Permit-Ready Site Plans – Drafted for Reviewers, Not Just Property Owners
A missing easement note. An unlabeled setback. A drainage arrow that points the wrong way. That’s all it takes for your permit to land at the bottom of the resubmit pile. We draw plans that answer city questions before they’re asked.
You’ve spent weeks preparing. The contractor is waiting. The loan draw is scheduled. Then the city reviewer sends back a plan with three redlines: “Utility connection not shown.” “Setback measured from foundation, not eave.” “Floodplain note missing.” Now you’re back in queue for another 30 days. Carrying costs add up. Subcontractors move to other jobs. And you’re left explaining why a six‑inch drawing error just cost you two months.
Upload your property address or sketch. We’ll deliver a reviewer‑ready PDF in 24 hours – no hidden revisions, no “we’ll see what the city says.
City Permit Site Plans fail for a reason that has nothing to do with design quality. They fail because ambiguity triggers rejection. A city plan reviewer isn’t an architect or your partner. Their job is to check boxes, verify distances, and confirm that every required element is visible and measurable. If they have to guess where the utility line meets the structure, they don’t guess in your favor. They redline “insufficient documentation.”
Most technical omissions that stall permits are small:
A setback measured from the wrong point (foundation instead of roof eave)
A utility easement that exists on record but isn’t drawn on the plan
A grading arrow that doesn’t show where water goes after it leaves your lot
An impervious cover percentage calculated from the wrong lot area
These aren’t design flaws. They are reviewer friction points. Each one forces a correction cycle. Each correction cycle costs time, money, and credibility.
Reviewers also interpret codes differently across municipalities. What passes in one city gets rejected in another because the local ordinance adds a sentence about “measured to the furthest projection” or “all easements must be labeled with book and page.” Our plans are built to absorb those local variations before submission.
Permit Site Plans (Residential & Light Commercial)
- Verified property lines from county GIS and recorded deeds
- Setback dimensions (front, rear, side)
- Existing and proposed structures labeled
- Easements (utility, drainage, access)
- Utility connection points (sewer, water, gas)
- North arrow and engineering scale
- Flood zone reference (if applicable)
- Driveway and parking areas
- Lot coverage calculation (when required)
A site plan is the single most common document attached to a building permit application. It tells the reviewer where your property lines are, where the existing house sits, where the new addition or ADU goes, and how everything relates to setbacks, easements, and utilities. When a plan is missing any of those layers, the review stops.
Data sources used:
County assessor parcel layers, recorded plat maps, GIS databases, FEMA flood maps, and municipal zoning ordinances.
Typical submission situation:
You have a permit application due Friday. Your contractor needs a site plan by Wednesday. You don’t have a recent survey, and you’re not sure where your property lines actually are. We take your address, pull the public records, and return a plan that a reviewer can approve.
Starting at $89
Commercial Site Plans
- Parking count and stall dimensions
- Fire lane and access aisle markings
- Loading zone (if required)
- Dumpster enclosure location
- Accessible parking and route
- Landscape strip dimensions
What this solves:
Commercial permits require more than a residential site plan. Reviewers check loading zones, fire lane access, parking counts, dumpster enclosures, and ADA path‑of‑travel. Missing any of those triggers a “planning review required” hold.
Common city review comments:
“Fire truck turning radius not shown.”
“Accessible parking space location not dimensioned.”
“Dumpster enclosure not screened.”
What reviewers look for:
They verify that parking meets the minimum count per square footage, that fire lanes are clearly marked, and that accessible routes from parking to building entrance are unobstructed.
Who needs this:
Small business owners adding a parking lot, retail tenants doing build‑outs, restaurant owners adding outdoor seating.
Subdivision Plans
- Lot layout with dimensions and acreages
- Street and alley rights‑of‑way
- Utility and drainage easements
- Lot numbering
- Block numbering
- Monumentation notes
- Dedication language
What this solves:
Splitting one large parcel into multiple building lots requires a subdivision plat that meets county engineering standards. The plan must show lot dimensions, road rights‑of‑way, utility easements, stormwater management notes, and often a boundary survey base. Missing any of those layers stops the plat recording.
Common city review comments:
“Lot width at building line not shown.”
“Easement language missing for drainage tract.”
“Streetlight easement not dedicated.”
What reviewers look for:
Consistency between the plat and the engineering report. If the plat shows 40‑foot lots but the grading plan shows 38‑foot building envelopes, the reviewer will flag “conflicting dimensions.”
Why projects stall:
Landowners attempt to subdivide without a civil engineer or surveyor, using online mapping tools that don’t meet county recording standards.
