House Plan Sealing
Purchased plans engineered for your lot and sealed for Kentucky permit submission — foundation, framing, bracing, and connections.
Learn more →Structural Engineer Licensed in Kentucky
Kentucky is the most predictable state we practice in — by law. It's a 'mini/maxi' code state, which means the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code applies statewide and local jurisdictions cannot adopt something different. One code, no local surprises, no guessing which edition your county enforces. Oakline seals house plans and designs residential structures across Kentucky remotely, with drawings built to the one code every reviewer in the state uses.
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 84 verified reviews · Cody Johnston, PE, MBA · KY License #40738
What We Do in Kentucky
Serving Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Frankfort, and the Bluegrass region. Every project is personally engineered by Cody Johnston, PE, MBA — one engineer, no hand-offs, and drawings your builder can actually build from.
Foundation Design
Footings, slabs, piers, and walls designed from your site conditions — not a generic detail sheet.
Beam & Framing Design
LVL, steel, and engineered-lumber sizing for renovations, wall removals, and "beam by others" notes on your plans.
Learn more →Additions & ADUs
Structural design that ties new construction into your existing home correctly.
Learn more →One code, everywhere: Kentucky's mini/maxi system
Kentucky enforces the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, based on the 2015 IRC with state amendments. Because Kentucky is a mini/maxi state, that code is both the minimum and the maximum — Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, and the smallest county all review against the identical edition. For homeowners comparing notes across county lines, that predictability is genuinely rare; in most of our other states, the first question is always 'which code does your city use?'
Predictable code doesn't mean prescriptive framing always works, though. Purchased house plans still arrive without lateral bracing design, without foundations matched to the site, and with engineered lumber the span tables don't cover — all the usual reasons a plan reviewer asks for an engineer's seal.
What Kentucky ground does to foundations
Central Kentucky — Lexington, Frankfort, the Bluegrass — sits on karst: limestone bedrock that dissolves into caves, voids, and sinkholes. Karst is a foundation engineering problem first and foremost; footing layouts and slab designs need to respect what may or may not be under them, and it's a major reason generic foundation details from a plan catalog aren't good enough here.
Far western Kentucky adds the New Madrid seismic zone — Paducah and the Purchase region carry real earthquake design requirements that shape bracing and connections. And across the state, walkout basements on rolling terrain keep retaining design and tall foundation walls in regular rotation.
Our Kentucky practice is fully remote: plan sealing for new builds around Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green's growth corridors, plus beam design and structural letters for renovations — sealed under KY PE license #40738 and accepted statewide.
How Remote Engineering Works
- 1.
Send your plans. Upload your plan set through our site — any size, straight to our secure project drive. Cody reviews them personally, for free, and comes back with straight advice and a firm price, usually within a day or two.
- 2.
We engineer to the Kentucky code. Foundation, framing, bracing, and connections designed for your specific lot — with the governing code edition noted right on the drawings so your reviewer sees it immediately.
- 3.
You get sealed drawings. Digitally sealed PDFs under Kentucky PE license #40738, ready for permit submission — and Cody stays available to answer reviewer or builder questions after delivery. Most plan sealing projects finish within 2 weeks.
Verify the License
Cody Johnston is a licensed Professional Engineer in Kentucky — license #40738, issued by the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Don't take our word for it: verify it with the state board →
Also licensed in six additional states — see all license states.
Kentucky Questions, Answered
Which building code does my Kentucky county use?
The same one as every other Kentucky county: the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code (based on the 2015 IRC). Kentucky is a mini/maxi state, so local jurisdictions cannot adopt a different edition — a rare bit of predictability.
What is karst and why does it matter for my foundation?
Much of central Kentucky sits on limestone that dissolves into voids and sinkholes. Foundations there deserve engineered design that accounts for the site rather than a generic detail — it is one of the most common reasons Kentucky plan reviewers and builders bring in a structural engineer.
Do you visit sites in Kentucky?
Kentucky work is handled remotely — plan sealing, foundation and framing design, and structural letters, delivered as sealed PDFs your local building department accepts. For issues that need eyes on site, we coordinate with local inspectors or your contractor's photos and documentation.
Building in Kentucky?
Cody personally reviews your plans — flagging structural issues, finding ways to save on your build, and giving straight advice for the right foundation and framing choices specific for your lot. Free, no obligation, and he can also give you a firm engineering price in a day or two.
Have an Engineer Review My Plans — Free