YardPermit

Changes and corrections

What changed, and what was wrong

When a page states something wrong or unsupported, it is corrected and logged here: the date, what the page said, what it says now and which pages changed. New pages and substantial rewrites are listed as updates. An entry is never edited afterwards; a later fix gets its own.

Report an error

Send the page address, the sentence and, if you have one, the official source that shows the current rule, through the contact page. How a correction is checked is in the editorial policy.

Corrections

  1. The wage note on the cost pages names what benefits are a share of

    Under each wage table, the cost pages said benefits were 30.5% "of construction pay" in June 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics figure is a share of total compensation, wages and benefits together; as a share of wages alone it would be higher. The note now says "of construction compensation", and is two sentences: wages before benefits and overtime, and a contractor's quote adds overhead and margin. That the survey counts employees, not the self-employed, stays on the wages guide and in each page's source list.

    Pages changed: Fence cost, Deck cost, Patio cost, Driveway cost.

  2. Unsourced city notes on two state pages, and wrong counts on two index pages

    The Texas and California pages printed a one-line note under Dallas and San Jose, cities not yet checked, and neither note had a source; a city in the research queue now shows only its name and status. The state pages also said unchecked city pages stay out of search, where since September 30 they are not published at all. The locations index said two city briefings meet the source standard, with five checked, and the guides index said four guides do, with 24 published, and described guides on HOAs and ADUs that are not published; both counts now come from the editorial gate, and the guides index describes the guides it lists.

    Pages changed: Texas, California, Locations, Guides.

  3. The concrete, fence and mulch calculators could ask for one bag too many

    When a volume came out to an exact number of bags, the concrete, fence and mulch calculators could round a hair of floating-point arithmetic up into one more bag: a 12 by 12 foot pad 4 inches thick with 10 percent waste is 52.8 cubic feet, exactly 88 bags of 0.6 cubic feet, and the concrete calculator said 89. The bag counts now round up only a real fraction, as the paver and turf counts already did.

    Pages changed: Concrete calculator, Fence calculator, Mulch calculator.

  4. The deck calculator's joist spacing, from the code

    The deck calculator said, with no source, that 16 inches on center was the common default for wood decking laid perpendicular to the joists, that 12 inches was used for diagonal decking and by many composite products, and that 24 inches only worked where the decking product's span table allowed it; its mistakes list said most composite products require 16 inches or less, and its answer on composite decking gave 16 inches for boards laid perpendicular and 12 for diagonal patterns. It now gives the residential code's joist spacing under wood decking: 16 inches on center for 1¼-inch boards across three or more joists and 12 where a board rests on only two, 12 and 8 for diagonal boards, and 24 for 2-inch boards, or 18 where diagonal 2-inch boards rest on only two joists. Plastic composite decking goes to the maximum span on its label. Its note that every decking piece bears on at least three joists now says that rule is the American Wood Council's deck guide going further than the code.

    Pages changed: Deck calculator.

  5. The fence calculator's rail count, from city rules

    The fence calculator gave a fence under 6 feet two rails a span and a taller one three, and called that the usual pattern for a wood privacy fence, with no source. It now follows Mansfield, Texas, whose code wants one rail for every 2 feet of a wood privacy fence's height, and rounds up to a whole rail, so a 5-foot fence gets three rails a span and a 7- or 8-foot fence four; Federal Heights, Colorado, also wants at least three on a wooden stockade-style fence 5 feet or taller. The 8-foot default post spacing now cites the city rules that cap spacing at 8 feet, and the page answers how far apart fence posts should be and gives the concrete depths those cities set, which are not hole depths.

    Pages changed: Fence calculator, Home page fence calculator, Project brief.

  6. The fence calculator's post holes, from the manufacturer's steps

    The fence calculator set post holes at one third of the fence height with a two-foot minimum and filled each ten-inch hole with concrete, and said that followed the concrete maker's method. Quikrete's steps for setting posts put the hole at three times the post's width, one third to one half of the post's height above the ground plus 6 inches, with 6 inches of gravel in the bottom and concrete to 3 to 4 inches below the ground. The calculator now uses them: a 6-foot fence gets 10½-inch holes 2½ feet deep with 1¾ feet of concrete, and an 80-foot run at 8-foot spacing still takes 20 bags. The two-foot minimum, which no source gave, is gone, and so are unsourced claims that the frost line governs a post's depth, that gate posts are heavier and set deeper, and that a gate takes two posts and a corner always adds bracing. The page now says the concrete assumes a 4×4 and a post as tall as the fence, and that it runs about 16% high because the post's own volume is not subtracted.

    Pages changed: Fence calculator, Home page fence calculator, Project brief, Concrete calculator (its source list).

  7. The deck calculator's permit answer, from the code

    The deck calculator said a deck commonly needs a permit when it is elevated, attached or over a stated size, with no source. It now gives the model code's exemption: 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade, not attached to the house and not serving the required exit door. Austin and Los Angeles set their own lines, which the deck permit brief compares.

    Pages changed: Deck calculator.

  8. The concrete calculator's slab thickness, from the code

    The concrete calculator called 4 inches the common thickness for a patio or walkway slab without a source. It now gives the residential code's least thickness for a concrete floor slab on the ground, 3½ inches (IRC R506.1), and sends a patio, walkway or driveway to the building department.

    Pages changed: Concrete calculator.

  9. Fence rules from each city's own pages, and Los Angeles's side and rear yard limit

    The fence permit guide, the fence field guide and the fence calculator described a common pattern of about 6-foot rear fences and 3- to 4-foot front fences without a source. They now give the model code's 7-foot exemption and each city's own lines: Austin's fencing regulations (permits, 6 feet for a solid fence on a property line, corner lots and safe fencing) and Los Angeles's permit exemptions and zoning limits, with California's rule on sharing the cost of a dividing fence. The Los Angeles fence answer, which the permit checker also gave, said zoning caps most side and rear fences at 6 feet and some at 8; the zoning code allows 8 feet on an RW lot or a lot 40 feet wide or more outside a Hillside Area and 6 feet on a narrower or hillside lot. The field guide keeps Austin's figures, which it cites, and points to the permit brief for each city's lines, including in the permit line the permits list and the home page also show; Austin's fence source links to its English page.

