The short answer
You get a site plan of your property in four steps: find the checklist your building department publishes for the project, gather the survey and parcel facts you already hold, settle who draws the plan, and draw it to the items and scale the reviewer checks. The survey you hold is usually the base. Metro Nashville tells homeowners that a mortgage loan survey works well for a site plan [1], and it does not require a licensed professional to draw a residential site plan, only an accurately dimensioned drawing to scale [5]. Wendell, North Carolina says a residential structure's site plan does not have to be professionally drawn [6]. Where the checklist names a signed and sealed survey, a licensed surveyor prepares that document first: Davie, Florida asks for one with a pool permit [3], Miami Beach lists a signed and sealed site survey on its residential pool checklist of 5.23.2024 [7], and Cobb County, Georgia requires a current plan and survey sealed by a registered land surveyor before a building permit is issued [8].
What a site plan is, and how it differs from a plot plan and a survey, is set out in what is a site plan and site plan vs plot plan vs survey. This guide is the practical sequence for a homeowner who needs one for a permit.
Step 1: Find the checklist for your project
The checklist decides what the plan shows, and each department writes its own. These are documents several jurisdictions publish for residential work, with the edition or code basis each one carries.
| Jurisdiction | Document | Projects it covers | Edition or basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County, Arizona | Typical Site Plan with Checklist | All residential work | Undated [9] |
| San Diego County, California | PDS-1009 | Zoning plot plans | Rev. 06/10/2016 [10] |
| King County, Washington | Residential Site Plan Requirements | New construction | August 2025 [11] |
| Seattle, Washington | SDCI Tip 103 | All residential work | Undated [12] |
| Metro Nashville, Tennessee | Accessory Structure Permitting Instructions | Sheds and garages | Metro Code 17.12.040 to .060 [13] |
| Houston, Texas | Residential Permitting 101 | Additions | Undated [14] |
| Denver, Colorado | Residential Permitting Guide | Accessory structures, decks, pools and carports | Updated September 3, 2026 [15] |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System | Solar | Updated July 14, 2026 [16] |
| Los Angeles, California | ADU Standard Plan Building Permit Submittal Checklist | ADUs built from an approved standard plan | 7.7.2023 [17] |
Read the edition against the department's current page, because checklists are revised: Lakewood, Ohio's fence packet carries a revision dated 11/18/25 [18], and Denver's guide was updated on September 3, 2026 [15].
The checklist also tells you when no site plan is needed. Raleigh requires none for rooftop solar on a single-family dwelling and requires one for a ground-mounted system [16]. Los Angeles County's rooftop solar submittal asks for a roof plan and caps the county's fees at $500 [19]. The permit site plans hub lists the thresholds for decks, sheds, fences and pools.
Step 2: Gather what the checklist will ask about your lot
Before anyone draws, collect the facts the department will look for. Each row names a checklist that asks for the item.
| What to gather | What the department asks |
|---|---|
| The survey or plot plan you hold | Metro Nashville says a homeowner's mortgage loan survey works well for a site plan [1]; Houston takes either a survey by a Texas registered surveyor or a complete site plan with dimensions for an addition [14] |
| Parcel number, address and legal facts | Wake County wants the parcel identification number, the address, a north arrow, the scale, a bar scale and the date the map was prepared [2]; the Los Angeles ADU title sheet carries the APN, the legal description, the zone and the lot area [17] |
| Every building already on the lot | Metro Nashville wants existing structures and easements labeled [1]; San Francisco's ADU checklist wants separate existing and proposed site plans showing all buildings on the lot [20]; Phoenix requires unpermitted structures to be legalized before an ADU goes forward [21] |
| Easements and utility lines | Nassau County, Florida wants easements and overhead or underground power lines on a pool plan [22]; Redwood City wants the size and location of utilities on an ADU plan [23]; Arizona bars building an ADU on a public utility easement without the utility's consent (A.R.S. 9-461.18(E)) [24] |
| The proposed work, measured | Gwinnett County, Georgia wants the proposed location of an addition on a location plan drawn to scale [25]; Pasadena wants dimensions to the property lines on an ADU site plan [4] |
The property line is the measurement the rest of the plan hangs on, and departments treat it differently. Lakewood measures a fence plan "from a point that the homeowner deems as the property line" (fence packet, rev. 11/18/25) [18], which leaves the line to the owner. Pasadena asks for a property line survey when new ADU construction sits within 5 ft of a property line [4]. Where the line itself is in doubt, locating it is a licensed surveyor's work, and the site plan is drawn on the survey that results.
