By Shahzaib Nadeem, Content writer at CADTRI · Published July 06, 2026
Quick answer: A site plan for a building permit is a scaled drawing of your entire property that shows lot boundaries, all structures, setbacks from property lines, easements, driveways, and the work you propose. Nearly every building department requires one before reviewing anything else. Most rejections happen for the same handful of reasons: missing dimensions, no scale or north arrow, setbacks left unlabeled, or a drawing that contradicts the recorded survey.
The site plan is usually the first sheet a plan checker reads. It answers the zoning questions before the building questions: is this structure allowed here, at this size, at this distance from the lines? Get this sheet right and the rest of review moves. Get it wrong and the whole package waits.
This guide covers what jurisdictions almost universally require, where they differ, how a site plan differs from a survey and a plot plan, and how to prepare one that passes first review.
What is a site plan? And what is a plot plan?
A site plan is a bird's eye drawing of one parcel, drawn to scale, showing everything that exists on the lot and everything you propose to add, change, or remove. It places your project in context: the lot, the streets, the neighbors' boundaries, the utilities, and the rules that govern the space between them.
A plot plan is, for permit purposes, the same document. Some regions and some older code documents prefer one term over the other; a few jurisdictions use plot plan for simple residential drawings and site plan for larger development submittals. When a permit checklist asks for either one, it wants the drawing described in this guide. If a checklist asks for both, call the building department and ask what distinguishes them locally before drawing anything twice.
What neither term means is a floor plan. A floor plan shows the inside of a building. A site plan shows the building as a footprint on the land. Submitting one when the checklist asks for the other is a common first time applicant mistake.
The requirements nearly every jurisdiction shares
Checklists vary city to city, but the core content is remarkably consistent. A submittable site plan for a building permit almost always includes:
Scale and north arrow. The drawing must state its scale (for example, 1 inch equals 20 feet) and orient the reader with a north arrow. Plan checkers measure your drawing; an unscaled sketch cannot be reviewed.
Lot dimensions and boundaries. Every property line with its length, matching the recorded legal description. Lot area is usually stated as well.
All existing structures. The house, garage, sheds, decks, pools, and anything else on the parcel, each labeled and dimensioned.
The proposed work. New construction shown clearly distinguished from existing (hatching, shading, or labels), with footprint dimensions.
Setbacks. The measured distance from each structure to each property line. Zoning setback compliance is the single most scrutinized item on the sheet, so label every distance, front, rear, and both sides.
Easements. Utility, drainage, and access easements drawn in their recorded locations. Building over an easement without authorization is an automatic correction.
Driveways, walkways, and parking. Locations and widths, plus the curb cut where the driveway meets the street.
Utilities. Locations of water, sewer or septic, gas, and electrical service as relevant to the work.
Impervious coverage. Many jurisdictions cap the share of a lot that can be covered by roofs, pavement, and other surfaces water cannot pass through. The site plan typically tabulates existing and proposed impervious coverage as a percentage of lot area.
Adjacent context. Street names, and often the distance from structures to the street centerline or curb.
Treat that list as the floor, not the ceiling. Coastal zones add flood data, hillside lots add topography and grading, septic parcels add tank and field locations, and corner lots add sight triangle requirements. This is exactly why reading the local checklist before drawing saves a correction cycle after.
Site plan vs survey: they are not the same document
People use these terms interchangeably and reviewers do not. The difference matters because it determines who is allowed to prepare the document.
Land survey
Site plan
Prepared by
A licensed land surveyor only
A drafter, designer, architect, or in many places the owner
What it establishes
The legal location of boundaries, recorded easements, and existing improvements
Your proposed work in relation to those boundaries and rules
Authority
A legal instrument; it can settle boundary questions
A permit document; it relies on the survey for boundary accuracy
When required
New construction, lot line questions, tight setbacks, lender or title requirements
Nearly every building permit application
A practical way to hold the distinction: the survey tells you where the lines truly are; the site plan shows what you intend to do inside them. Many jurisdictions accept a site plan based on the recorded plat or an existing survey for simple projects, then require a fresh stamped survey when a structure sits close to a setback line, because a few inches of boundary error there changes the legal answer. When your project pushes near a limit, budget for the surveyor.