    Pages changed: Do you need a permit for a fence?, Fence permit brief, Fence field guide, Austin, Los Angeles, Texas, California, Fence calculator, Guides, Permits, Permit checker, Home.

  10. The deck height guide cites the code for its railing and stair figures

    The guide said model codes use 30 inches above grade as a trigger for guards and that a city may use another number, and it discussed ledgers, lateral ties and frost footings, all without a source. It now gives the figures of the 2024 International Residential Code and of California's 2025 edition, each section cited: guards on open sides more than 30 inches above the grade within 36 inches of the edge, at least 36 inches high, 42 in California, with no opening below that height a 4-inch sphere passes, and 34 inches and 4⅜ along a stair; risers of 7¾ inches at most and treads of 10 inches at least; a handrail 34 to 38 inches high on a flight of four or more risers. It says that neither Austin's adoption nor Los Angeles's amendments change these figures, and the paragraph on ledgers and footings is gone.

    Pages changed: Deck railing height and stair rules, Guides.

  11. The permit checker no longer says every permit-exempt job needs an 811 call

    Under an exempt result, the checker said a permit exemption is not an exemption from an 811 call. The one-call laws are narrower than that: Texas's covers digging with powered or mechanized equipment to 16 inches or more, and California's does not apply to a homeowner's own digging that needs no permit. The line now says the digging may need a call to 811 first and links the guide that sets out both laws.

    Pages changed: Permit checker.

  12. A small freestanding patio cover in Los Angeles is the city's call, not a certain permit

    The permit checker said any freestanding roofed patio cover in Los Angeles needs a permit, and the Los Angeles patio answer said a cover is exempt only as a canopy or awning fixed to the house. The building code's line for small detached structures takes in sheds, playhouses and similar uses up to 120 square feet, and whether a small freestanding cover is a similar use is for LADBS to decide. The checker now asks for the cover's area and answers Ask the city up to 120 square feet and Permit required past it; the patio answer says the same and keeps the canopy line for covers fixed to the house.

    Pages changed: Patio permit brief, Permit checker, Los Angeles.

  13. Los Angeles's ten-foot fence line covers any fence but masonry, and not pool barriers

    The Los Angeles fence answer said a wood or wrought-iron fence may rise to 10 feet without a permit. The city's building code (LAMC 91.106.2, item 13) exempts any fence other than masonry or concrete up to 10 feet, and leaves swimming pool barriers out, so a pool barrier needs a permit at any height. The fence brief, the model-code line and the Los Angeles page now say so.

    Pages changed: Fence permit brief, Los Angeles.

  14. A published deck price replaces the claim that none exists

    The deck cost page said carpenters' wages stood where a price per square foot would, since no survey publishes one, and other pages said no source prices a deck. The Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report does: it estimates what one defined 16×20 deck costs in wood and in composite, nationally and by city. The deck cost page now gives that estimate for the U.S., Austin and Los Angeles, with what the deck includes and how the report builds its figures. The fence, patio and driveway cost pages still give no price, because no source we read publishes one for them.

    Pages changed: Deck cost, Costs, Methodology, How YardPermit estimates cost, Backyard trade wages by state, Deck calculator.

  15. Price ranges without a source are gone

    Twenty-eight price ranges named no source, and two contradicted each other: the price per foot of a fence and per square foot of a deck differed between the field guide and the calculator. All 28 were removed. The calculators now total their quantities at prices you enter, and the cost pages show what the trades earn, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, instead of a national price.

    Pages changed: Fence field guide, Deck field guide, Shed field guide, Patio field guide, Driveway field guide, Fence cost, Deck cost, Fence calculator, Deck calculator.

  16. Gravel weight now comes from a state transportation department

    The gravel calculator converted cubic yards to tons at a factor with no source. It now uses the Tennessee Department of Transportation's factor for the material you pick: 1.49 tons per compacted cubic yard of No. 57 stone, 2.03 of dense-graded base.

    Pages changed: Gravel calculator.

  17. Patio and driveway guides no longer send readers to a brief that does not exist

    Their next step told readers to carry their numbers into a project brief, which the brief builder does not offer for a patio or a driveway. It now names the calculator to use and what to ask each bidder.

    Pages changed: Patio field guide, Driveway field guide.

  18. Field guides no longer describe their sources as market context

    A line under each field guide's sources said they established examples and market context. It repeated the disclaimer and no longer described the sources once the price ranges went, so it was removed; each source's own note says what it backs.

    Pages changed: Fence field guide, Deck field guide, Shed field guide, Patio field guide, Driveway field guide.

Updates

  1. From deck footing tables to a complete project scope

    The deck footing guide puts its calculator and full deck planning guide beside the opening answer. The footing calculator now links to a deck project brief, explaining that the area carried by one post is not the full deck footprint and does not transfer those inputs as project dimensions. The guide's search title and summary now name its size chart, depth and post-height examples. The code figures, calculations and source-review dates are unchanged.

    Pages changed: Deck footing size and post height tables, Deck footing calculator.

  2. A square footage calculator

    A new calculator works out the square feet of a room, yard, deck or patio from up to four pieces, each a rectangle, triangle, circle or trapezoid measured in feet, and converts the total to square yards, square meters and acres. The conversions are NIST Handbook 44's: 9 square feet to the square yard, 43,560 to the acre and 0.09290304 square meter to the square foot.

    Pages changed: Square footage calculator.

  3. The fence permit brief says how each city takes the application

    The brief's third step only said that special conditions deserve a building department's review. It now says how each checked city takes a fence application: Austin files one over its permit line as a small project, Los Angeles can issue an express permit without plan check for a standard block wall up to 6 feet outside the front yard, Phoenix checks a fence of 3 to 7 feet against its code and zoning only, and Houston and San Diego price a fence by its length. The brief now cites those cities' codes and fee schedules.

    Pages changed: Fence permit brief.