Step 3: Decide who draws it
Three routes appear across these checklists, and your department's checklist decides which one applies.
- You draw it. Metro Nashville asks only for an accurately dimensioned drawing to scale [5], Wake County accepts deck plans drawn by hand [2], and Dayton, Ohio does not require a fence site plan to be prepared by a professional licensed and registered in Ohio [26].
- It is drafted to the checklist on your survey. Houston takes a complete site plan with dimensions in place of a registered surveyor's survey for an addition [14]. For pools in Florida, Okaloosa County takes a certified survey or a site plan, Indian River County a survey or a plot plan, and Orange County a site plan or a survey [27, 28, 29].
- A licensed surveyor prepares a signed and sealed survey. Davie wants it provided at its original size, neither reduced nor enlarged [3]; Miami Beach lists it on its residential pool checklist [7]; Cobb County wants it before a building permit (Development Standards s.103.19.1) [8].
Who may design the building is a separate question from who draws the site plan, and state law answers it. Arizona lets a person who is not a registrant design a detached single-family dwelling (A.R.S. 32-144(A)) [30]. In Los Angeles, the Department of Building and Safety lets an unlicensed person prepare the architectural plans for a two-story single-family dwelling and asks for a licensed signature only on structural drawings where engineering details appear [31]. The ADU side of that question is in who can draw ADU plans, and the commercial side in who prepares a site plan.
Step 4: Draw it to the standard the reviewer checks
| Standard | What departments ask |
|---|---|
| Scale | An accurately dimensioned drawing to scale, in Metro Nashville [5]; 1 inch to 10 feet or 1 inch to 20 feet for an addition's location plan, in Gwinnett County [25]; no smaller than 1 inch to 50 feet for a driveway, in Wake Forest, North Carolina [32]; a site plan and a floor plan drawn to scale for an ADU, in Phoenix [21] |
| Orientation and date | A north arrow, the scale, a bar scale and the date the map was prepared, in Wake County [2] |
| Sheet size | At least 18 x 24 inches, in Bellevue, Washington [33]; at least 11 x 17 in for ADU plans, in Los Angeles [17] |
| Grade | Grade elevation as per survey on a pool plan, in Miami Beach [7]; existing and proposed contours at 2-foot intervals on the NAVD 88 vertical datum, in Bellevue [33] |
| Impervious area | Existing and proposed impervious surface area on a driveway plan, in Wake Forest [32] |
Step 5: Submit it with the rest of the permit
Some departments clear the site plan before the building review starts. Phoenix requires a plot or site plan with site planning approval before an ADU's residential submittal, and it does not require a grading and drainage plan for an attached or detached ADU [34]. A pre-approved building plan does not replace the site plan: Phoenix says a plot or site plan will still be required for permitting with its ADU standard plans [35], and Scotts Valley, California says its pre-approved plans cannot stand alone and have to be fitted to a specific site [36]. The line's ADU pages cover those programs in site plans for pre-approved ADUs and ADU site plan requirements.
What the studio draws, and what a surveyor does
Innowave Studio draws residential permit site plans to the checklist of the department that will review them, on the survey or plot plan you provide. Surveying is a licensed surveyor's work: where a checklist calls for a signed and sealed survey, as in Davie, Miami Beach and Cobb County [3, 7, 8], the surveyor prepares it and the studio draws the site plan on it. Plans are preliminary, and engineering is by your engineer of record; where sealed plans are required, as Orange County, Florida requires for a pool entry deck [29], the preliminary plan is what the engineer of record builds on.
Which page covers your project
| Project | Page | Project type on the Start a Project form |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | Deck permit site plans | Residential: deck |
| In-ground or above-ground pool | Pool permit site plans | Residential: pool (in-ground or above-ground) |
| Shed | Shed permit site plans | Residential: shed |
| Detached garage or carport | Detached garage and carport site plans | Residential: detached garage or carport |
| Home addition | Home addition site plans | Residential: home addition |
| Fence | Permit site plans | Residential: fence |
| Driveway | Permit site plans | Residential: driveway |
| Ground-mount solar | Permit site plans | Residential: ground-mount solar |
| Accessory dwelling unit | ADU site plan requirements | Residential: ADU (accessory dwelling unit) |
| Lot split or middle housing division | Oregon middle housing land division | Residential: lot split or middle housing division |
Which kind of permit takes which kind of plan, residential or commercial, is set out in site plan for a permit. Florida pool surveys, county by county, are in the Florida pool permit survey guide, and the seal rules for commercial plans are in where unsealed site plans are accepted. Developers planning a subdivision or a commercial site start with preliminary site plans instead.
