Everything You Need
to Know About
Site Plans

We prepare every type of permit site plan:

• Residential site plans — pool, fence, shed, deck, home addition, garage, ADU, driveway
• Commercial site plans — tenant improvements, parking layouts, retail, office, warehouse
• PE-stamped plans — when the building department requires licensed engineer review
• ADU plans — detached, attached, garage conversion, all US states
• Full permit sets — site plan + elevation drawings + floor plans

Yes. Site Plans Online USA prepares permit site plans for all 50 US states. We research your specific county's zoning requirements, setbacks, portal format, and submission standards for every order — no templates, no guessing.

Yes. Florida is one of our deepest markets. We operate a dedicated Florida brand — Site Plans FL — with county-level data for all 67 Florida counties. Every Florida plan includes:

• FEMA flood zone notation
• HVHZ notation for Miami-Dade and Broward
• F.S. 515.29 pool barrier compliance
• County portal formatting (Orange County FastTrack, BDFD, ePlan, etc.)
• 10-day correction notice response under F.S. 553.792

Yes. We prepare California site plans for all 58 counties and all 482+ incorporated cities. We know California ADU law (SB 9, AB 2221), Coastal Zone requirements, VHFHSZ fire zone notation, and the portal submission requirements for LADBS, San Diego DSD, San Jose, and all major California markets.

Yes. Many of our clients are pool companies, fence contractors, permit expediters, and builders who send us multiple projects every month. We serve as a reliable drafting partner — fast turnaround, consistent formatting, and free revisions on building department corrections. Volume pricing is available for contractors with recurring needs.

Rush delivery is available for urgent permit deadlines. Contact us before ordering to confirm availability.

1. 1

   Submit Your Details

   Send us your property address, project type, and any permit comments from your building department. Survey or plat map if you have one — not required.

2. 2

   We Research Your Property

   GIS parcel data, county zoning code, setbacks, special overlays (flood zone, fire zone, coastal), and your building department's submission format.

3. 3

   We Draft Your Site Plan

   Drawn to scale, formatted for your portal, all required elements for your project type.

4. 4

   You Review

   We send you the draft. You review and request any changes — typically turned around within a few hours.

5. 5

   You Submit

   Receive your permit-ready PDF and submit to your building department.

6. 6

   Free Revisions if Needed

   If the building department requests corrections, forward the notice. Updated within 12 hours at no extra charge.

Helpful but not required:

• Permit checklist or comments from your building department
• Survey or plat map (improves accuracy)
• Project dimensions if you know them
• Photos of the property

You don't need a survey. You don't need CAD drawings. You don't need technical expertise.

No. Everything is handled remotely. We use GIS parcel data, county records, and satellite imagery. No site visit, no appointment, no waiting for scheduling. You submit your details online or by email, we draft the plan, you receive a permit-ready PDF.

Any project involving exterior changes to a property typically requires a site plan. The most common:

• Pool and spa
• Fence and wall
• Shed and accessory structure
• Deck and patio
• Home addition
• Garage addition (attached or detached)
• ADU and guest house
• Driveway expansion
• Solar panels (some jurisdictions)
• Commercial permits of any type

If your project changes the exterior footprint of your property or adds hard surface, assume a site plan is required.

Yes — significantly. Setback distances, lot coverage limits, portal submission formats, file naming conventions, PE stamp requirements, and specific plan elements all vary by jurisdiction. This is why we research your specific city and county for every order rather than using a national template.

No — for most residential permits. We use GIS parcel data and county records, accepted by virtually every US building department for residential permit applications. If you have an existing survey, we incorporate it — it improves accuracy.

Setbacks are set at the zoning district level — not citywide — and vary by project type. We research the specific setback requirements for your parcel's zoning district on every order. Send us your address and project type and we'll confirm before starting.

A PE stamped plan is a drawing that has been reviewed, signed, and officially sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer. The PE stamp means a licensed engineer has verified that the drawings meet applicable codes and professional engineering standards. The engineer's name, license number, and official state seal appear on the document.

A PE stamp is typically required for:

• All commercial building permits
• Structural modifications to existing buildings
• Grading and drainage engineering
• Retaining walls over approximately 4 feet
• New home construction (structural drawings)
• Some residential additions above a size threshold (varies by county)
• Any project where the correction notice says "PE stamp required"

PE-stamped plans typically take 2–5 business days. The PE must review the drawings for code compliance and engineering accuracy before stamping. Rush PE review is sometimes available — contact us to confirm. We coordinate PE review with licensed engineers in all 50 states.