  4. A guide to the site plan a building permit needs

    A new guide sets out what a site plan, or plot plan, for a residential permit must show in Austin, Phoenix and San Diego, item by item, from each city's own list: Austin's residential application (June 2025 edition), Phoenix's single-family plot plan example (revised July 2026) and San Diego's Information Bulletin 122 (May 2026). It compares the three in a table and says when a land surveyor has to seal the plan. Los Angeles's and Houston's lists were not read, and the guide says so.

    Pages changed: Site plan guide.

  5. The moving company guide now covers hiring one, step by step

    The guide explained how to check a mover's USDOT number, census record and authority, but not the steps of hiring one. It now opens with them, from the FTC's alert on hiring a moving company, re-read on this date, and the federal estimate rule: written estimates from several movers after an in-person look, DOT registration for a move across state lines, reviews and complaint searches, insurance and damage terms, the three warning signs the FTC lists, and where to report a problem. Its title is now "How to hire and check a moving company". No earlier statement changed.

    Pages changed: How to hire and check a moving company.

  6. The fence guide adds Houston, Phoenix and San Diego

    The fence permit guide covered the model code, Austin and Los Angeles. It now gives the permit line and the yard heights in Houston, Phoenix and San Diego, as their city pages print them, with a table, and says where a figure needs confirming: Phoenix's front-yard cap comes from a 2013 summary that a 2025 zoning hearing did not follow, and Houston has no zoning height table, so deed restrictions set most fence heights there. It opens with a key-facts box and phrases its headings as questions. No earlier figure changed.

    Pages changed: Fence permit guide.

  7. The patio permit brief answers the patio cover question for every checked city

    The brief's first step separated the slab from "a roof" without saying where a cover needs a permit. It now gives each list's nearest line: the exempt lists of the model code, Austin, Houston and Los Angeles name no patio cover, so a freestanding one has to fit a small-building line; Phoenix exempts a non-cantilevered shade structure and San Diego a patio cover in the RS and RX zones up to set sizes; fixed to the house, a cover is exempt only as a small awning. The figures are the ones the city pages print, and the brief now cites Houston's, Phoenix's and San Diego's codes.

    Pages changed: Patio permit brief.

  8. A New York to Florida route brief

    A fifth reviewed route brief reads the 2024 ACS for New York to Florida: New York's five largest destinations and Florida's five largest origins, each with its 90% margin, and whether each ranking holds. Florida is second among New York's destinations and New York first among Florida's origins, but in both cases the gap to the next state is inside the combined margin, and the brief says so. It adds the reverse flow and the federal estimate, delivery, storage-in-transit and invoice rules that apply to a move between the two states. The four earlier route briefs keep their content; their search titles now read "Moving From ... to ...".

    Pages changed: New York to Florida route brief, Route Explorer.

  9. The interstate moving rules guide now covers the invoice and storage in transit

    The guide said charges not collected at delivery are billed afterwards but did not say how. It now sets out what the mover's invoice must show (49 CFR 375.215 and 373.103), when it is due and what an unpaid balance costs (49 CFR 375.807: 15 days to present it, weekends and federal holidays excluded, then 7 days of credit extended to 30 with a 1 percent service charge of at least $20), and the written notice a mover owes before storage in transit ends (49 CFR 375.609). Each rule is cited to its section of the eCFR, read on this date. No earlier statement changed.

    Pages changed: How interstate household-goods estimates work.

  10. Every permit brief now shows Houston, Phoenix and San Diego

    Each permit brief's answer, which sets the model code beside Austin and Los Angeles, gains a second table with the permit-free line in Houston, Phoenix and San Diego, each linked to its city page and the same figure the permits page prints. The retaining wall brief also says where the cities measure from: the model code, Austin, Houston and Los Angeles from the bottom of the footing, San Diego (3 feet) and Phoenix (40 inches) from its top, and cites both cities' codes. No figure changed.

    Pages changed: Fence permit brief, Deck permit brief, Shed permit brief, Patio permit brief, Driveway permit brief, Pergola permit brief, Retaining wall permit brief, Pool permit brief, Gazebo permit brief, Garage permit brief, ADU permit brief.

  11. A deck footing calculator

    A new calculator works out the deck area one post carries from the joist length, any joist overhang and the post spacing, using the American Wood Council's DCA 6 formulas for a post between two beam spans and for an end post, then reads the footing size from IRC Table R507.3.1 and the tallest wood post from Table R507.4 at 40 psf. It reads the next table row up and says how far apart the posts can be when a post carries more than the table's 160 square feet. The deck footing guide and the deck calculator link to it.

    Pages changed: Deck footing calculator, Deck footing size and post height tables, Deck calculator.

  12. US moving checks and Census migration data join YardPermit

    The moving publication previously hosted on immerveil.fyi now has a home in YardPermit's Moving section: the FMCSA mover lookup, written-estimate check, estimate comparison, storage calculator, state and corridor data, and moving guides. The Census estimates, margins of error, dataset citations and original publication limits are retained. The mover lookup still checks the full public FMCSA file; a cache miss during an outage is reported as unavailable. YardPermit's existing About, Privacy and Terms pages now describe this section.

    Pages changed: Moving, Mover Check, Quote Check, Migration data.

  13. Phoenix joins the checked cities

    The Phoenix page now answers the eleven published projects from the 2024 Phoenix Building Construction Code, in force since August 1, 2025: its list of work exempt from a permit, its pool barrier amendments, the city's ADU rules and zoning summary for fences, and the Planning & Development fee schedule effective January 20, 2026. Where an older city handout disagrees with the adopted code, the page follows the code and says so. The permits page's table of permit-free limits gains a Phoenix column, and the Arizona page lists Phoenix as checked.

    Pages changed: Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona, Permits.

  14. A French drain calculator

    A new calculator sizes one straight French drain: the gravel in cubic yards and tons, the perforated pipe, the fabric that wraps the gravel, the soil left over it and the fall from end to end. Its defaults are published ones: a trench about 1.5 feet deep and 10 to 12 inches wide (Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District), 2 inches of washed gravel under the pipe and 6 over it (Department of Energy), a 0.5 to 1 percent slope (Washington State University Extension), and TDOT's weight for uncompacted No. 57 stone. The gravel calculator links to it.