To order the site plan of your property, start a project, choose the residential project type that matches your permit from the list above, give the city or county and the state as the location, attach one file, your survey or plot plan, and name the department's checklist under program and stage.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a surveyor to get a site plan of my property?
Only where the department asks for a sealed survey. Metro Nashville accepts an accurately dimensioned scale drawing that no licensed professional prepared [5], and Wendell, North Carolina says a residential site plan need not be professionally drawn [6]. Cobb County, Georgia wants a plan and survey sealed by a registered land surveyor before a building permit [8], and Pasadena wants a property line survey when new ADU construction comes within 5 ft of a property line [4].
What should I gather before the site plan is drawn?
The survey or plot plan you hold, which Metro Nashville says works well as a base when it is a mortgage loan survey [1]; the parcel identification number and address, which Wake County puts on its list [2]; every existing structure and easement, which Metro Nashville wants labeled [1]; and any overhead or underground power lines, which Nassau County, Florida wants on a pool plan [22].
Does the site plan have to show buildings that were never permitted?
What sheet size should the site plan be?
Do I still need a site plan if I use a pre-approved ADU plan?
Sources
- 1)Residential Building Permit Procedures, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)Build a Deck or Porch, Wake County, North Carolina, Permits and Inspections. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Residential Pool Checklist, Town of Davie, Florida, Building Division. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)ADU Standard Plans Program, City of Pasadena, California, Planning and Community Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Residential Permit Procedures (brochure), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Building Permits, Town of Wendell, North Carolina, Planning Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Permit Checklist for Pool, Residential New (5.23.2024), City of Miami Beach, Florida, Building Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)2026 Variance Application and Schedule, citing Development Standards s.103.19.1, Cobb County, Georgia. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)Typical Site Plan with Checklist, Maricopa County, Arizona, Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)PDS-1009, zoning plot plans (Rev. 06/10/2016), County of San Diego, Planning and Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Residential Site Plan Requirements (August 2025), King County, Washington, Department of Local Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)SDCI Tip 103, City of Seattle, Department of Construction and Inspections. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)Accessory Structure Permitting Instructions (Metro Code 17.12.040 to .060), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)Residential Permitting 101, City of Houston, Houston Permitting Center. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Residential Permitting Guide (updated September 3, 2026), City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System (updated July 14, 2026), City of Raleigh, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)ADU Standard Plan Building Permit Submittal Checklist (7.7.2023), City of Los Angeles, Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Fence Packet (rev. 11/18/25), City of Lakewood, Ohio, Department of Housing and Building. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 19)Submittal Requirements for PV, Attachment A (04-04-16), Los Angeles County Public Works, Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 20)Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Checklist, San Francisco Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 21)Beginner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units, City of Phoenix, Planning and Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 22)Residential Swimming Pool Plan Review Checklist, Nassau County, Florida, Building Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 23)Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance, City of Redwood City, California, Community Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 24)Laws 2024, Chapter 196 (HB 2720), accessory dwelling units, A.R.S. 9-461.18, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 25)Building Addition to a Home, permit requirements (revised August 2012), Gwinnett County, Georgia, Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 26)FAQs: Do I need a permit to build a fence?, City of Dayton, Ohio. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 27)Permit Guide for Residential Swimming Pool, Okaloosa County, Florida, Growth Management. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 28)Swimming Pool Permit Checklist, Indian River County, Florida, Building Division. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 29)Residential Swimming Pool Permit, Orange County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 30)A.R.S. 32-144, exemptions and limitations; definition, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 31)Information Bulletin P/BC 2023-073, Policy 4: Stamped Plans, City of Los Angeles, Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 32)Driveway Permit Submittal Checklist (8/2021), Town of Wake Forest, North Carolina, Planning Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 33)Residential Site Plan, City of Bellevue, Washington, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 34)Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Residential Process (TRT/DOC/00192), City of Phoenix, Planning and Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 35)Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), City of Phoenix, Planning and Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 36)AB 1332 Pre-Approved ADU Program, City of Scotts Valley, California. Accessed 2026-10-10.
How these sources were chosen and when the page is reviewed: how we research.