Building a Shop in Unincorporated Greene County
Greene County writes its own pole barn standard, down to hole diameter and how deep each post goes. Here is what the county expects before it stamps a permit.
- Appendix T pole barn standard
- 2012 I-Codes, 2011 NEC
- Living quarters allowed to 1,000 sq ft
Tell us what you're putting in it
Four questions. We call you back and talk through size, height and what it takes on your site.
The county has a written pole barn standard
Most jurisdictions make you back into post-frame rules from the general building code. Greene County does not. It publishes Appendix T, a dedicated pole barn standard with its own construction spec, so you can check a builder's plan against the county's own sheet before anything is ordered.
- Posts
- Minimum 6×6, ACQ or CCA treated.
- Holes
- 10 in diameter with concrete backfill, or 12 in with soil backfill.
- Under each post
- 4 in of crushed stone.
- Post spacing
- 8 or 10 ft on center.
- Embedment
- 28 to 64 in, set by truss span and eave height.
A permit is required to construct, alter, repair, move or demolish a structure. The county works from the 2012 International Codes and the 2011 National Electrical Code with local amendments. Permits expire if work has not started within six months, so do not pull one before your builder has a date.
The numbers your plan is sized to
These are the design values in Appendix T. Any truss quote or engineered plan for a Greene County build should be drawn to them.
- Roof live load
- 20 PSF
- Ground snow
- 20 PSF
- Wind
- 90 MPH nominal, 2012 code basis
- Seismic Design Category
- B
- Soil bearing
- 2,500 PSF
Engineering triggers: wood pole barns over 40 ft wide or over 5,000 sq ft need engineered plans. All wood trusses need shop drawings and certification. All metal or steel structures need complete plans and shop drawings, regardless of size.
How big your accessory building is allowed to be
Greene County ties maximum accessory size to lot area. This is the rule that decides whether a subdivision lot can hold a real shop or only a garden shed.
| Lot area | Maximum accessory building |
|---|---|
| Under 7,000 sq ft | 500 sq ft |
| Under 9,000 sq ft | 600 sq ft |
| Under 21,780 sq ft | 900 sq ft |
| Under 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | 1,000 sq ft |
| 5 acres or more | 5,000 sq ft and up |
Setbacks
- Minimum 10 ft from rear lot lines.
- Side yard the same as required for the principal structure.
- Minimum 10 ft from the principal structure.
- Not permitted in a required residential front yard, except in A-1, A-R, RR-1 or R-1 districts on parcels of 3 acres or more.
Living quarters are allowed, up to 1,000 sq ft
Greene County expressly permits living quarters inside a pole barn and caps them at 1,000 sq ft. Adding them changes four things about the build:
- Footings a minimum of 18 in below finish grade.
- Minimum 1/2-inch gypsum board separating the living area from the barn side.
- Egress door minimum 36 in wide by 6 ft 8 in tall.
- Sleeping-room egress window with a minimum 5.7 sq ft opening.
More on how that works in practice on our barndominium page, and on the shell itself under pole barns.
Septic comes with its own permit
If the building will have a bathroom, a septic permit is separate from the building permit. Greene County requires one for a new system and also for repair or replacement of an existing one. You will need a Greene County soils report from a qualified soil scientist plus a system design. The Environmental Division handles it at (417) 868-4147.
Greene County Resource Management, Building Regulations
940 N. Boonville Ave., Room 305, Springfield MO 65802
(417) 868-4015 · Monday–Friday 8:00–4:30
The county does not publish a building permit fee schedule. Anyone quoting you a Greene County permit fee from a web page is guessing — call the number above with your size and use.
Sitework is usually the first cost you hit here. See concrete and site prep for what the pad and footings involve.
If your parcel is somewhere else
Cross a county line or a city limit and a different office writes your rules.
- Christian County
South of the Greene County line. Different engineering rules and an agricultural exemption Greene County does not have.
- Nixa
Inside city limits every accessory building needs a permit, with no square-foot exemption.
- Ozark
Christian County seat, and the county's Planning & Development office sits there.
- Willard
Willard is inside Greene County, so everything on this page applies outside its city limits.
Greene County questions
- What does a shop permit cost in Greene County?
- The county does not publish a fee schedule for building permits, so there is no honest number to quote here. Call Greene County Resource Management at (417) 868-4015 with your size and use, and they will price it. A permit expires if work has not started within six months.
- How big an accessory building can I put on my lot?
- It scales with lot area. Under 7,000 sq ft you get 500 sq ft of accessory building; under 9,000 sq ft, 600; under 21,780, 900; under 43,560, 1,000. At 5 acres or more the cap opens up to 5,000 sq ft and beyond, which is why most real shops in the county sit on acreage.
- Do I need an engineer for a steel building?
- Yes. Greene County requires complete plans and shop drawings for all metal or steel structures, with no size threshold. Wood pole barns only need engineered plans past 40 ft of width or 5,000 sq ft, though all wood trusses still require shop drawings and certification.
Tell us where the parcel is and we'll tell you what the county wants
Give us the size you have in mind and whether the building is going up in the county or in a city, and we'll walk through setbacks, engineering and what to ask for when you call.
Mon–Fri 7am–6pm, Sat 8am–2pm · Serving Greene and Christian County.
Tell us what you're putting in it
Four questions. We call you back and talk through size, height and what it takes on your site.