Removing a wall for an open floor plan: permits and drawings
Taking out the wall between the kitchen and the living room is one of the most common remodel ideas, and one of the most commonly done without a permit. Whether the wall carries load decides almost everything: who has to be involved, what the permit office wants to see, and what it costs. Here is how to find out, and the drawings each case usually needs.
Updated 2026-10-19. Permit rules are local. Use this as a map, then read your city or county building department's pages before you start.
Do you need a permit to remove a wall?
Most US states base their house code on the International Residential Code (IRC). In the IRC, section R105.2 lists the work that needs no building permit, such as painting, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops. Removing or altering a wall is not on that list. Cities often add their own exemptions, and many let you take out a small non load bearing partition without a permit, so the real answer is on your building department's website or at its counter.
Two things change the answer quickly:
- The wall carries load. Removing a load bearing wall is structural work. Expect a building permit and drawings almost everywhere.
- The wall holds wiring, plumbing or ducts. Moving them is electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, which usually needs its own permit even when the wall itself does not.
Skipping the permit can come back when you sell: unpermitted work can show up in an inspection or an appraisal, and some buyers or lenders ask for it to be permitted first.
How to tell if a wall is load bearing
These signs suggest a wall carries load. None of them proves it either way; only a check of the framing by an engineer, architect or experienced contractor does.
- Floor joists or ceiling joists above run across the wall and rest on it, rather than running parallel to it. Look from the attic or the basement.
- A wall, beam or post sits directly above or below it on the next floor or in the basement.
- It runs down the middle of the house, roughly parallel to the ridge of the roof.
- It is an exterior wall. Exterior walls almost always carry load.
Original house plans, if you have them, may mark bearing walls. See how to find the floor plan of your house.
The drawings a permit for wall removal usually needs
| Sheet | What it shows | Usually drawn by |
|---|---|---|
| Existing floor plan | The rooms as they are, with the wall to remove marked, plus doors, windows and room sizes | Homeowner, drafter or designer |
| Proposed floor plan | The new open layout, with any new beam shown and where the posts land | Drafter or designer |
| Beam and post details | Beam size and material, the posts at each end and how the load reaches the foundation | Engineer or architect, when the wall is load bearing |
| Calculations | The structural calculations behind the beam size | Engineer, when the office asks for them |
| Electrical and plumbing notes | Outlets, switches, vents or pipes that move | Designer, or the trade contractor on their own permit |
For a non load bearing wall, an existing and a proposed plan are often all the office asks for, if it asks for anything. For a load bearing wall, the beam, the posts and what holds them up are the part plan reviewers look at hardest, and the part a licensed professional has to size.
Choices that change the design
- Dropped beam or flush beam. A beam below the ceiling is simpler. A beam hidden inside the ceiling gives the clean open look but usually means cutting and hanging the joists from it, which is more work.
- Post locations. Every post needs support all the way down. A post that lands on a floor with nothing under it may need a new footing in the basement or crawlspace.
- What is inside the wall. A plumbing vent or a duct can cost more to move than the beam.
- The floor and ceiling where the wall was. Two rooms may have different flooring or ceiling heights that now meet in one space.
A sensible order
- Get a measured plan of the rooms on both sides of the wall.
- Look at the framing from the attic or basement, then have the wall checked.
- If it is load bearing, have an engineer or architect size the beam and posts, working from the plan.
- Get bids on the same drawings, then apply for the permit.
Where we fit
We draw the existing floor plan from your measurements and photos, and a proposed layout can be shown as an overnight 3D visual ($99 at the pilot price) so you can see the open space before anything is cut. We do not decide whether a wall is load bearing and we do not size beams: that is the job of a licensed engineer or architect, who can work from our plan.
Free first 2D floor plan
New customers get one 2D floor plan of one floor of their home free, one per new customer. Use the code FIRSTPLAN on the quote form.
- What you send: the room measurements of that floor (a hand sketch with numbers is fine) and photos of each room.
- What you get: an as-built 2D floor plan of that floor as a PDF, drawn from your measurements.
- When: usually within 5 US business days after we have your measurements and photos. If we are behind, we tell you the date before we start.
- No card, nothing to pay, no obligation to order anything else.
- More plans: first plan free with FIRSTPLAN, each extra plan $10 (another floor or another property).
An existing conditions plan does not certify the structure. Whether a wall carries load and how to replace it needs a licensed engineer or architect, and permit approval is not guaranteed.