    Pages changed: French drain calculator, Gravel calculator.

  15. Four cities in the permit-free limits table, and worksheets for the permit counter

    The table of permit-free limits on the permits page now sets Houston's and San Diego's lines beside the model code's, Austin's and Los Angeles's, each a figure its city page cites. The fence, deck and shed permit briefs gain a worksheet to print and fill in before calling the city: the measurements the exempt lists turn on, and the questions only the city can answer. The worksheets restate thresholds the briefs already give; no figure changed.

    Pages changed: Permits, Fence permit brief, Deck permit brief, Shed permit brief.

  16. San Diego joins the checked cities

    The San Diego page now answers the eleven published projects from the city's own Municipal Code: its Building Permit exemptions and their exceptions, its fence and retaining wall regulations, its right-of-way permits and its ADU rules, with California's pool and ADU statutes where they apply, and the plan check and inspection lines of Development Services' fee bulletin of August 2026. Where no line names the work, the answer says which line it would have to fit. The page was a research-queue placeholder before and answered 404. The deck cost page now says that the Cost vs. Value Report has no San Diego market.

    Pages changed: San Diego, California, Deck cost.

  17. The deck estimate for Houston

    The deck cost page gives the Cost vs. Value Report's figures for Houston beside Austin and Los Angeles, now that Houston is one of the cities whose permit rules the site checks. The national figures did not change; 2025 is still the report's latest edition.

    Pages changed: Deck cost.

  18. Houston joins Austin and Los Angeles as a checked city

    The Houston page now answers the eleven published projects from Houston's own code: its amended residential code's exempt list, its pool code and pool safety chapter, the floodplain, building-line and deed-restriction chapters of the city code, and the fee lines of the City Fee Schedule. Where no line names the work, the answer says which line it would have to fit and who decides. The page was a research-queue placeholder before and answered 404.

    Pages changed: Houston, Texas.

  19. Drawings for the pool fence and frost line guides

    The pool fence guide gains a drawing of a pool barrier and its gate, marking the height, the gap under it, the openings and the latch, and the frost line guide one of where the frost line and a footing sit below the grade. The figures sit in each legend and are the ones the guides already state, so no figure changed.

    Pages changed: Pool fence requirements, Frost line depth.

  20. Worked examples and drawings for the concrete and gravel calculators

    The concrete calculator gains a table of common pours, from an 8 by 10 foot shed pad to a 10 by 20 foot slab, with cubic feet, cubic yards and 80-lb and 60-lb bag counts, a drawing of what it measures, and answers on a 10 by 10 slab and how far a cubic yard goes. The gravel calculator gains a table of common areas in cubic yards and in tons of No. 57 stone and dense-graded base, a drawing of loose and compacted stone, and answers on a 10 by 10 area and how far a ton goes. Every figure comes from the calculators' own formulas and the sources already cited.

    Pages changed: Concrete calculator, Gravel calculator.

  21. A guide to what a building permit costs and how long it takes

    A new guide sets out how a permit fee is set under the model residential code (a permit is valid only once paid, on the schedule the local government sets, from the total value of the work where a city charges by value, with an added fee for work begun before its permit); Austin's residential fee lines for fiscal year 2026-27 from the Council's fee ordinance; how Los Angeles works its fee out from the value of the work, with a plan check fee of 90 percent of the building permit fee, 165 percent for a house's building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits together and 175 percent for a pool, and a CPI adjustment each July 1 that leaves the code's printed amounts out of date; and how long a city may take, with Texas's 45 days to grant, deny, explain or agree a deadline. The permits page and the fence, deck, shed and driveway pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Building permit cost and time, Guides, Permits, Fence field guide, Deck field guide, Shed field guide, Driveway field guide.

  22. Austin's fees for fiscal year 2026-27

    Austin's fee lines now come from the fee ordinance the City Council adopted on August 12, 2026 (No. 20260812-006), in force from October 1, 2026, where they came from the fiscal year 2025-26 schedules. The small project plan review that fences and pools are filed under rises 10 percent, Transportation and Public Works' residential driveway and sidewalk review 22 percent, and Development Services' residential driveway inspection 10 percent, both its base and its charge per driveway; the pages give the new amounts. The shed and ADU briefs cite the same ordinance for plan review by square footage.

    Pages changed: Fence permit brief, Driveway permit brief, Pool permit brief, Shed permit brief, ADU permit brief, Permits, Austin, Texas.

  23. Drawings for the deck railing and fence guides

    The deck railing guide gains two drawings, one of where a deck needs a guard and how high it stands, one of a deck stair's risers, treads and rails, and the fence guide gains a plan of fence heights around a house lot. Each drawing numbers what it shows; the figures sit in the legend beneath it and are the ones the guide's text and tables already state, so no figure changed.

    Pages changed: Deck railing height and stair rules, Fence permit rules.

  24. Pages still in the research queue are no longer published

    Thirty-four pages that had not passed the editorial review were still served, out of search and unlinked, each a short note saying its review was pending: 22 state and city pages outside Austin, Los Angeles, California and Texas, 8 cost pages, the outdoor-structures field guide, permit brief and cost page, and two guides (ADU basics, and HOA approval against a city permit). They now answer page not found, and each comes back only once it passes the review. The index pages and the editorial policy now say that an unreviewed page is not published, where they said it stayed out of search.

    Pages changed: Projects, Permits, Locations, About, Editorial policy, Methodology.

  25. A guide to backyard chickens in Austin and Los Angeles

    A new guide sets out what each city's animal code says about backyard chickens. A search of Austin's Title 3 found no hen count; the code requires a fowl enclosure with four secure sides and overhead cover, not over the height restrictions of a fence on the owner's property, at least 30 feet from an adjacent residence or business structure (50 feet if the fowl or the enclosure creates a health hazard), and no fowl running at large. Los Angeles's limits roosters to one a lot, with exceptions, and leaves how far animals and their enclosures must be from dwellings and other occupancies to its Department of Animal Services, whose rules the page could not find, so it says to ask. The shed pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Backyard chickens, Guides, Shed field guide, Shed permit brief.

