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For concept and pre-application site plans

A Conceptual Site Plan, Drawn on the Real Land.

A conceptual site plan is the drawing you bring to the pre-application meeting, the lender, the seller or the partner before anyone has paid for engineering: the site, the buildings as pads, the parking, the access and the numbers. The problem is that a concept sketched on a screenshot is not to scale and its numbers are guesses. PlotForge™ draws the concept on the recorded parcel geometry, so the setbacks are real, the unit count and the coverage are totaled, and the parking count is live.

What is a conceptual site plan?

A conceptual site plan is a preliminary, to-scale drawing of a proposed development on a parcel: the property lines, the setbacks, the building footprints or pads, the parking and drive aisles, the access points, open space and the key numbers such as unit count, building area, parking count and lot coverage. It is used for pre-application meetings, feasibility and financing before detailed engineering begins.

What a conceptual site plan should show

A planning department's pre-application checklist and a lender's concept exhibit ask for the same things. A conceptual site plan from PlotForge™ carries them to scale:

The site, to scale — the recorded parcel lines, every side dimensioned, with the north arrow and the scale

The setbacks — the building envelope drawn from the real lot edges, with the distances you enter or the ones the feasibility report pre-fills where PlotForge carries the rules

Building pads — labeled pads with stories × units per floor; footprint SF, gross SF and unit count print on each pad

Parking and access — a parking court filled with stalls and counted, drive aisles, the entrance from the street as a ribbon at full width

Open space and phases — labeled zones with their area for green space, detention, a future phase, hatched and dashed as needed

The numbers — units, building area, hardscape, impervious coverage and the parking summary, totaled live and printed on the sheet

How to draw a conceptual site plan

Load the parcel

Type the address or the parcel ID. The recorded lines load to scale; merge adjoining parcels if the site is more than one lot.

Draw the envelope

Enter the setbacks, or run the feasibility report to pre-fill them where PlotForge carries the jurisdiction's rules, and see the buildable area.

Pad, park and connect

Drop building pads with stories and units, trace and fill the parking, run the entrance drive from the street, zone the open space.

Read the numbers and export

Unit count, coverage and stall count print on the sheet. Export the PDF for the meeting and the DXF for the engineer.

The tools concept planners use

Concept building padsLabeled pads with stories × units per floor; footprint SF, gross SF and unit count on the pad and in the totals.How it works → Parking layout + ADA countsFill a court with stalls at the angle you pick and read the count; accessible stalls and EV tiers counted. Reference geometry; local code governs.How it works → Automatic setbacksThe building envelope from the real lot edges, with the distances labeled and the far ones hidden.How it works → Freeform zones & areasOpen space, detention, future phases as labeled zones with live square footage, hatch fills and dashed outlines.How it works → Driveway & sidewalk ribbonsThe entrance drive and the walks traced to full width, fused into one hardscape outline.How it works → Live quantity takeoffUnits, building area, hardscape and impervious coverage totaled live and printed on the sheet.How it works →

Which plan fits concept work

Concepts every week

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty clean exports or feasibility reports a month, every concept saved in your account and reopened for the next version. See Contractor.

Concepts now, permits later

Studio, $29/mo

Save every concept, share plan files with the partner or the architect, export the PNG for the deck, and buy plan credits when a clean sheet is due. See Studio.

One concept for one meeting

Single Plan, $29

Draw it on the free 30-day trial and export the clean sheet for $29 when the meeting is set. Compare plans.

▶ Watch the lessonParking Lot Layout With ADA and EV Stalls ▶ Watch the lessonZones and Revision Clouds on a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Show Building Setbacks on a Site Plan

Conceptual site plans FAQ

What is the difference between a conceptual site plan and a site plan?

A conceptual site plan is preliminary: buildings are pads, parking is a count, and it exists to test an idea and get early feedback from the planning department, a lender or a partner. A site plan for a permit is the detailed, dimensioned drawing of what will actually be built. In PlotForge the same file grows from one into the other: the pads become footprints and the exhibit becomes the permit sheet.

Is a conceptual site plan drawn to scale?

It should be, and the ones drawn on a screenshot usually are not, which is why their numbers do not survive the engineer. PlotForge draws the concept on the recorded parcel geometry at a true scale, so the setbacks, the pads, the parking and the coverage are measured, not estimated.

What do I bring to a pre-application meeting?

Most planning departments ask for a conceptual site plan showing the site, the proposed buildings and their use and size, parking and access, and the setbacks, plus a short project description. A PlotForge sheet with the cover sheet, the pads, the parking summary and the takeoff covers it; add the feasibility report if the site has flood, wetland or slope questions.

Can I try two or three layouts?

Yes. Save the project on a subscription and duplicate it for each scheme, or move the pads and refill the parking in the same file; the unit count and the stall count update live. Export a PNG of each scheme for the deck.

Can the engineer start from my concept?

Yes. The DXF export carries the site, setbacks, pads, parking with ADA and EV layers, zones, contours, dimensions and text on named drafting layers, so the civil engineer starts from your concept instead of redrawing the parcel.

Is a PlotForge™ site plan a survey?

No. The property lines are the recorded parcel lines from public records, drawn to scale over an aerial photo. That is what most building departments accept for a permit site plan, and it is not a boundary survey or an engineered drawing. If your office requires a sealed survey for this project, PlotForge can trace that recorded survey as the boundary and the sheet prints a notice saying so.

Does it work where I am?

PlotForge™ covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the only exceptions in the country are named on the coverage page. It is also expanding into Canada, starting with select counties in Ontario and Alberta. The most reliable check is free: sign up, type the address, and watch the lot load.

Draw the concept site plan in minutes

Load the parcel, set the envelope, pad the buildings, fill the parking, read the numbers. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean export is $29.

Start a Concept Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool