Kitchen and bathroom remodels: when you need a permit, and what drawings

Published October 3, 2026 · TraceBIM permit guides

Not every kitchen or bathroom update needs a permit. New paint, new cabinet doors or a new countertop often don't. But once you move plumbing, add circuits, take out a wall or change the layout, most building departments want to review it. This guide explains where that line usually falls and what drawings to prepare.

This guide is general information, not legal, code or engineering advice. Permit rules differ between states, counties and cities and change over time. Always confirm requirements with your local building department.

Do you need a permit?

It depends on what you are changing. As a general pattern in many jurisdictions:

• Often no permit: painting, flooring, replacing cabinets or countertops in the same place, swapping a faucet or light fixture one-for-one.
• Often a permit: moving or adding plumbing (a sink, toilet, shower or dishwasher in a new spot), adding electrical circuits or outlets, adding or moving gas lines, changing ventilation, adding a window or door, or removing or moving walls.
• Almost always a permit, sometimes with engineering: removing a load-bearing wall (a wall that holds up floors or roof above).

Every jurisdiction draws this line a little differently, and some issue separate electrical or plumbing permits instead of one building permit. Confirm with your local building department before you start demolition.

The drawings you'll typically need

Interior remodels usually need a smaller set than additions. Typical items:

• Existing floor plan: the room as it is today, with walls, doors, windows and fixtures.
• Demolition notes or plan: what is being removed, especially walls.
• Proposed floor plan: the new layout with dimensions, cabinets, appliances and fixtures.
• Electrical plan: outlets, switches, lights, dedicated appliance circuits, exhaust fans.
• Plumbing layout: new or relocated fixtures, and where drains and vents run.
• Mechanical notes: range hood and bathroom exhaust fan, and where they vent to.
• Interior elevations: straight-on views of walls showing cabinet and fixture heights. Not always required, but helpful.
• Structural details: only if walls are removed or openings enlarged, showing the new beam or header and its supports.

What plan checkers commonly look for

• Load-bearing walls. If you remove or cut into one, how the load is carried instead. This often requires an engineer.
• Outlet protection. Kitchens and bathrooms commonly require special protected outlets (often called GFCI) near water, and kitchens typically need multiple dedicated circuits.
• Ventilation. Bathrooms usually need an exhaust fan or an openable window, ducted to the outside, not into the attic.
• Clearances around toilets, showers and in front of fixtures.
• Shower and tub safety, such as safety glass in or near wet areas.
• Plumbing drains and vents for new fixture locations.
• Gas appliances: line sizing, shutoffs and venting.
• Smoke and CO alarms. Some jurisdictions require alarms throughout the home to be updated when you pull a permit.

Common reasons submissions get sent back

• A wall removal with no information on whether it is load-bearing or how it will be supported.
• No electrical layout, or one missing required circuits or protected outlets.
• Bathroom exhaust not shown or not vented outside.
• Fixture clearances not dimensioned.
• Existing and proposed conditions not clearly distinguished.

How to make the drawings yourself with TraceBIM

TraceBIM is a web app (it works on an iPad too) that turns a rough sketch or a plain description into professional drawings. You do not need to know drafting software or drafting vocabulary.

1. Sketch or describe your space

   Measure the room and sketch it, or describe it: "10 by 12 foot kitchen, move the sink to the island, remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room, add a pantry." Include windows, doors and where the existing fixtures are.

2. Let the AI draft the drawings

   TraceBIM's AI drafts floor plans, elevations and sections from what you gave it, with dimensions, standard drawing symbols and a title block on each sheet.

3. Review and adjust

   Check dimensions, cabinet and fixture positions, and clearances. Add notes for outlets, circuits, fans and any wall being removed. Ask the AI for changes in plain language, or edit directly.

4. Export a PDF set

   Export the sheets as a PDF and submit them with your application, or hand them to your contractor, designer or engineer.

Be realistic about what the app does and does not cover. TraceBIM makes the drawings. Some things on the checklist above come from elsewhere: a property survey, energy compliance forms, product data sheets and, when required, engineering calculations or a professional's stamp. TraceBIM's Studio plan is free during early access, no credit card is needed, and every new workspace comes with starter AI credit.