Yes. A PE stamp is only valid in the state where the PE holds an active license. We coordinate PE review accordingly — we work with licensed engineers in all 50 states, so regardless of your project location we handle the state-specific stamp requirement.

Cost depends on project type, complexity, and whether a PE stamp is required. Simple residential projects (fence, shed, basic driveway) start from $79. Pool permits and ADUs are mid-range. Commercial projects and PE-stamped plans are higher.

Every Site Plans Online USA order includes:

Yes. If your building department sends back a correction notice, we address every item within 12 hours at no extra charge. This applies to the same project scope — if you want to add a completely new project element not in the original order, we'll discuss any adjustment.

The cost of a professional site plan is typically far less than the cost of a rejected application. A correction notice means:

• Resubmission delay — 2–6 weeks for another review cycle in most cities
• Contractor rescheduling costs if crews are waiting
• Resubmission fees in some jurisdictions
• Another full round of stress

Send us your correction notice — the list of items the building department wants fixed. We review every item and prepare corrected drawings within 12 hours. Most corrections involve missing setback dimensions, scale issues, impervious surface calculations, or pool barrier compliance notes — all straightforward fixes.

Other states: Typically 30–90 days, but varies by jurisdiction. Check your correction notice for the specific deadline. Don't wait regardless — every day of delay is a delayed permit.

The five most common rejection reasons:

• Missing setback dimensions — all four distances from proposed structure to property lines must be labeled
• Not drawn to scale — "not to scale" is automatically rejected by every US building department
• Existing structures missing — reviewers check satellite imagery; every structure must appear
• Impervious surface not calculated — required for pools, decks, additions, driveways
• PE stamp missing — required for most commercial permits

Yes. We fix and correct site plans regardless of who originally prepared them. Send us the original plan and the correction notice. We identify what needs to change and prepare corrected drawings. This is one of the most common situations we handle — rejected DIY plans, rejected contractor plans, and plans from other services.

An ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) is a secondary residential unit on the same lot as a primary home — a backyard cottage, garage conversion, in-law suite, or detached guest house. An ADU site plan is required as part of the building permit application for any ADU project.

The ADU site plan shows: ADU location and setbacks, parking space location, utility connections, lot coverage, and access route from the street.

In California, state law (AB 2221) sets maximum setbacks for most detached ADUs at 4 feet from the rear and side property lines — overriding stricter local rules in most cases. Other states vary significantly.

We research the specific ADU setback rules for your city or county for every ADU plan we prepare.

Yes. Use our free ADU Feasibility Checker to check basic zoning eligibility, lot capacity, and key variables for your property before ordering. For a deeper analysis, read our ADU Feasibility Study Guide.

A pool permit site plan includes all standard elements plus:

• Pool dimensions and water edge location
• All setbacks measured from the water edge to every property line
• Safety barrier location and height (California: 60 inches minimum; most other states: 48 inches)
• Gate details — self-closing, self-latching, outward-swinging, latch at 54 inches
• Equipment pad location
• Impervious surface calculation including pool deck

In most US jurisdictions, yes — any fence that requires a permit also requires a site plan. Fence permit site plans show: fence line location, fence height, gate locations, and corner lot sight triangle if applicable. If the fence serves as a pool safety barrier, additional barrier compliance notation is required.

Most sheds over 100–200 square feet (the threshold varies by jurisdiction) require a building permit, and that permit requires a site plan. The site plan shows shed placement, distance from all property lines, distance from the main house, and foundation type.

Commercial site plans include everything in a residential plan plus:

• Complete parking layout with space count and ADA accessible spaces
• Ingress and egress access points
• Pedestrian access routes
• Fire lane access
• Drainage notes
• PE stamp

The level of detail is significantly higher than residential.

Yes — for virtually all commercial construction in the United States. Most jurisdictions require a licensed Professional Engineer to review and seal commercial drawings before the permit can be issued. Submitting a commercial permit application without a PE stamp means the application cannot be processed.

Yes. Planning commission applications require a more detailed site plan than a standard building permit — showing parking, landscaping, circulation, building heights, and relationship to surrounding properties. We prepare both building permit site plans and planning commission entitlement site plans.