Do I need drawings for a kitchen remodel permit?
Usually yes, if the remodel needs a permit at all. Whether it needs a permit depends on what you change. Here is how to tell, and which drawings a building department typically wants to see.
Updated 2026-10-08. General information, not legal advice. Your city or county adopts and amends its own code, so its building department has the final word.
Step 1: does the work need a permit?
Most US cities and counties base their residential rules on the International Residential Code (IRC), adopted with local amendments. Section R105.2 of the IRC lists work that is exempt from a permit, and local versions of that list commonly include finish work such as painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops (see a county copy of the R105.2 list, read 2026-10-08). The exact list varies by jurisdiction.
In practice, a kitchen job usually falls into one of two groups:
| Often no permit | Usually a permit |
|---|---|
| Replacing cabinet doors or whole cabinets in the same place | Moving, adding or removing a wall |
| New countertops on existing cabinets | Moving the sink, dishwasher or gas range to a new location |
| Painting, backsplash tile, new flooring | New circuits, new outlets, new lighting circuits |
| Swapping an appliance like for like | A new range hood vented outside, or a new gas line |
| Replacing a faucet on the same supply | Enlarging or adding a window or exterior door |
Some cities also require a permit for any electrical or plumbing work beyond like for like replacement, even when no walls move. If you are not sure, call the permit counter and describe the job in one sentence. It costs nothing and saves a stop work order later.
Step 2: does the permit need drawings?
When a permit is required, the IRC (section R106.1) calls for construction documents that show the location, nature and extent of the work in enough detail to show it complies with the code. For a kitchen that means a plan, not a description. Many departments accept a simple over the counter permit for small electrical or plumbing changes with a sketch, but once a layout changes, they generally want scaled drawings.
The plan reviewer wants to answer three questions: what is there now, what will be there after, and does the new work meet code. Your drawings should answer each one on paper.
The drawings a kitchen permit typically needs
- Existing floor plan of the kitchen and adjoining rooms, with dimensions. This is your as-built.
- Demolition plan showing walls, cabinets and fixtures to be removed.
- Proposed floor plan with new walls, cabinets, appliances, sink, door and window locations, and dimensions.
- Electrical plan with receptacles, switches, lighting, dedicated appliance circuits and the hood. Kitchen countertop receptacles have spacing and protection rules under the National Electrical Code as adopted locally, so show them clearly.
- Plumbing plan or notes for the sink, dishwasher, any island sink, and gas lines if the range moves.
- Mechanical notes for the range hood and its duct route to the outside.
- Interior elevations of the cabinet walls, helpful and sometimes required.
- Finish and fixture schedule listing appliances and fixtures.
Some departments also ask for a site plan or a cover sheet with the address, owner, scope of work and code edition. The application checklist on your building department's website will say what it wants. Read it before anyone starts drawing.
Do the drawings need a stamp?
For a non-structural kitchen remodel in a detached one or two family house, many states allow unstamped drawings by an owner, contractor or drafter, and building departments commonly accept them. The rules are set by each state's architecture and engineering laws, and a building official can still ask for a licensed professional. Our article on remodel drawings without an architect walks through what several large states say, with sources.
Two common triggers for a stamp in a kitchen:
- Removing or cutting a bearing wall to open the kitchen to the living room. A beam has to be sized, and that is engineering.
- A condo or apartment in a larger building, where the association and the city often require a licensed professional.
Who draws them
You have three realistic options:
- Draw them yourself. Many departments accept owner drawn plans for simple work. It is cheapest, but slow if you have never drawn to scale, and errors come back as plan check comments.
- Your contractor draws them. Common for small jobs. Quality varies, and the drawings are often a sketch that is enough for a permit but not for pricing.
- A drafting service. Scaled existing and proposed sheets, trade sheets and often a material list, without the cost of an architect for non-structural work.
How to avoid plan check comments
- Dimension everything that is changing, in feet and inches.
- Keep existing, demolition and proposed work visually distinct, with a legend.
- Show every new receptacle, light and circuit, and label the appliances.
- Note the hood duct route and where it exits the house.
- Write a one paragraph scope of work on the first sheet.
- Use the sheet size your department asks for. 11x17 and 24x36 cover most cases.
The short answer
Cosmetic kitchen work usually needs no permit and no drawings. Once you move walls, plumbing, gas or circuits, expect a permit and a set of scaled drawings. A clear set gets through plan check faster and gives your contractor a single plan to price from. See permit-ready drawings for what we prepare and where our scope stops.
Planning the layout too? Read kitchen layout clearances that pass inspection. Doing a bathroom as well? See bathroom remodel permit drawings.