Free Checklist

Plan Your Layout Before You Pay for Drawings

A 6-page fill-in worksheet built around the questions our designers ask at every kickoff: what the building can do, where the zones go, what fits in the aisles, and what's going to need a permit. Plus a review page for checking the drawing when it comes back.

Download Free Worksheet

Download the Free Worksheet

Print it, walk your building, and bring it to your design conversation. No sales call required.

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Free Checklist

What the Worksheet Covers

  • Site survey: the nine building measurements every layout depends on, from clear height and column grid to sprinkler type and commodity class
  • Zone allocation table for the five core zones plus returns, value-add, and charging, with write-in square footage
  • Flow pattern picker comparing straight-through, U-shape, and modular layouts with best-for and watch-out notes
  • Racking quick-reference and aisle-width-by-truck-type tables so your rack choice and lift fleet agree
  • Permit scope table covering rack height, high-pile storage, seismic anchorage, and mezzanines, mapping each one to the reviewers and stamped work it pulls into your schedule
  • A separate 8-point drawing review page for the day a layout comes back from a designer, covering the mistakes that cost real pallet positions
Preview of Layout Planning Worksheet

6-page printable worksheet (PDF)

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Related Services

Design & Layout

We turn a completed worksheet into an engineered layout with real pallet counts, then install what we draw.

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Permits & Compliance

Most warehouse rack needs a permit. We prepare the stamped drawings and handle the process from submittal to signed approval.

Learn More →

Installation

Nationwide installation crews that anchor, level, and inspect the layout you planned, on schedule.

Learn More →

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the worksheet take to fill out? +
Plan on 30 to 60 minutes for Steps 1 through 3, with access to the building. The site survey page is fastest with a laser measure in hand; the zone and racking pages you can do at a desk. The review page at the back you don't touch until a drawing comes back to you.
Why is the review page separate from the rest? +
Because it answers a different question at a different time. Steps 1 through 3 collect what you know before anyone draws anything: the building, the zones, the racking, the permit triggers. The review page checks work that already exists, so it only makes sense once a designer hands you a layout. Mixing the two is how people end up trying to check aisle clearances on a drawing nobody has made yet.
Is this a substitute for engineered drawings? +
No, it's the input to them. A completed worksheet hands a designer most of what a kickoff meeting normally collects, so design starts faster and the first draft lands closer to buildable.
Do I actually need a permit for pallet racking? +
For anything that looks like a working warehouse, assume yes. In California, rack over 5'9" needs a building permit, structural review, and stamped calculations. High-piled combustible storage over 12 ft, or 6 ft for high-hazard commodities, in areas over 500 sq ft brings fire department review with it. A mezzanine, pick module, or automation adds structural and egress review. The cases with no permit are narrow: rack under roughly 6 ft, or a high-pile footprint under 500 sq ft. Thresholds vary by jurisdiction, so confirm with your AHJ. The worksheet's permit scope table maps each trigger to what it pulls into your schedule.
What if I don't know my sprinkler type or commodity class? +
Mark them unsure and keep going. Both set storage height and aisle spacing limits, so they're worth confirming before design starts. We can help you pin them down.
Does it work for reconfiguring an existing building? +
Yes. The constraints are the same whether the building is new to you or you've run it for a decade. On an existing operation you can also run the review page against your current layout rather than a new drawing, which tends to surface the dead corners and undersized staging you've been working around for years.

Want a Designer to Take It From Here?

Send us your completed worksheet and we'll turn it into a layout recommendation with pallet counts, aisle widths, and a scoped quote. Design, permitting, and installation from one team.

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