What a deck permit site plan shows
Apex, North Carolina's deck plan checklist sets out the plot plan in one line: it must show the building structure outline, decks, porches, easements, cantilevers, mechanical equipment, electrical panels and service equipment, and give their distances to the property lines [1]. Wake County, North Carolina asks the deck site plan for the parcel identification number (PIN), the property address, a north arrow, the scale of the site plan, a bar scale and the date the map was prepared [2]. Metro Nashville's residential permits cover decks, porches and patio covers, and its site plan shows the distances to property lines, with existing structures and easements labeled [5].
Read together, the three lists ask the deck plot plan for:
| Item on the plan | Who asks for it |
|---|---|
| The building structure outline, with the decks, porches and cantilevers | Apex [1] |
| Existing structures, labeled | Metro Nashville [5] |
| Easements | Apex and Metro Nashville [1, 5] |
| Mechanical equipment, electrical panels and service equipment | Apex [1] |
| The distance from each of these to the property lines | Apex and Metro Nashville [1, 5] |
| The parcel identification number and the property address | Wake County [2] |
| A north arrow, the scale of the site plan and a bar scale | Wake County [2] |
| The date the map was prepared | Wake County [2] |
Impervious square footage is the item departments most often add to a residential checklist, especially in North Carolina, Washington and Georgia [6, 2]. Apex charges its own deck plan review fee of $100, a public fee paid to the town [1].
Innowave Studio draws the deck plot plan to the checklist your department publishes. The general items every permit site plan carries are on the permit site plans hub, and the difference between a plot plan and a survey is in site plan vs plot plan vs survey.
When a deck needs a permit
Whether a deck needs a permit, and so a site plan, depends on its size, its height and the place:
| Jurisdiction | Deck rule |
|---|---|
| Austin, Texas | Decks under 200 sq ft and under 30 inches high are exempt outside flood hazard areas, under R105.2 of the city's local amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code [3] |
| Meade County, South Dakota | Building permits are required for most structures; decks of 100 sq ft or less and accessory buildings of 200 sq ft or less are exempt [4] |
| Metro Nashville, Tennessee | Residential building permits cover garages, carports, patio covers, decks and porches [5] |
| Wake County, North Carolina | The Build a Deck or Porch guidance is written to Appendix M of the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code, and deck plans can be hand drawn [2] |
| Denver, Colorado | The residential permitting guide, updated in September 2026, lists decks, patios and pergolas among the structures in its zoning calculations [7] |
In North Carolina, the initial review of residential building plans is due within 15 business days, and after 20 business days the local government refunds 10% of the permit fee for each business day, for up to 10 days (G.S. 160D-1110(b)) [8, 9]. The Raleigh and Durham area rules for commercial work are on the Raleigh-Durham page.
Setbacks, coverage and shoreland rules
The checklists ask for the distance from the deck to each property line, so the reviewer can test it [1, 5]. Three state regimes bind a deck more tightly:
- Maryland's Critical Area. Lot coverage counts gravel, stone, shell, impermeable decking, pavers and permeable pavement, and it leaves out a deck with gaps that let water pass [10]. The Maryland page covers the Critical Area for larger sites.
- Wisconsin shorelands. Shoreland zoning applies to unincorporated land within 1,000 feet of a navigable lake, flowage or pond, or within 300 feet of a navigable stream [11]. Buildings and structures are set back 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark (NR 115.05(1)(b)1.), and decks or gazebos complying with Wis. Stat. 59.692(1v) are among the exceptions to that setback, with piers, walkways and stairways [11]. Impervious surface is capped at 15 percent of the lot, or 30 percent with shoreland mitigation [11]. The Wisconsin page covers the rest of the regime.
- Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas. There, 2,500 sq ft of land disturbance brings erosion and sediment control and stormwater criteria, against 10,000 sq ft elsewhere (9VAC25-875), and residential permit site plans in Tidewater show the disturbance area [12, 13]. See the Virginia page.
