The short answer
A survey, a plot plan and a site plan are different drawings made for different decisions. The survey records the boundary and the ground as they exist, and it is a licensed land surveyor's work: Rhode Island's surveying rules define a boundary survey as the process of investigating and evaluating real property evidence to form a professional opinion on boundary location [3]. The site plan draws what is proposed on that base. The Illinois Code Enforcement Manual says a site plan "shows the proposed building location as it relates to the property" and may also show "existing and proposed utilities, roadways, topography, drainage and other improvements" [1]. Where codes use the term plot plan, they mean a scaled drawing of a lot or park and what sits on it: Louisiana's campsite rule asks for a plot plan showing property lines, the location and width of roads, and the number, location and dimensions of every travel trailer space, tent camper space and tent site [2].
The three drawings side by side
| Survey | Plot plan | Site plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it records | The boundary, as the surveyor's professional opinion of where it lies; with topography, the ground as it exists [3, 1] | The lot or park as laid out: property lines, roads and the spaces on it, in Louisiana's campsite rule [2] | The proposed structures, vehicle and pedestrian access, parking, landscaping, drainage areas and a site data table, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee's conceptual plan [6] |
| Who prepares it | A licensed land surveyor: North Dakota requires boundary surveys, ALTA/NSPS surveys and plats to be signed and sealed by a registered land surveyor [7] | In Iowa, "Site/Plot plans may be sealed and certified by an Iowa licensed architect, professional engineer or landscape architect" [8] | Varies by stage and state: New Jersey lets "an architect, planner, engineer, or licensed landscape architect" prepare the drives, parking layout, pedestrian circulation and access [9] |
Kinds of survey, and what is not a survey
Survey rules distinguish products that look alike on a sheet. Illinois sets out the taxonomy most clearly, and other states add their own lines.
| Product | What it establishes | Who prepares it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boundary survey | Property lines relative to established reference points, with angles, bearings or azimuths, linear dimensions and curves | A professional land surveyor only, in Illinois | [1] |
| Boundary and topographic survey | Topography taken together with a boundary survey | A professional land surveyor; in New Jersey, existing boundary and topographic survey information is a licensed land surveyor's work (N.J.A.C. 13:40-7.2) | [1, 9] |
| ALTA/NSPS land title and topographic survey | A boundary and topographic survey under the current ALTA/NSPS standards | A professional land surveyor, in Illinois and North Dakota | [1, 7] |
| Topographic map | Topography without a boundary survey | A professional land surveyor, or in Illinois an engineer knowledgeable in topographic mapping for the engineer's own design project; Georgia requires a topographic survey to note that the surveyor's certification extends only to its topographic aspects (Board Rule Chapter 180-7) | [1, 5] |
| Improvement location certificate, Colorado | Visible improvements relative to deed lines; property corners are not set, calculated or established, and it does not resolve boundary issues, so it is not a survey (C.R.S. 38-51-108) | A professional land surveyor | [10] |
What counts as a survey is also set by rule. Rhode Island's Procedural and Technical Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying define survey classes [4]. Nebraska draws the line from the other side: improvement location reports, and topographic plats and maps prepared only to show the location of improvements on existing lots and not represented as boundary surveys, are exempt from its record-of-survey filing requirement [11].
Where the term plot plan appears
Codes that use the term plot plan use it for a scaled drawing of a lot or park tied to a specific review, and some file it with the site plan:
- Louisiana's campsite rule (LAC 51:XVI.301) bars any new campsite, or any major alteration, without the state health officer's prior written approval of plans, and the required drawings are a vicinity map and a plot plan showing property lines, the location and width of roads, and the number, location and dimensions of all travel trailer spaces, tent camper spaces and tent sites [2].
- Louisiana's plumbing code (LAC 51:XIV.1507) asks a travel trailer park for two sets of plans and specifications, including a scaled plot plan of the park, the park drainage system, water supply lines, the service building layout, the fire protection system where applicable, and a scaled layout of typical trailer sites [12].