Who needs this:
Land developers, landowners splitting property for sale, builders creating lot inventory.
Data sources used:
Recorded deeds, county survey records, existing subdivision plats, and ALTA survey data (if available).
Starting at $380
Grading & Drainage Plans
- Existing contour lines (2‑ft or 5‑ft intervals)
- Proposed finished grade elevations
- Drainage arrows
- Swale and retention area locations
- Finished floor elevation (FFE) note
- Stormwater management statement
What this solves:
A grading plan shows how water moves across your property after construction. Cities require it to ensure you’re not sending runoff onto your neighbor’s lot or into the street at unsafe velocities. Without a proper grading plan, you risk floodplain violations, erosion complaints, and denied permits.
Common city review comments:
“Existing contours not shown.”
“Proposed finish floor elevation missing.”
“Drainage arrows point toward property line without swale.”
What reviewers look for:
They check whether the plan shows both existing and proposed grades, whether stormwater is directed to an approved collection point (street, ditch, or retention area), and whether the plan includes a narrative explaining how runoff is managed.
Why projects stall:
Contractors sometimes submit site plans without any grading information. The reviewer cannot approve because they can’t verify that water won’t cause erosion or damage neighboring properties.
Who needs this:
Homeowners building on sloped lots, commercial developers with parking lots, ADU builders on properties with drainage issues.
Typical submission situation:
You’re adding a large patio and retaining wall. The city requires a grading exhibit because your lot slopes toward the neighbor’s yard. Your current site plan doesn’t show slope, so you need a supplemental grading sheet.
Starting at $259
ADU Site Plans
- Main house and ADU footprint
- Distance between structures
- ADU setbacks from property lines
- Utility connection method (shared or separate)
- Parking provision (if required)
What this solves:
Accessory Dwelling Unit permits have exploded across Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Colorado. Each city has its own ADU rules – minimum lot size, maximum square footage, setback from main house, separate utility meter requirements. A generic site plan won’t pass.
Common city review comments:
“ADU measured from main house wall, not eave.”
“Separate water meter not noted.”
“ADU door height below minimum.”
What reviewers look for:
They check that the ADU is within the allowed size (often 1,100 sq ft or less), that it isn’t placed in a required front or side setback, and that it has its own address or unit designation if required.
Who needs this:
Homeowners adding rental units, contractors building backyard homes, investors creating income properties.
Land Survey Drafting
- Boundary line work with bearings and distances
- Curve tables (radius, delta, arc length, chord)
- Closure report
- Lot area calculations
- Monument symbols
- Title block with surveyor information
What this solves:
Raw survey data – field notes, metes and bounds, traverse points – needs to be converted into a clean CAD drawing before it can be used for permitting, title work, or platting. We take your surveyor’s field data and produce a professional boundary drawing, complete with bearings, distances, curve data, and closure calculations.
Common city review comments when survey drafting is poor:
“Closure error exceeds allowable tolerance.”
“Curve data missing radius and delta.”
“Bearing basis not stated.”
Why projects stall:
A surveyor provides a hand‑sketched plat or a set of field notes. The county recorder won’t accept it because it’s not to scale or lacks required formatting.
Who needs this:
Land surveyors who need CAD drafting support, property owners with old survey notes, attorneys needing exhibit drawings.
Data sources used:
Field notes, deed descriptions, recorded plat maps.
Starting at $259
Permit Revision Corrections
- Move the proposed addition 2 feet from the side property line
- Label utility easement with instrument number
- Add a note showing floodplain elevation
What this solves:
You submitted a site plan. The city sent back a list of corrections. Now you need someone to interpret the redlines and revise the drawing – fast, without reintroducing new errors.
Why revisions stall:
The original drafter is unavailable, or the corrections require technical knowledge the homeowner doesn’t have. Weeks pass while the permit sits in “corrections required” status.
Who needs this:
Homeowners whose permit was denied with a correction letter, contractors who need a plan resubmitted quickly.
What we do:
We read the city’s correction comments, update the drawing, and return a revised PDF – usually within 24 hours. No lecture about what should have been done the first time.
Easement & Utility Exhibit Plans
- Sanitary sewer lines (size, direction, invert elevation)
- Water mains and service connections
- Storm drain pipes and inlets
- Gas lines and electric conduits
- Easement boundaries and recording references
What this solves:
Many permits require a separate exhibit showing only easements and utilities – especially for utility company approvals, right‑of‑way permits, and drainage reviews. This exhibit strips away everything except the utility infrastructure.
Common reviewer comments:
“Water line depth not noted.”
“Gas line easement width not dimensioned.”