  26. A guide to a neighbor's tree over the property line

    A new guide sets out who owns a tree near the property line: in California, the owner of the land its trunk stands on, or the owners in common when the trunk stands partly on each lot (Civil Code §§ 833 and 834), with three times the actual harm for wrongfully injuring trees on another's land, and twice or the actual harm alone in the cases the section lists (§ 3346); in Texas, generally the trunk's location, with a neighbor's right to trim branches back to the line, as the State Law Library describes it. The Civil Code sections read say nothing about trimming, and the page says to ask a lawyer. The fence pages link to it.

    Pages changed: A neighbor's tree over the line, Guides, Fence field guide, Fence permit brief, Fence cost page.

  27. A guide to California's good neighbor fence law

    A new guide sets out California Civil Code § 841: adjoining landowners are presumed to share equally the reasonable cost of a fence dividing their properties unless they agree otherwise in writing; a landowner who intends to spend on it must give 30 days' written notice with the contents the law lists; and where a party shows by a preponderance of the evidence that equal shares would be unjust, the court shall order a smaller share or none. Public agencies are not covered. It adds § 841.4 on fences maliciously kept unnecessarily over 10 feet to annoy a neighbor, and Texas, which the State Law Library says has no specific state statute on boundary fences. The fence pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Good neighbor fence law, Guides, Fence field guide, Fence permit brief, Fence cost page.

  28. The site moves to Cloudflare, and so does the visit count

    YardPermit is now served by Cloudflare instead of Vercel, with most pages written out ahead of time. Page views are counted with Cloudflare Web Analytics in place of Vercel Web Analytics: Cloudflare says it sets no cookies or local storage, fingerprints no one and logs no query strings. The privacy notice names the new host and what it records.

    Every page.

  29. A turf and sod calculator

    A new calculator works out artificial turf for a rectangular lawn in 15-foot strips, Artificial Turf Supply's roll width, laid whichever way buys less turf, with the seams, the offcut and the infill by the turf's weight, from Artificial Turf Supply's guides; and natural sod with about 5 percent extra in pallets that typically hold 450 to 500 square feet, from Mississippi State University Extension. The topsoil calculator links to it.

    Pages changed: Turf calculator, Calculators, Topsoil calculator, Home page calculator list, About page calculator list.

  30. A guide to greenhouse permits

    A new guide sets out the small-building lines a backyard greenhouse would have to fit to need no building permit. None of the permit-exemption lists the site read names a greenhouse, so it compares the model code's 200 square feet for a one-story detached accessory structure, Austin's 200 square feet and 15 feet with no plumbing and outside a flood hazard area, and Los Angeles's 120 square feet for sheds, playhouses and similar uses with no heating, plumbing or electrical installation, and it says the building department decides whether a greenhouse fits. The shed pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Greenhouse permits, Guides, Shed field guide, Shed permit brief.

  31. A guide to frost line depth

    A new guide explains that the residential code leaves the frost line depth to each city or county, as the minimum depth of footing below finish grade, and how to find yours; gives Austin's and Los Angeles's 12 inches with each city's air freezing index and mean annual temperature; and sets out what must be protected from frost, the four ways the model code allows, its frost-protected shallow foundation, its exception for small free-standing accessory structures and its rule for deck footings, saying where to ask the building department. The shed pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Frost line depth, Guides, Shed field guide, Shed permit brief.

  32. A guide to hot tub pads and electrical requirements

    A new guide gives what a hot tub pad has to carry, from one maker's published loads of 115 to 130 pounds per square foot, occupants included, against the 40 psf live load the deck span tables assume; what two makers say a tub may sit on, and where gravel fits; the model residential code's electrical rules for an outdoor tub, GFCI protection, a disconnect at least 5 feet away, receptacles at least 6 feet away and a plug-in cord no longer than 15 feet; the permits Austin and Los Angeles require for the wiring, and the question each leaves open for the tub itself; and the safety-cover exception to the pool fence rules. The pool pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Hot tub pad and electrical requirements, Guides, Pool field guide, Pool permit brief.

  33. A guide to deck footing size and post height

    A new guide gives the residential code's deck footing sizes at its 40 psf live load, which governs in Austin: the side of a square footing, the diameter of a round one and the concrete thickness for 5 to 160 square feet of deck on soil bearing 1,500, 2,000 and 3,000 or more psf, with the soil values the code presumes. It gives the greatest height of 4×4, 4×6, 6×6 and 8×8 posts in each species group by the deck area they carry, how deep footings go and how posts are held to them. California sets a deck's live load at 60 psf, and the post table has no 60 psf live load row, so the guide sends Los Angeles readers to the city; it also notes that Los Angeles permits isolated plain concrete footings in dwellings only in seismic design categories A to C. The deck pages and the deck span guide link to it.

    Pages changed: Deck footing size and post height, Deck joist and beam spans, Guides, Deck field guide, Deck permit brief, Deck cost page, Deck calculator.

  34. A guide to deck joist and beam spans

    A new guide gives the residential code's deck span tables at its 40 psf live load, which governs in Austin: how far Southern pine, Douglas fir-larch, hem-fir, spruce-pine-fir, redwood, western cedar, ponderosa pine and red pine joists may span at 12, 16 and 24 inches on center, how far a joist may cantilever past its beam, how far a single, double or triple beam may span for joists that do not cantilever, and how far apart the joists may sit under wood or plastic composite decking. It also gives the code's rules for the ledger that attaches a deck to a house, when a deck must be self-supporting, and when a small free-standing deck on precast concrete pier blocks needs no footings. California sets a deck's live load at 60 psf, which the tables do not cover, so the guide sends Los Angeles readers to the city. The deck pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Deck joist and beam spans, Guides, Deck field guide, Deck permit brief, Deck cost page.

  35. A guide to grading permits

    A new guide covers moving soil on a lot. Los Angeles requires a grading permit to grade or to bring soil onto or haul it off a site, except for small cuts and fills of up to 50 cubic yards that leave the drainage unchanged, excavations for foundations and pools under a building permit outside hillside areas, and a few other cases. Austin's environment code limits cut and fill to 4 feet of depth, with exceptions that include its urban watersheds and the digging for a foundation or pool. The retaining wall and pool pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Grading permits, Guides, Retaining wall field guide, Retaining wall permit brief, Pool field guide, Pool permit brief.

