet the state energy code.
Do the screens count as a railing?
No. Inver Grove Heights and New Prague, Minnesota, both state that screening alone is not an approved guardrail. If the floor is more than 30 inches above grade, you need a real guard at least 36 inches high.
Do I need an architect?
Sometimes. Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, requires plans by a licensed Illinois architect when the construction cost exceeds $10,000. Other cities accept plans drawn by the owner if they are to scale and complete.
Is the city's permit fee included in your price?
No. The permit fee is paid to your city or county. Your permit file shows your city's fee from its published fee schedule, with the link.
We handle the permit. You build your screened porch.
- Your city's rule, for your addressThe code section, its link and the date we checked it.
- Site plan and dimensioned drawingsDistances to your property lines, ready for the application.
- The form, where to file it, and the published feePlus the documents list and an HOA request template.
- Reviewed, then revised until approvedWith All-in, after every comment from the city, for up to 6 months.
Sources
- City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services, Porches at single-family and two-family dwellings (updated 06/2025). Checked October 13, 2026.
- City of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Screened Porch, 3 and 4 Season Porch Building Guidelines. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Village of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, Building Department, Screen Porch Requirements (10/10/25). Checked October 13, 2026.
- City of Lancaster, Ohio, Building Department, Specifications for Screened-In Porches. Checked October 13, 2026.
- City of Hutchinson, Minnesota, 2026 Fee Schedule (amended 1/13/2026). Checked October 13, 2026.
- Tazewell County, Illinois, Community Development, Helpful Building Guidelines, Patio Covers and Porches (2018 IRC Appendix AH, September 2021). Checked October 13, 2026.
- City of Goose Creek, South Carolina, Residential Accessory Structures Policy. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Porches and the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code. Checked October 13, 2026.
- City of Mound, Minnesota, Porches building permit handout (SAFEbuilt). Checked October 13, 2026.