How to make a site plan for a permit
Here is the sequence we follow, and the one we recommend whether you draw it yourself or hire it out.
1. Pull the records first. Obtain the recorded plat or your most recent survey, the zoning designation, and the jurisdiction's site plan checklist. The checklist is the grading rubric; read it before drawing.
2. Confirm the zoning rules. Look up the setbacks, height limits, lot coverage caps, and impervious coverage caps for your zone. Note any overlay districts, because overlays quietly override base zoning.
3. Draw the existing conditions to scale. Boundaries with dimensions, all structures, driveways, utilities, easements, and significant trees where the jurisdiction protects them. Choose a standard scale and state it on the sheet with a north arrow.
4. Add the proposed work. Show the new footprint clearly differentiated, dimension it, and label its distance to every property line and to other structures.
5. Tabulate the math. Lot area, building coverage, impervious coverage, existing and proposed, as percentages. If a number exceeds the cap, you have found the problem at the cheapest possible moment.
6. Check the drawing against the checklist, item by item. Most corrections are omissions, not errors. A site plan that addresses every checklist line in order is dramatically easier to approve.
A reviewer can only approve what is on the page. Knowledge in your head, or in a phone call you once had with a planner, does not count at plan check.
Where jurisdictions differ, and why it decides approval
The universal content above gets you a reviewable drawing. Approval lives in the local details: which scale the city accepts, whether they require the drawing on a survey base, how they define impervious surface (some count decks, some do not), whether accessory structures have their own setback table, and what triggers a drainage plan. Two cities a few miles apart can disagree on all five.
This is the reason our process starts with jurisdiction research rather than drafting. We pull the local checklist, the zoning table, and recent correction patterns for that department before opening CAD, then build the sheet to that specific standard. The same philosophy drives our permit set preparation, where the site plan becomes the first sheet of a complete submittal package. And when the property records are stale or the structures on the ground no longer match the old drawings, as built documentation reestablishes an accurate base before any proposal is drawn on top of it.
For how the site plan fits into the full drawing package a permit requires, see What Is a Permit Set? A Contractor's Guide.
The most common site plan rejections
Plan checkers reject site plans for predictable reasons. The repeat offenders we see:
Setback dimensions missing on one or more sides, or measured to the wrong line
No scale, a nonstandard scale, or a drawing that does not match its stated scale
Easements omitted, or proposed work drawn inside one
Impervious or lot coverage exceeding the cap, discovered by the reviewer instead of the applicant
Site plan contradicting the survey or the legal description
Existing unpermitted structures shown without explanation, which opens a separate enforcement question
Every one of these is preventable before submission, which is the entire economic argument for doing the research first: a correction cycle typically costs weeks, while a checklist review before submittal costs an afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
Can I draw my own site plan for a permit? For simple residential projects, many jurisdictions accept an owner drawn site plan if it is to scale, dimensioned, and complete. Larger projects, commercial work, and anything near a setback line typically require professional preparation, and sometimes a surveyor's stamp. Check the local checklist; it states who may prepare the drawing.
Do I need a survey to make a site plan? Not always. Simple projects far from any property line often proceed from the recorded plat. You will likely need a current survey when construction approaches a setback limit, when boundaries are disputed or unclear, or when the jurisdiction requires the site plan on a survey base.
What scale should a site plan be? Common accepted scales are 1 inch equals 10, 20, or 30 feet for residential lots, drawn on letter, legal, or larger sheets per local preference. The jurisdiction's checklist usually lists acceptable scales; when it does, that list is the answer.
Is a plot plan the same as a site plan? For building permit purposes, yes in nearly all jurisdictions. Plot plan is simply the older or regional term for the same scaled property drawing. If a local checklist treats them as distinct documents, ask the department what it adds to the second one.
How much does a site plan cost? Owner drawn plans cost time rather than money. Professionally drafted residential site plans commonly run from a few hundred dollars, rising with lot complexity, topography, and survey needs. A new boundary survey is a separate cost. Treat any number, including these, as a starting range and price your specific parcel.
Your permit starts with this sheet. We research your jurisdiction first, then build site plans engineered to pass first review. Get your site plan package and submit with confidence.
Reviewed and updated June 11, 2026. Unsure what your city requires? Request a proposal and we will confirm the checklist, scope, and timeline for your parcel