Who needs this:
Utility companies reviewing proposed connections, developers needing to show easement dedications, homeowners building near power lines.
Feasibility & Due Diligence Plans
- Buildable area overlay
- Constraint mapping (flood, wetland, slope)
- Utility access points
- Gas lines and electric conduits
- Easement summary
- Preliminary lot yield estimate
What this solves:
Before you buy a property or sign a contract, you need to know whether the land can actually support your project. A feasibility plan is a preliminary site analysis that flags constraints: wetlands, floodplain, setback issues, utility access, and recorded easements.
Why this matters:
Buying land based on a broker’s plat map is risky. The map might show 10 acres, but the actual buildable area after setbacks and easements might be six acres. A feasibility plan shows you the real envelope before you commit capital.
Who needs this:
Land acquisition managers, developers, investors, homeowners considering a property purchase.
CITY & JURISDICTION
Every city writes its own land development code. That means a site plan that sails through review in one jurisdiction can get rejected in the next city over.
Examples of local variation:
Austin requires impervious cover calculations tied to watershed zones (Barton Springs Zone has 15% cap).
Dallas focuses on tree protection and landscaping screens.
Houston (Harris County) – no zoning, but subdivision regulations and floodplain rules are strictly enforced.
Phoenix requires grading and drainage plans for any lot with more than 2% slope.
Denver reviews ADU setbacks from the main house, not just property lines.
Colorado Springs enforces view corridor restrictions that aren’t in the written code.
Tampa requires separate saltwater intrusion notes for properties near the coast.
Charlotte checks for proximity to airport noise zones.
Reviewers also interpret the same ordinance differently. One reviewer might accept a setback measured from the foundation wall; another requires measurement from the roof eave. We learn each city’s reviewer tendencies over time and adjust plans accordingly.
Some cities request items not explicitly in the code – a “fire lane note” on a single‑family lot, a “well abandonment letter” for a property that hasn’t had a well in 20 years. These unwritten requirements become rejection triggers if you don’t know them.
Our plans are built to absorb local variation. We research the specific jurisdiction before drafting, so your plan arrives with the right notes, the right labels, and the right formatting.
WHY SITEPLANS.US
We are not a general drafting service. We are a permit‑focused drafting firm that works backward from the reviewer’s checklist.
Reviewer‑centric drafting – We start with the city’s submittal requirements, not a blank screen. Every line, label, and note is there because a reviewer will look for it.
Permit workflow understanding – We know what happens after you hit “submit.” Plans go to planning, then zoning, then engineering, then fire, then public works. Each department has its own lens. We design plans that satisfy all of them.
Revision‑cycle reduction – Our first submission is built to be the last submission. We catch missing dimensions, ambiguous labels, and incomplete notes before you upload.
Practical field awareness – We know that the GIS parcel layer sometimes differs from the recorded plat. We know that utility easements aren’t always visible on the ground. We draw what the record says, not what Google Earth shows.
Utility/easement interpretation – We research recorded easement documents, not just the parcel map. If an easement has a specific width and book/page reference, it goes on the plan.
GIS & parcel verification – We cross‑reference county assessor data with recorded deeds. Discrepancies get flagged before the reviewer sees them.
Experience with correction rounds – We’ve seen correction letters from 40+ cities. When a reviewer says “add drainage note,” we know which of the 12 possible drainage notes they actually need.
CASE STUDY MICRO-STORIES
1. ADU setback mess – Austin homeowner
Reviewer comment: “ADU measured from foundation. Code requires measurement from eaves.”
Issue: The homeowner’s contractor drew a sketch that ignored the roof overhang. The ADU was actually 18 inches closer to the property line than shown.
Fix: We recalculated the setback from the eave line, moved the ADU symbol 2 feet inward, and added a note: “Setback measured to furthest projection.”
Outcome: Approved on resubmission. Homeowner avoided a 6‑week variance process.
2. Drainage omission – Charlotte commercial lot
Reviewer comment: “Grading plan does not show stormwater discharge point. Incomplete.”
Issue: The civil engineer provided a site plan but omitted the drainage narrative. Reviewer had no way to verify that runoff wouldn’t flood the adjacent parking lot.
Fix: We added a drainage exhibit with flow arrows, a swale detail, and a note referencing the approved stormwater management report.
Outcome: Permit issued within 10 days.
3. Easement conflict – Dallas subdivision
Reviewer comment: “Building encroaches into public utility easement shown on plat.”
Issue: The developer’s surveyor missed a 10‑foot utility easement running through the middle of a proposed lot. The site plan showed a garage sitting directly over the easement.
Fix: We redrew the lot layout, shifted the garage outside the easement, and added a note referencing the easement instrument number.
