A Site Plan is a drawing showing the site of a proposed or existing project.
Example of a site plan.
Some of the key elements of a Site Plan are property boundaries, land topography, proposed and/or existing structures, easements, setbacks, and roadways. Anyone who is constructing a new building, or adding on to an existing building will need a site plan.
The site plan is used by various departments throughout the city to verify everything from parking requirements to the distance a fire hose will reach around the building. Complete and accurate measurements are essential to help avoid delays in permit processing.
A complete site plan should be drawn to scale and will include:
- Existing and proposed structure(s) with exact dimensions
- Parking areas and required number of parking spaces including Handicap accessible spaces.
- Driveway locations and traffic circulation system
- Lot and building line dimensions, as well as dimensions from property line to the project
- Alley with dimensions, if applicable
- All easements, if applicable
- Street names
- Sidewalks
- Location of nearest fire hydrant(s)
- Fire lanes
- Utility or civil engineering site plan, showing water and sanitary sewer.
A copy of the existing site plan (survey) should be included with the documents that you received at closing upon purchasing the property. If you can’t locate the original closing documents, your mortgage lender may have a copy of them.
If unavailable elsewhere, consider hiring a surveyor for a copy of your project site plan. A surveyor can complete new measurements of your property and provide you with a existing site plan that can be used as a basis for proposed construction.
Site plans should be included in any drawing package created by a professional designer or licensed design professional. Plans should be drawn to scale.