I have learned over my 19 years as a homeowner that you should always check to see if you need a permit to add a new structure to your property. Adding a greenhouse to my property was no exception. 

My plan involved creating a 14'X16' hoop-style greenhouse on my property. 

I went to my county's building and standards department and told them what I wanted to do. Before giving me a permit, they sent me to the county environmental health department. I had to pay a small fee to have one of their inspectors come out to see the proposed location of the new greenhouse. They instructed me to stake the proposed greenhouse area. That area must be approved by the environmental health department before the building standards department will issue a building permit. 

The environmental health inspector visited to verify that the new structure's proposed location did not conflict with other things on the property, such as septic tanks, sewer lines, water lines and private wells. Once approved, the environmental health department sent an approval notice to the building standards department. This approval let them know that they appoved of the proposed greenhouse location.

I provided a copy of my proposed greenhouse plan during my second visit to the building standards department. One of their engineers reviewed my greenhouse plans and showed me what needed to change and what items would require an official inspection. For my project, the issue was correctly anchoring the greenhouse to the ground. This is important because they do not want my greenhouse flying away during severe storms . After paying the permit fee, I received my building permit.