- Iowa's Building Code Official's Handbook states: "Site/Plot plans may be sealed and certified by an Iowa licensed architect, professional engineer or landscape architect." [8]
In these codes the plot plan serves a state health plan approval in Louisiana and a building code submittal in Iowa. A commercial site plan for zoning review carries more: the zoning and setbacks, parking with calculations, landscaping and screening, and a site data table that tests the layout against the code [13, 6]. The full list, item by item from county checklists, is in what is a site plan.
The survey under the site plan
Approval checklists put a sealed survey under the site plan, or seal the site plan itself where it carries boundary data.
| Jurisdiction | What the checklist or code requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois, statewide | A site plan that shows boundary dimensions or bearings, including one drawn on a boundary survey underlay, is signed and sealed by a professional land surveyor as well as by the design professional responsible for the proposed conditions | [1] |
| Gwinnett County, Georgia | The zoning submittal includes a boundary survey with metes and bounds, impervious areas, environmental features and easements by a registered surveyor, and a site plan drawn to scale | [13] |
| Mansfield, Texas | The specific use permit site plan comes with a sealed metes and bounds description by a registered professional land surveyor, under § 155.080(D) | [14] |
| Bandera County, Texas | The preliminary plan is "prepared by registered surveyor or engineer" (2.2.20), and the preliminary plat shows boundaries with bearings and distances and 5 ft contours | [15] |
| Metro Nashville, Tennessee | "A licensed Tennessee land surveyor or engineer must seal all site plans." | [16] |
| Montgomery County, Texas | The county development permit takes a site plan or survey "with exact location of new and/or existing structures" | [17] |
A concept plan can start before the field survey, from mapped data. One Gwinnett zoning plan noted that "streams and wetlands have not been verified with a field run delineation" (RZC2023-00002) [18], and the field delineation follows before engineering. The model projects for a gas station and c-store in Gwinnett County, an express car wash in Mansfield and an RV resort in Bandera County show each requirement inside a full submittal.
Plats: the recorded map
A plat is the map that divides land and is recorded. Bandera County starts a project with a sketch plan, "A map showing a potential subdivision of land not required to be drawn with precision" (2.2.27), and ends it with a final plat carrying bearings, monuments, lot acreage, benchmarks and finished floors, fiscal surety and approved construction plans [15]. Recording rules make the plat a surveyor's document. Georgia's clerk of superior court may only record plats that comply with O.C.G.A. 15-6-67, and recordable plats are prepared and sealed by a Georgia-registered land surveyor [5]. Florida's plat statute, Fla. Stat. 177.071, requires a plat prepared, signed and sealed by a licensed professional surveyor and mapper [19], and Missouri's RSMo 327.361 makes it unlawful for a recorder to file any plat prepared by a non-surveyor lacking a seal [20]. In Washington, final plat approval is "ministerial, non-discretionary" once the preliminary terms are met (RCW 58.17.170) [21].
For a subdivision, the lotting plan sits ahead of the preliminary plat; the single-family and townhome site plan page covers that sequence for residential land.
Which drawing you need
A preliminary site plan is the proposed layout: buildings, access, parking, amenities and a site data table. It is drawn on the best base available, mapped data at concept and the surveyor's boundary and topographic survey once it exists, and it leaves the boundary determination to the surveyor and the engineering to the engineer of record, who build the sealed set on it. Which stages take that plan without a seal is set out in where unsealed site plans are accepted. A homeowner who needs a plot plan for a building permit should start with site plan for a permit and permit site plans. For a campground or RV park in a state with its own plot plan rule, the RV park and campground hubs set out the state requirements.
For the stages a site plan passes through, see preliminary vs final site plan; for who may draw and seal each layer, who prepares a site plan; and for budgets, site plan cost. The state rules cited here are covered on the Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, Rhode Island, North Dakota and Nebraska pages, and the post on site plans, plot plans and floor plans adds the floor plan to the comparison. To start a plan on your survey, contact the studio.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a site plan and a plot plan?