  36. A guide to zoning variances

    A new guide explains what a zoning or setback variance is and how each city decides one. Austin's Board of Adjustment must find that the rule does not allow a reasonable use, that the hardship is unique to the property and that the variance will not harm the area, and Texas law requires 75 percent of the board to agree; the board must grant a special exception for a qualifying home whose setback violation is at least 25 years old. In Los Angeles a Zoning Administrator decides a variance after notice to owners and occupants within 500 feet and must make five findings, and the planning director can grant a smaller adjustment. The setbacks guide and the garage and ADU pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Zoning variances, Guides, Setbacks guide, Garage field guide, Garage permit brief, ADU field guide, ADU permit brief.

  37. A guide to right-of-way permits

    A new guide covers work in the public right-of-way: a driveway's curb cut, a sidewalk repair and a private improvement left along the street. Austin requires a permit for every right-of-way activity, a driveway/sidewalk permit for curbs, sidewalks and driveway approaches, and a right-of-way contractor's license to do the work. Los Angeles's Bureau of Engineering issues an A-permit for small curb, sidewalk and driveway work, free for sidewalks broken by street tree roots, and a revocable R-permit for encroachments; its code makes the owner maintain the sidewalk in front of a lot and sets deadlines when the city orders a repair. The guide states no fees. The fence and retaining wall pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Right-of-way permits, Guides, Fence field guide, Fence permit brief, Fence cost, Retaining wall field guide, Retaining wall permit brief.

  38. A guide to how a building permit works

    A new guide covers a permit from application to final inspection. Under the model code a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or 180 days pass between inspections; Austin's code uses the same 180 days, and Los Angeles gives 12 months to start and 2 years in all unless extended. It sets out the inspections each code lists through the final, who may be the contractor (Austin's homestead permit and California's owner-builder exemptions), and what the model code and Austin say about work done without a permit. It states no fees. The deck, garage and ADU field guides and permit briefs and the deck cost page link to it.

    Pages changed: How a building permit works, Guides, Deck field guide, Garage field guide, ADU field guide, Deck permit brief, Garage permit brief, ADU permit brief, Deck cost.

  39. A guide to building on an easement

    A new guide explains what a utility or drainage easement lets its holder do and what an owner may build in one. In Austin, Austin Energy allows a removable fence in its utility easements but no building, pool or other permanent structure, keeps 8 feet clear around the pedestals, vaults and manholes its crews enter, and sets its own distances for pools and trees; the city's drainage code keeps waterways clear and allows a private retaining wall in a drainage easement only in special cases. In Los Angeles, building in a public sewer or storm drain easement goes through the Bureau of Engineering, which can require recorded papers and its own permits. California's Civil Code sets how an easement ends and who maintains a shared driveway. The fence, shed, retaining wall and pool pages and the setbacks guide link to it.

    Pages changed: Easements, Guides, Setbacks guide, Fence field guide, Shed field guide, Retaining wall field guide, Pool field guide, Fence permit brief, Shed permit brief, Retaining wall permit brief, Pool permit brief, Fence cost.

  40. A guide to pool fence requirements

    A new guide sets out the barrier rules for a backyard pool. The model pool code wants a barrier at least 48 inches high outside, no opening a 4-inch sphere passes, and gates that open outward, close and latch by themselves, with an outside latch that is not self-locking at least 54 inches up. Austin adopts that code and asks 60 inches of a chain link barrier; Texas's pool yard law reaches only rental complexes, property owners associations, and rental homes in condominium, cooperative and town home projects. California makes a new or remodeled pool at a single-family home carry at least two of seven drowning prevention features, and Los Angeles asks 60 inches on a lot with one to three homes. The pool and fence pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Pool fence requirements, Guides, Pool permit brief, Pool field guide, Fence permit brief, Fence field guide, Fence cost.

  41. Deck footing depth, and garage and shed slabs, from the code

    The deck calculator answers how deep deck footings go: at least 12 inches below undisturbed ground, below the frost line where the deck is attached to a frost-protected house, with Austin and Los Angeles both at 12 inches. The concrete calculator adds that a garage or shed floor slab takes the same 3½ inches.

    Pages changed: Deck calculator, Concrete calculator.

  42. A guide to fire pit rules: distance, permits and open burning

    A new guide sets out the fire code's lines for backyard fires. A recreational fire, 3 feet across and 2 feet high or less, has to be at least 25 feet from a structure or combustible material and needs no permit under the model code; a portable outdoor fireplace has a 15-foot line that the model code does not apply at one- and two-family dwellings; open burning keeps 50 feet from structures; and each has to be attended, with an extinguisher rated at least 4-A or other approved means at hand. It adds Austin's permits for warming fires, rubbish fires and bonfires, and its fire department's rules for houses, which prohibit open burning; Texas's limits on what may be burned; and Los Angeles's special permits for outdoor burning and its approval of a permanently installed outdoor burning device within 10 feet of a building. The patio and deck pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Fire pit rules, Guides, Patio permit brief, Patio field guide, Deck permit brief, Deck field guide, Patio cost, Deck cost.

  43. A guide to tree removal permits in Austin and Los Angeles

    A new guide sets out when a tree needs a city permit to come down. Austin protects any tree 19 inches or more across and makes one of 24 inches or more of ten species a heritage tree, removable outside an emergency only by variance; it wants a tree review to prune 25 percent or more of a regulated tree's canopy or to impact it or disturb its root zone, and lets a damaged protected or heritage tree that is an imminent hazard come down within seven days of the damage. Los Angeles protects six native trees and shrubs from 4 inches across and may require at least four replacements for each one removed, and removing or pruning any tree in the street takes a Board of Public Works permit. The garage, ADU and pool pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Tree removal permits, Guides, Garage permit brief, ADU permit brief, Pool permit brief, Garage field guide, ADU field guide, Pool field guide.

