Pallet racking in Galveston, TX.

For an engineered, anchored rack system, plan on it. The City of Galveston Building Division handles commercial permits under the 2021 International Building Code with city amendments, and commercial applications call for plans with a code analysis from a Texas licensed design professional. The Fire Marshal's Office, part of the Galveston Fire Department, issues fire permits and conducts plan reviews; its operational permits run for twelve months. Tall or dense storage can bring in the fire code's high-piled storage rules. If the building sits on port property, check the port's own lease and engineering requirements as well. We prepare the drawings and handle the submittal.

All of Galveston County is in the Texas Department of Insurance designated catastrophe area. TDI's windstorm inspection program covers new structures, additions, alterations and repairs, including roofs, and the WPI-8 certificate it issues is what makes a building eligible for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association coverage. Rack inside an existing building is not on that list. A project that also adds a dock door, a canopy or an addition touches the building itself, and that work may need a windstorm inspection, so bring your engineer in before you start.

It depends on how exposed the rack is. In a sealed, air-conditioned room, a standard powder-coat finish holds up. In a port warehouse with open doors, an open-sided shed or anything near the water, we recommend galvanized or heavier-coated uprights and baseplates, coated or stainless anchors, and more frequent inspection of the lowest part of each upright. Rack that has sat in storm water should be inspected before it carries a load again.