Applying for a building permit can feel confusing if you are not sure what to include on your site plan. The good news is that most residential permit site plans follow the same basic idea: show the property, show what already exists, show what you want to build, and show the key measurements reviewers need to check.

A permit site plan helps your city, county, or HOA understand how your project fits on the lot. Whether you are planning a shed, deck, fence, pool, garage, driveway, patio cover, addition, or other home improvement, a clear checklist can help you prepare a better drawing before you submit.

What Is a Permit Site Plan?

A permit site plan is a drawing that shows the layout of your property from above. It usually includes the property lines, existing house, proposed project, setbacks, driveway, sidewalks, streets, utilities when known, easements when available, drainage direction when relevant, and other site features.

The International Residential Code says construction documents submitted with a permit application should be accompanied by a site plan or plot plan showing the size and location of new construction, existing structures on the site, and distances from lot lines. Source: International Code Council – IRC Site Plan or Plot Plan.

In simple terms, the site plan tells the reviewer where the project goes and how it relates to the rest of the property. Our guide explaining what is included on a permit site plan provides a broader overview of the details commonly shown.

Permit Site Plan Checklist

Use this homeowner checklist before submitting your site plan. Not every item applies to every project, but including the right details can help reduce confusion and avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.

1. Property Lines and Lot Dimensions

Your site plan should show the property lines clearly. These are the legal boundaries of the lot and they are different from fences, hedges, landscape borders, or driveway edges.

Include lot dimensions when available. If you have a survey, plat map, parcel map, or county assessor map, those documents can help provide better property information.

The City of Bellevue describes a residential site plan as a drawing of what is existing and what is proposed on a lot. Bellevue also says property lines, setback distances, streets, rights-of-way, and easements must be verified and accurately shown. Source: City of Bellevue – Residential Site Plan.

A drafted site plan is not the same as a legal boundary survey. Read our comparison of a site plan versus a survey when the project is close to a property line or the boundary location is uncertain.

2. Existing Structures

Show the structures and major site features that already exist on the property. This usually includes the house, garage, shed, deck, patio, pool, driveway, walkway, fence, retaining wall, and other permanent improvements.

Existing structures help reviewers understand the current layout before they review the proposed work. They also help separate what is already built from what you are asking to build.

Common existing items to show include:

• House or main residence
• Attached or detached garage
• Existing shed or accessory structure
• Deck, porch, patio, or patio cover
• Pool, spa, or pool equipment
• Driveway and parking areas
• Walkways and stairs
• Fences, gates, or retaining walls

3. Proposed Work

The proposed project should be clearly labeled. A reviewer should be able to look at the drawing and immediately understand what is new.

Use labels such as:

• Proposed shed
• Proposed deck
• Proposed fence
• Proposed pool
• Proposed garage
• Proposed driveway extension
• Proposed patio cover
• Proposed addition

Show the project dimensions, such as length, width, square footage, height, or other relevant measurements. The proposed work should be drawn in a way that makes it easy to compare with the property lines and existing structures.

Project-specific details differ. Site Plan Pros has separate guides for shed permit site plans, deck permit site plans, and garage permit site plans.

4. Setbacks from Property Lines

Setbacks are the required distances between a structure and the property lines. They are one of the most important items on a permit site plan.

Your site plan should show the distance from the proposed work to the front, side, and rear property lines when applicable. For example, a shed may need side and rear setback dimensions. A deck may need distances to the house and lot lines. A garage may need setbacks, driveway access, and separation from other structures.

Do not guess setbacks from a fence. If the property line location is uncertain, a survey may be needed.

5. Distances Between Structures

Some permit offices need to know the distance between the proposed project and existing structures. This is common for sheds, garages, pools, decks, ADUs, additions, and mechanical equipment.

Useful distance labels may include:

• Distance from proposed shed to house
• Distance from proposed garage to house
• Distance from proposed deck to property line
• Distance from pool to house or fence
• Distance from mechanical equipment to property line
• Distance from project to easement or utility area

Clear distance labels help reviewers check spacing, access, zoning, and safety requirements.

6. Driveway and Access

Show how people or vehicles access the property and the project area. This is especially important for garages, carports, driveways, fences with gates, pools, ADUs, and backyard structures.

Access details may include:

• Driveway location
• Driveway width
• Parking area
• Walkway to the project
• Gate location
• Alley access
• Garage door orientation

Driveway and access information helps reviewers understand how the property works, not just where the structure is located.

When the driveway itself is part of the proposed work, see our guides on driveway permit site plans and driveway widening site plans.

7. Sidewalk, Street, Alley, and Curb Cut

Your site plan should usually label the street in front of the property. If there is a sidewalk, alley, curb cut, or corner frontage, show that too.

These features can affect fences, driveways, garages, carports, ADUs, front-yard projects, and visibility near driveways or street corners.

Tacoma’s permit guidance says a site plan should show where existing and proposed buildings are located, include a north arrow, scale, and property lines, and label distances between structures and property lines. Source: Tacoma Permits – Site Plan Guidance.