  44. A pool volume calculator

    A new calculator works out how much water a rectangular, round or oval pool holds, from its size and the water's depth at each end: the water surface, cubic feet, and gallons and liters by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's conversion factors, 7.48052 gallons and 28.31685 liters to the cubic foot. It gives the hours to fill at a flow the reader enters and a total at the reader's water rate. The pool permit brief and field guide link to it.

    Pages changed: Pool volume calculator, Calculators, Pool permit brief, Pool field guide.

  45. A deck railing calculator

    A new calculator counts the balusters a guard section between two posts needs so that no gap passes the code's sphere: 4 inches on a deck and 4⅜ inches along a stair, under the 2024 International Residential Code and California's 2025 edition. The count keeps every gap at least 1/32 inch under the sphere, so no gap reads as the sphere on a tape. It gives the gap, the on-center spacing, the total for all sections and the guard's height: at least 36 inches on a deck under the model code and in Austin, 42 in California and Los Angeles, and 34 along a stair, with the formula shown. The deck railing guide, the deck stair and deck calculators and the deck pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Deck railing calculator, Calculators, Deck railing height and stair rules.

  46. A deck stair calculator

    A new calculator lays out a straight deck stair from the deck's height and a tread depth: the fewest risers the code allows and their height, the treads, the run and the stringer's length, with every formula shown. It checks the risers, treads, nosing, width and flight rise against the stair sections of the 2024 International Residential Code, which Austin adopts unchanged and California's residential code prints the same, and says when the stair needs a handrail or guards. The deck railing guide, the deck calculator and the deck pages link to it.

    Pages changed: Deck stair calculator, Calculators, Deck railing height and stair rules.

  47. The permit checker says when a deck needs guards

    Under each deck answer, the checker now gives the guard line: guards on any open side more than 30 inches above the grade within 36 inches of its edge, at least 36 inches high under the model code and in Austin, and 42 inches in Los Angeles, which builds to California's residential code, with 34 inches and a 4⅜-inch sphere along a stair. For a deck 30 inches or lower, it says a guard is needed only where the ground beside it drops to more than 30 inches below the deck.

    Pages changed: Permit checker.

  48. ADUs get a permit brief and a field guide

    The ADU pages were in the research queue and kept out of search. The brief now says why an ADU always needs a permit: the International Residential Code treats it as a dwelling unit, and no exemption covers one or the plumbing and wiring it needs. It gives California's ADU law as amended on January 1, 2026: a ministerial decision within 60 days of a complete application, at least 800 square feet and 16 feet allowed, side and rear setbacks of no more than 4 feet for a new unit, and no impact fee at 750 square feet or less. It adds Los Angeles's ordinance, with its 1,200-square-foot cap on a detached ADU, and Austin's HOME amendments, which allow up to three units on SF-1 to SF-3 lots of at least 5,750 square feet. The permit checker covers ADUs.

    Pages changed: ADU permit brief, ADU field guide, Permit checker, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  49. Detached garages get a permit brief and a field guide

    The garage pages were in the research queue and kept out of search. The brief now gives the International Residential Code's line: a detached garage is exempt only as a one-story accessory structure up to 200 square feet of floor area, a 10-by-20-foot footprint, and one that needs a permit is built to the code's fire lines near a lot line and near the house. Austin applies its accessory-structure line and, in its central residential design area, counts a garage toward the floor-area cap unless it earns a 450- or 200-square-foot exemption. Los Angeles's small-building line stops at 120 square feet, and its zoning puts a detached garage on the rear half of the lot. The permit checker measures garages.

    Pages changed: Garage permit brief, Garage field guide, Permit checker, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  50. The before-you-dig guide leaves the research queue with Texas's and California's one-call laws

    The guide was two unsourced paragraphs kept out of search. It now sets out when the law requires a call to 811. Texas's covers digging with explosives or powered or mechanized equipment that disturbs soil 16 inches deep or more, with notice no earlier than 14 days and no later than 48 hours ahead, weekends and holidays aside. California's counts digging with any tool but leaves out a homeowner's own digging that needs no permit, and asks for white marks on the dig area, two working days' notice and a ticket, good for 28 days. The guide also gives the color code, the lines 811 does not mark and what the law asks after a line is hit.

    Pages changed: Before you dig, Guides.

  51. Gazebos get a permit brief and a field guide

    The gazebo pages were in the research queue and kept out of search, and the field guide said only that a permit is often needed above a local size cap. The brief now gives the International Residential Code's answer: no permit for a freestanding gazebo up to 200 square feet of floor area, as a one-story detached accessory structure, though hardwiring a fan or lights is not on the electrical exempt list, which stops at listed plug-in temporary decorative lighting and equipment under 25 volts and 50 watts. Neither Austin nor Los Angeles names a gazebo, so both answers are Ask the city: Austin's nearest line is its accessory-structure exemption, 200 square feet and 15 feet high, and Los Angeles's covers sheds, playhouses and similar uses to 120 square feet. The permit checker measures gazebos, and both city pages answer the question.

    Pages changed: Gazebo permit brief, Gazebo field guide, Permit checker, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  52. Pools get a permit brief and a field guide, and the checker learns Austin's storable-pool rule

    The pool pages were in the research queue and kept out of search. The brief now gives the International Residential Code's one exemption, a prefabricated pool less than 24 inches deep, and the pool code's barrier: at least 48 inches high around an outdoor pool or spa. Austin also exempts any pool the pool code's residential chapter leaves out, which is a pool made for above-ground use that comes apart for storage; Los Angeles exempts pools to 24 inches deep and 250 square feet; and California requires two of seven drowning-prevention features, an enclosure 60 inches high among them, on a permitted pool at a single-family home. The permit checker had missed Austin's storable-pool exemption and now asks about it.

    Pages changed: Pool permit brief, Pool field guide, Permit checker, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  53. The setbacks guide leaves the research queue with Austin's and Los Angeles's figures

    The guide to property setbacks was a short, unsourced page kept out of search. It now defines a setback, a yard and an easement in the cities' own terms and gives the figures from their codes: Austin's SF-3 district at 25 feet front, 15 feet street side, 5 feet interior side and 10 feet rear, with 5 feet at the rear for a one-story accessory building, and what may reach into a required yard; Los Angeles's R1 zone at 20 percent of the lot's depth up to 20 feet in front, 5 feet at the sides and 15 feet at the rear, and where a backyard building may stand. The shed, pergola and retaining-wall pages link to it.