Where codes use the term, a plot plan is a scaled drawing of a lot or park showing property lines, roads and the spaces on it, as Louisiana's campsite rule requires [2]. Iowa's handbook files the two together: "Site/Plot plans may be sealed and certified by an Iowa licensed architect, professional engineer or landscape architect" [8]. A commercial site plan for zoning review adds setbacks, parking with calculations, landscaping and a site data table [13, 6].
Is a site plan the same as a survey?
No. A boundary survey is a professional opinion on where the boundary lies, formed from real property evidence and reserved to licensed surveyors [3]. The site plan draws the proposed layout on that base. In Illinois, a site plan that shows boundary dimensions or bearings is also signed and sealed by a professional land surveyor [1].
What is an ALTA survey?
What is a plat?
The map that divides land and is recorded. Bandera County, Texas moves a project from a sketch plan through a preliminary plat to a final plat with bearings, monuments and lot acreage [15]. In Georgia, the clerk of superior court may only record plats that comply with O.C.G.A. 15-6-67, and recordable plats are prepared and sealed by a registered land surveyor [5].
Do I need a survey before a site plan?
For approval, usually yes: Gwinnett County, Georgia's zoning submittal includes a registered surveyor's boundary survey, and Mansfield, Texas requires a sealed metes and bounds description with the specific use permit site plan [13, 14]. A concept plan can start from mapped data; one Gwinnett zoning plan noted that streams and wetlands had not been verified with a field run delineation [18].
Is an improvement location certificate a survey?
Not in Colorado. It is a land surveyor's certificate showing visible improvements relative to deed lines; property corners are not set, and it does not resolve boundary issues (C.R.S. 38-51-108) [10].
Sources
- 1)Illinois Code Enforcement Manual (Rev. February 2026), Guidelines for Technical Submissions, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Accessed 2026-08-30.
- 2)La. Admin. Code tit. 51, Part XVI, § 301, Campsites: plan approval, State of Louisiana, Sanitary Code (via Justia). Accessed 2026-08-31.
- 3)435-RICR-00-00-1, land surveying rules, State of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Code of Regulations. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- 4)Procedural and Technical Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying in the State of Rhode Island, State of Rhode Island.
- 5)Georgia Plat Act, O.C.G.A. 15-6-67 (2024), and Board Rule Chapter 180-7 (law.justia.com; rules.sos.ga.gov), State of Georgia. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 6)Current Planning, City of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 7)North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-19.1, North Dakota Legislative Assembly. Accessed 2026-09-01.
- 8)Iowa Building Code Official's Handbook (September 2019 edition), Iowa design boards and Building Code Bureau (hosted by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing). Accessed 2026-08-30.
- 9)N.J.A.C. 13:40-7, Permissible Division of Responsibility in Submission of Site Plans and Major Subdivision Plats, New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
- 10)Colorado Revised Statutes § 38-51-108, improvement location certificates, State of Colorado. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 11)Land Surveyors Regulation Act (statutes page), Nebraska State Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors. Accessed 2026-08-30.
- 12)La. Admin. Code tit. 51, Part XIV, § 1507, Travel Trailers and Travel Trailer Parks, State of Louisiana, Plumbing Code (via Justia). Accessed 2026-08-31.
- 13)Procedures and Instructions: Rezoning, CIC, SUP, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 14)Mansfield Code § 155.080, Specific Use Permit, City of Mansfield, Texas (American Legal Publishing). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 15)Bandera County Subdivision and Land Development Regulations (revised August 25, 2022), Bandera County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 16)Metro Drawing Requirements for Permits, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 17)Commercial Permit Application Packet, Montgomery County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 18)Case RZC2023-00002, staff report, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 19)Fla. Stat. 177.071, plat preparation and approval, State of Florida. Accessed 2026-07-30.
- 20)Mo. Rev. Stat. 327.361 (revisor.mo.gov), State of Missouri. Accessed 2026-07-30.
- 21)RCW 58.17.170, final plat approval (as summarized by MRSC, mrsc.org), Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington. Accessed 2026-07-30.
How these sources were chosen and when the page is reviewed: how we research.