The structural side of a building permit
Which structural documents the curaduría asks for and who signs them.
Photo: Amsterdam City Archives / Unsplash
For a building permit, the curaduría urbana (the building-permit authority) asks for the geotechnical study, the structural drawings and the calculations signed by qualified professionals (A.1.3.2, A.1.3.4, A.1.5.2 and A.1.5.3). If the lot allows more than 2,000 m² to be built, it also asks for a statement from an independent reviewer. DDES prepares the design, supports the filing and answers the curaduría's comments.
- Code
- NSR-10, A.1.3 and A.1.5
- Law
- Law 1796 of 2016
- Service
- Design and review
What to have at hand
- The architectural design, even a preliminary one.
- The soil study or authorization to commission it.
- Title certificate and the lot's zoning or land-use statement.
- The total area the lot allows, to know whether Law 1796 applies.
How we solve it
- Review of the project and the soil study.
- Structural design with signed drawings and calculations (A.1.3.4 and A.1.5).
- Coordination with the independent review when the law requires it.
- Answers to the curaduría's comments until the permit is issued.
Who can sign the structural drawings?
The structural design must be done by a civil engineer legally qualified for it (A.1.3.4), and the drawings must come with design and calculation reports (A.1.5.3).
When does Law 1796 apply?
If the lot allows more than 2,000 m² to be built, Law 1796 of 2016 also requires an independent design review and independent technical supervision during construction. Check it on the Law 1796 page.
DDES services for this case
Structural design
Concrete, steel and masonry buildings designed to the NSR-10, from the first concept to the reinforcement details.
Independent design review
Review of structural designs by others, required on projects of more than 2,000 m².
Technical supervision
Independent technical supervision under Law 1796 and Title I of the NSR-10, before every concrete pour.
Technical notes
Law 1796: when technical supervision is mandatory
Area thresholds, who can supervise and what the curaduría asks for.
Independent design review and technical supervision: how they differ
One checks the paper before the permit; the other checks what is built during construction. Law 1796 requires both.
Structural design in Colombia: what it includes and what the NSR-10 requires for the permit
Who signs it, what the drawings and the calculations must contain, and in what order it is done.
Frequently asked questions
Which structural documents does the curaduría ask for?
The geotechnical study, the signed structural drawings and calculations, and the independent review when Law 1796 applies.
What happens if the curaduría comments?
The designer answers them and adjusts the drawings. DDES follows that process until the permit is issued.
Can the independent reviewer be the designer?
No. The review must be done by a professional other than the designer and with no employment relationship with them.
Other situations
- Adding a second floorBefore adding a floor you need to know whether the house can carry it.
- Home structural retrofitSo an older structure resists what today's code requires.
- Crack assessmentNot every crack is serious, but every crack that grows needs to be studied.
- Warehouse designFrames, roof, floor slab and foundation, designed together.
- Retaining wallsFor basements, level changes and sloping lots.
- Tanks and poolsStructures that must not only stand but also not leak.
- Steel mezzanineMore usable floor area inside the same warehouse or store.
Last updated:
Contact
Filing for a building permit?
Tell us the project and the area. A DDES engineer tells you what the curaduría will need.
Our team works in Spanish. You can write to us in English and we will get back to you.
Photo: Julia Taubitz / Unsplash