Outcome: Plat recorded without legal challenge. Developer saved $50,000 in potential relocation costs.
FAQ
In almost every US city, yes. Permits for new construction, additions, ADUs, decks, pools, garages, and even fences often require a site plan or plot plan. The reviewer needs to verify that your project fits within property lines, setbacks, and easements.
You can, but cities reject most homeowner‑drawn plans. Common issues: wrong scale, missing property line dimensions, no north arrow, incorrect setback measurements. A rejection adds weeks to your timeline.
The top reasons: missing utility easements, incorrect setback dimensions, no flood zone note, ambiguous property lines, and missing north arrow or scale. Reviewers reject ambiguity because they cannot approve what they cannot verify.
A plot plan is a simplified site plan, often used for minor permits like fences or sheds. It shows property lines, the existing structure, and the proposed feature. A site plan includes more detail: utilities, easements, drainage, and often lot coverage calculations.
You receive a correction letter listing the missing or incorrect items. You revise the plan and resubmit. Each resubmission adds time and may push you to the back of the review queue. A proper plan avoids that loop.
Down to the inch. If the code requires 10 feet, and your plan shows 9 feet 11 inches, the reviewer will reject it. Some cities measure from the roof eave, not the foundation wall – a nuance that trips up many homeowners.
Property lines, setbacks, and utility easements. If those three are clear and correct, the rest of the review moves faster. If any are missing or ambiguous, the plan is marked incomplete.
Yes. Building a permanent structure over a recorded utility easement can force you to demolish it at your own cost. The city or utility company has the legal right to access that easement. Your site plan must show the easement and keep structures clear.
Some reviewers have internal checklists or unwritten policies. For example, a city might require a “well abandonment note” even if the well was capped 30 years ago. Local experience is the only way to anticipate those notes.
If you have the original CAD file, simple revisions (moving a dimension, adding a note) can be done in a few hours. Our standard turnaround for revisions is 24 hours.
Property lines with dimensions, existing and proposed structures, setback lines, utility easements, north arrow, scale, and often flood zone reference, lot coverage calculation, and driveway location.
Not always. We use county GIS data, recorded plats, and deed descriptions to create a site plan that satisfies most permit requirements. If the property has complex boundary issues, we may recommend a survey.
A grading plan shows existing and proposed ground elevations, drainage arrows, and how stormwater will be managed. It’s often required for properties with slopes, additions that change the existing grade, or commercial parking lots.
We check FEMA flood maps using your property’s coordinates. If the parcel is in a flood zone (A, AE, VE) or the flood fringe (shaded X), we add the required note and elevation reference to your site plan.
Yes. Send us the correction letter and the original plan (if you have it). We’ll revise the drawing to address each reviewer comment and return a corrected PDF, usually within 24 hours.
MORE RELATED SITE PLANS
Texas permit requirements – If your project is in Texas, start with our statewide guide. It explains how state law affects local site plan rules. → Texas site plan requirements
Austin site plan details – Austin has unique watershed and impervious cover rules. That page walks through them. → Austin permit site plan
Dallas site plan specifics – Dallas reviewers focus on tree protection and landscaping. That page shows what they flag. → Dallas site plan checklist
Houston site plan notes – Harris County has no zoning, but subdivision and floodplain rules are strict. → Houston floodplain notes
Colorado Springs case study – See how we resolved a grading dispute that held up a commercial permit. → Colorado Springs grading case study
Permit Ready ebook – Book for builders and developers who want the full risk‑prevention playbook. → Permit Ready ebook for builders
SITE PLAN CITY OFFICIAL RESOURCES
Site plans are governed by the International Residential Code (IRC) , which most US cities have adopted as their building code base. Local amendments modify the IRC – stricter setbacks, additional easement recording requirements, or special floodplain notes.
County GIS systems provide parcel boundaries, but those boundaries are often approximations, not legal descriptions. We always cross‑reference recorded plats and deeds.
Municipal development departments publish submittal checklists. We use those checklists as our primary source for required elements. When a checklist says “show all utility easements with book and page,” we do exactly that.
Local permit portals (Austin Build + Connect, Dallas Development Connect, etc.) are where you upload your PDF. We format plans to meet each portal’s file size and resolution requirements.
Stop Guessing What Reviewers Want. Get a Plan That Passes.
Why Choose SitePlan.us?
Fast Delivery – Most plans in 24 hours
100% Permit-Ready – Designed to meet city & county requirements
Affordable & Accurate – Top-quality drafting at high precision
Phone Number
+1 (555) 749-3260
shop@siteplans.us