> Every location (in the US) I'm aware of requires houses to be signed off on by an engineer before construction. This varies widely by state. In some states,

> Every location (in the US) I'm aware of requires houses to be signed off on by an engineer before construction. This varies widely by state. In some states, it matters if you're in a municipality or if you're rural. Where I am, in this county, I do not require a permit or inspections or anything to build a house for myself unless I'm inside a municipality. The government doesn't care until it's time to pay taxes. I may need some sort of inspection to hook up to the electric grid though, or to get water turned on. In (edit: some) other states, you can barely build a small dog house behind your house in the country without permits, inspections, engineers, surveys, and all kinds of other stuff.