Site Plan

House site plans for your building permit

Building a new house or just an addition? A site plan drawn from an accurate survey shows the governing jurisdiction exactly what you will build and where – lot lines, setbacks, easements and the proposed improvements.

For the building permit
Drawn to scale from a survey
Builders, architects & officials

Get a quote (205) 688-6656

GPS rover on a range pole next to a pickup at a cleared building lot

What a site plan is

The proposed development of your land, on paper

Once the land survey of a residential parcel is done, the surveyor draws a set of house site plans to show the proposed development. It is a necessary part of the construction process: the plans verify the parcel measurements and help ensure the building is constructed according to codes and regulations.

The governing jurisdiction decides the level of detail. Standard site plans show existing and proposed improvements, topography, tree locations, proposed grading and lot coverage calculations. If the property is in a flood plain, a graded area or an eroded location, an engineer may also need to prepare a grading plan.

We work closely with builders, architects, landscape architects and government officials to create a plan that pleases the homeowner and meets the requirements of the jurisdiction.

A house site plan typically shows

Proposed and existing structures
Property lines with accurate dimensions
Title, legal description and scale
Easements on the property
North arrow
Roads, sidewalks and driveways
Drainage paths and bodies of water

Why accuracy is critical

Inches matter – physically and legally

Any time a building is constructed, even on private land, there are physical and legal considerations – to the point that a difference of a few inches can put a structure in violation of code. If site plans are not drawn accurately, or errors are found after the project is complete, a correction survey is needed to find out what is out of place, whether the build is compliant and what has to be changed or redone. That is complicated and expensive.

It is easily avoided by having an experienced, licensed land surveyor draw the site plan right the first time. With our years of experience and working knowledge of local codes in Chilton, Shelby, Autauga and the surrounding counties, Alabama Surveying & Mapping makes sure your house site plans are accurate – so you can build with confidence.

Questions & answers

Site plan questions

Do I need a site plan for an addition?

Usually yes – most jurisdictions want a site plan for a building permit whether you build a small addition or a whole house. Your permit office will tell you the required level of detail; we draw to it.

Can you use my old survey?

If it is accurate and the corners can be found, it can be the starting point. Old surveys made without modern equipment often need to be checked first.

Who do you work with?

Homeowners, builders, architects and landscape architects – and the building and zoning officials who review the plan.