8. Utilities If Known

If utility locations are known, show them on the site plan when they are relevant to the project. This is especially important for pools, additions, ADUs, garages, driveway work, retaining walls, and projects that require digging.

Utilities may include:

• Water line
• Sewer line
• Gas line
• Electric service
• Storm drain
• Septic system or drainfield
• Well location
• Utility meters

Utility locations shown on a site plan are often approximate unless they come from a survey, utility record, or field verification. Before digging, homeowners and contractors should contact the proper utility marking service and verify utilities in the field.

9. Easements

An easement is an area of the property where another party may have rights for access, utilities, drainage, or other purposes. Easements can limit where you can build.

If you know about an easement, show it on the site plan. Common examples include utility easements, drainage easements, access easements, sewer easements, and shared driveway easements.

Kittitas County lists property lines and dimensions, existing and proposed development, roads, sewer and water lines, wells, utilities, easements, water bodies, floodplains, critical areas, drainage facilities, and septic/drainfield areas among site plan-related permit items. Source: Kittitas County Code – Building and Construction.

10. Drainage Direction

Drainage does not apply to every small project, but it can be important when a project changes hard surface area, roof runoff, grading, or water flow.

Show drainage direction when relevant for:

• Driveways
• Patios
• Pool decks
• Additions
• Garages
• ADUs
• Retaining walls
• Patio covers or carports

Use simple arrows or notes to show where water is expected to flow. Avoid directing runoff toward the house foundation, a neighboring property, a public sidewalk, or an area where water may cause erosion or pooling.

Drainage information is especially important for retaining wall site plans, driveway projects and roofed structures that add new runoff.

11. Landscaping and Site Features

You do not need to show every shrub, but important site features should be shown if they affect the project. These may include trees, fences, gates, retaining walls, patios, walkways, slopes, pool equipment, AC units, and drainage swales.

Landscaping and site features are especially important when the project is close to a tree, fence, easement, driveway, sidewalk, slope, or drainage area.

12. North Arrow and Scale

A site plan should include a north arrow and scale when possible. These details help reviewers understand orientation and distance.

The City of Portland says site plans for building permit applications must be complete and accurate and provides guidelines for drawing a site plan, including sheet size and scale. Source: City of Portland – Drawing a Site Plan.

A clear, readable plan is easier to review than a blurry screenshot or rough sketch. Scale and orientation help make the drawing look organized and permit-ready.

What Homeowners Should Provide

Before ordering or preparing a site plan, gather as much project information as possible. Helpful items include:

• Property address
• Project type
• Project dimensions
• Preferred project location
• Survey, plat map, or parcel map if available
• Photos of the property
• Contractor drawings or sketches
• Measurements from the project to property lines
• Utility or easement information if known
• Local permit checklist if available

The more accurate the information, the better the site plan can be. If your local office requires a boundary survey, engineer stamp, architectural drawings, grading plan, or drainage report, follow those requirements.

Common Projects That Require a Site Plan

Permit requirements vary by location, but many common residential projects may require a site plan.

• Sheds
• Decks
• Fences
• Pools and spas
• Garages
• Additions
• Driveways
• Patio covers
• Carports
• ADUs
• Retaining walls
• Mechanical equipment pads

Small projects may only need a basic site plan, while larger projects may require additional drawings, engineering, or a survey.

Related project guides include pool permit site plans, carport permit site plans, ADU permit site plans, and patio cover and pergola site plans.

Common Site Plan Mistakes to Avoid

Many permit delays happen because the site plan is missing basic information. Before you submit, check for these common mistakes:

• Property lines are missing
• Fence line is used as the property line
• Existing house or garage is not shown
• Proposed work is not labeled clearly
• Project dimensions are missing
• Setback distances are missing
• Driveway, sidewalk, street, or alley is not shown
• Known easements are missing
• Known utilities are missing
• Drainage direction is unclear when relevant
• North arrow or scale is missing
• The drawing is blurry or hard to read

Our guide to why site plans get rejected or delayed explains these correction issues in greater detail.

When a Site Plan May Not Be Enough

A permit site plan is useful for many residential projects, but it does not replace every professional document. Depending on your project and local requirements, you may also need:

• A boundary survey
• Engineered drawings
• Architectural plans
• Structural calculations
• Grading or drainage plans
• Energy compliance documents
• Septic or well documentation
• Floodplain documents
• HOA-specific forms or exhibits

Always check the permit checklist for your city, county, or HOA before submitting.

Final Thoughts

A permit site plan checklist helps homeowners prepare a clearer and more complete drawing. At a minimum, most site plans should show property lines, existing structures, proposed work, setbacks, distances, driveways, access, streets, sidewalks, north arrow, and scale. Depending on the project, you may also need utilities, easements, drainage, landscaping, trees, and other site features.

A clean site plan can help reviewers understand your project faster and reduce avoidable confusion during the permit process. It is also useful to understand what permit reviewers check first on a site plan before submitting.

Sources

• International Code Council – IRC Site Plan or Plot Plan
• City of Bellevue – Residential Site Plan
• Tacoma Permits – Site Plan Guidance
• Kittitas County Code – Building and Construction
• City of Portland – Drawing a Site Plan