Who may draw it, and where a seal or survey comes in
Several departments say outright that no licensed professional is needed. Metro Nashville does not require residential site plans to be drawn by a licensed professional, only accurately dimensioned and to scale [14], and it notes that a homeowner's mortgage loan survey works well for a site plan [5]. Wendell, North Carolina says a residential structure's site plan need not be professionally drawn [15]. Wake County takes deck plans drawn by hand [2].
Others ask for a seal. Cobb County, Georgia requires a current plan and survey of the property, sealed by a registered land surveyor, before a building permit (Development Standards s.103.19.1) [16]. Orange County, Florida requires digitally signed and sealed plans for a pool entry deck [17]; the pool side of that permit is on the pool site plans page.
Plans are preliminary, and engineering is by your engineer of record. Where sealed plans are required, as for the Orange County pool entry deck [17], the preliminary plan is what the engineer of record builds on. Where the rules for unsealed plans come from, state by state, is set out in where unsealed site plans are accepted.
How to order a deck site plan
- Open start a project and choose Residential: deck as the project type.
- Give the city or county and the state, so the plan follows that department's checklist.
- Under program and stage, describe the deck: its size, its height above grade, whether it attaches to the house, and the stairs.
- Attach one file, the most useful you have: a survey or mortgage loan survey, or a sketch with measurements. If the department publishes a checklist, name it under program and stage.
The studio reads the brief, checks the jurisdiction's rules and replies by email to scope the plan. Related projects are covered on the shed, pool and home addition pages, and the guides site plan for a permit and how to get a site plan of my property cover the wider question. To order the plan for your deck, start a project and choose Residential: deck.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a site plan for a deck permit?
Where the deck needs a permit, usually yes. Apex's deck plan checklist requires a plot plan [1], and Wake County lists what the deck site plan must carry, from the parcel number to the date the map was prepared [2]. Small decks can be exempt: Austin exempts decks under 200 sq ft and under 30 inches high outside flood hazard areas [3], and Meade County, South Dakota exempts decks of 100 sq ft or less [4].
What does a plot plan for a deck permit need to show?
In Apex, the building structure outline, the decks, porches and cantilevers, easements, mechanical equipment, electrical panels and service equipment, with their distances to the property lines [1]. Wake County adds the parcel identification number, the property address, a north arrow, the scale, a bar scale and the date the map was prepared [2]. Metro Nashville wants existing structures and easements labeled [5].
Can I draw the deck site plan by hand?
How far does a deck have to be from the property line?
The checklists ask for the distance on the plan, and the reviewer tests it: Apex and Metro Nashville both want the distances to property lines shown [1, 5]. On Wisconsin shorelands, buildings and structures sit 75 feet back from the ordinary high water mark, and decks complying with Wis. Stat. 59.692(1v) are among the exceptions [11].
Does a deck count toward lot coverage?
Sources
- 1)Deck Plan Checklist, Town of Apex, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)Build a Deck or Porch, Wake County, North Carolina, Permits and Inspections. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Residential Plan Review (2024 IRC local amendments), City of Austin, Texas, Development Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)Equalization and Planning, Meade County, South Dakota.
- 5)Residential Building Permit Procedures, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Addition / Alteration / Accessory Structure Checklist, Town of Apex, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Residential Permitting Guide (updated September 3, 2026), City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Formal interpretation 231010: G.S. 160D-1110(b), 15 business day residential plan review, North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)G.S. 160D-1110, building permits (2024; via Justia), North Carolina General Assembly. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Critical Area frequently asked questions, Queen Anne's County, Maryland.
- 11)Shoreland zoning: program management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
- 12)Virginia Register Vol. 41 Iss. 4 (Fast-Track), 9VAC25-875, Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation (October 7, 2024), Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Register of Regulations.
- 13)Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program (revised 4/8/2024), Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
- 14)Residential Permit Procedures (brochure), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Codes Administration. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Building Permits, Town of Wendell, North Carolina, Planning Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)2026 Variance Application and Schedule, citing Development Standards s.103.19.1, Cobb County, Georgia. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Residential Swimming Pool Permit, Orange County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.