    Pages changed: What a property setback actually is, Guides.

  54. Retaining walls get a permit brief and a field guide

    The retaining-wall pages were in the research queue and kept out of search, and the field guide measured the wall by its exposed face. The codes measure from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall: the International Residential Code exempts a wall up to 4 feet unless it supports a surcharge, Austin adds flood hazard areas, and Los Angeles adds sloping earth and rules out slopes steeper than 1 in 5. The brief also gives the model code's engineering line (48 inches of unbalanced fill, or 24 inches with other loads), Austin's 4-foot cap on cut and fill outside urban watersheds and Los Angeles's grading permit. The field guide adds the concrete-masonry guide's drainage behind a block wall, and both city pages answer the question.

    Pages changed: Retaining wall permit brief, Retaining wall field guide, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  55. Every project's permit-free line, city by city, on one table

    The permits page gained a table with one row per published project: the line under which no building permit is needed in the model code, in Austin and in Los Angeles, as each briefing cites it. Its sentence on Los Angeles fences now matches the code: any fence but a masonry wall or a pool barrier may reach 10 feet without a permit.

    Pages changed: Permits.

  56. The permit checker checks your measurements against the code

    The permit checker gained a measurement check for fences, decks, sheds, pergolas, patios, driveways, retaining walls and pools. It reads the figures you enter against the model code and, in Texas and California, against Austin's and Los Angeles's own text, and every result names the code line it rests on. Where the text is silent, or turns on something only the city can settle, the answer is "Ask the city" rather than a guess.

    Pages changed: Permit checker.

  57. Driveway and patio answers from Los Angeles's code, and what each city says about covers

    The Los Angeles driveway answer gains the code's own exemption: driveways up to 30 inches above grade and not over a basement or story below (LAMC 91.106.2, item 5). The patio answers now say what each city's list says about a cover. Los Angeles exempts a canopy or awning on a house reaching no more than 4 feet from the wall, outside Fire District No. 1 (item 9), and names no patio, so a slab is the city's call. Austin names no patio cover; its nearest line is a window awning up to 54 inches that hangs from the wall alone.

    Pages changed: Driveway permit brief, Patio permit brief, Los Angeles, Austin.

  58. Pergolas get a permit brief and a field guide

    The pergola pages were in the research queue and kept out of search. The permit brief now gives the 2024 International Residential Code's answer: it never names pergolas, but a freestanding one is a one-story detached accessory structure, exempt up to 200 square feet, and one attached to the house matches nothing on the exempt list. It adds Los Angeles's rule, under which the building code does not apply to a freestanding pergola of 400 square feet or less outside any fire district, and notes that Austin's pages name no pergola. The field guide takes the same decisions from the buying side, and both city pages now answer the pergola question.

    Pages changed: Pergola permit brief, Pergola field guide, Permits, Austin, Los Angeles.

  59. Los Angeles's building code answers the deck and shed questions

    The deck and shed permit briefs said no Los Angeles page we read stated an exemption, and the Los Angeles page left both questions open. The city's building code answers them. Section 91.106.2 needs no permit for platforms up to 30 inches above grade and not over a basement or story below, with no limit on area. Section 91.101.5 puts a one-story detached shed of 120 square feet or less outside the code, when it is outside Fire District No. 1, has no heating, plumbing or electrical installation and stands where zoning allows. Both briefs and the Los Angeles page now give those answers, cited to the sections.

    Pages changed: Deck permit brief, Shed permit brief, Los Angeles.

  60. Permit briefs start from the model building code

    Each permit brief now answers its question from Section R105.2 of the International Residential Code, the model code for houses, and sets Austin's and Los Angeles's versions of the same rule beside it: 7 feet for a fence, 200 square feet for a shed, and four conditions for a deck. The permits page lists every backyard item the code exempts, retaining walls and pools included.

    Pages changed: Permits, Fence permit brief, Deck permit brief, Shed permit brief, Patio permit brief, Driveway permit brief.

  61. Pages are signed by DueRiva, the site's maker

    Articles were signed by the YardPermit Editorial Desk, a name for the site itself rather than for anyone behind it. They are now signed by DueRiva, which makes and operates YardPermit, and the byline links to who DueRiva is. The footer, the about page, the editorial policy and the contact, privacy and terms pages name DueRiva as well.

    Every page.

  62. No analytics banner, and no analytics cookies

    Google Analytics waited behind a consent banner that covered the first screen on phones. It is removed. Page views are now counted with Vercel Web Analytics, which sets no cookies, and each page address is sent without its query string. With nothing left to consent to, the banner is gone.

    Pages changed: Privacy notice.

  63. What four backyard trades earn in every state

    A new page tabulates the median hourly wages of fence erectors, carpenters, cement masons and construction laborers in the 50 states and DC, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025, with what the table shows. The wage tables on the cost pages and field guides link to it.

    Pages changed: Backyard trade wages by state.

  65. Cost pages for a patio and a driveway

    Both price the job from your own quantities and local quotes, with no national price. The driveway page keeps the apron in the street's right-of-way on its own line.

    Pages changed: Patio cost, Driveway cost.

  66. Sand, topsoil and paver calculators

    Each weight and depth they use comes from a named source: the Federal Highway Administration for sand, extension services for topsoil depth, and the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association for paver base and bedding sand.

    Pages changed: Sand calculator, Topsoil calculator, Paver calculator.

  67. Phones load the 3D lot only when asked

    The home page's 3D scene loaded on every phone and slowed the page. Phones now show the drawing, with a button to load the 3D view.

    Pages changed: Home.

  68. Small text is easier to read, and articles have a main landmark

    Small labels in four colors fell short of the contrast low-vision readers need, and article pages had no main landmark for screen readers. Every page now passes an automated accessibility check at phone and desktop widths.

    Every page.