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For deck contractors

The Deck Permit Drawing, From the Address.

A deck permit turns on one drawing: the house, the new deck at its real size, and the distance from the deck to the rear and side property lines. PlotForge™ loads the recorded lot from the address, drops the existing house on it, and labels the deck's setbacks as you slide it into place. Export a to-scale PDF the plan reviewer can check in one look.

What does a site plan for a deck permit need to show?

A site plan for a deck permit shows the lot's property lines with dimensions, the existing house, the new deck drawn to scale at its real size, and the distances from the deck to the nearest property lines. Most building departments also want the street, a north arrow, the scale and a title block. PlotForge™ draws all of it from the street address.

What the plan reviewer looks for on a deck site plan

Requirements differ by office, but a deck submittal is rejected for the same few reasons everywhere: no scale, no property-line dimensions, no setback distances, or a deck sketched over a screenshot. A PlotForge™ site plan covers the list most residential checklists share:

Property lines with lengths — the recorded lot lines, every side dimensioned, loaded from the address instead of traced from a plat

The existing house — placed in one click from public footprint records, editable, so the deck attaches to the real wall

The deck at its real size — type the width and depth; multi-level or wrap-around decks fuse into one outline with the square footage

Setbacks to the lot lines — the distances from the deck to the rear and side property lines label themselves and update as you move it

Stairs, landings and the patio below — rectangles for the stair run and landing, a hardscape piece for the patio or walk under it

North arrow, scale, title block — the drafting furniture every checklist asks for, filled from the lot and from My Info

How a deck contractor draws the permit site plan

Type the address

The recorded property lines load to scale over the aerial photo, with every side dimensioned and the owner and parcel number filled in.

Add the house

One click places the existing house, garage and shed. Drag a corner onto the roof edge if the record sits a few feet off.

Place the deck

Drop a rectangle at the deck's width × depth against the back wall. Add the stair and the landing. The setback distances label themselves.

Export the sheet

The PDF prints to scale with the title block, north arrow and scale bar, and the cover sheet in the same file. Attach your framing detail as its own sheet.

The tools deck contractors use

Address → parcel, automaticallyThe lot loads from the address, dimensioned, so the deck is measured from the recorded line, not a guess.How it works → Auto-add existing buildingsThe house is on the sheet in one click; the deck attaches to the real wall and the setbacks read from the real corners.How it works → Structure builderRectangles at the exact width × depth; overlapping deck pieces fuse into one outline with its square footage.How it works → Automatic setbacksDeck-to-property-line distances label themselves and update as you drag the deck; add a specific corner distance when asked.How it works → Attach your own sheetsYour framing plan, footing detail or railing spec becomes its own title-blocked sheet in the same PDF.How it works → Revision cloudsWhen the office wants a change called out on the resubmittal, cloud it the way reviewers expect.How it works →

Which plan fits a deck contractor

Pulling permits every month

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month at about $10 each, every drawing tool and every export, and the plan saved in your account so the resubmittal is a reopen, not a redraw. See Contractor.

A few decks a season

Job Pack, 12 plans for $144

Twelve clean exports, no subscription, credits that never expire. Start on the free 30-day trial and buy the pack when the first permit is ready. Compare plans.

Rather hand it off

Done-for-you, $149

Send the address and the deck size and we draw the site plan for you, delivered by email in 48–72 hours with five free revisions. Order a plan.

▶ Watch the lessonSite Plan for a Deck, Shed or Addition Permit ▶ Watch the lessonAdd Existing Buildings to a Site Plan in One Click ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Show Building Setbacks on a Site Plan

Deck contractors FAQ

Does a deck need a permit?

In most jurisdictions, yes, once the deck is attached to the house, raised more than a set height above grade, or larger than a set area. Low, freestanding platform decks are sometimes exempt. The exemption thresholds vary by city and county, so check the building department's checklist, and when a permit is required a site plan is almost always part of the submittal.

Do I have to show the house on a deck site plan?

Yes. The reviewer needs to see what the deck attaches to and where the whole lot stands relative to the property lines. PlotForge places the existing house from public footprint records in one click, and you can nudge its corners onto the roofline on the aerial so the setbacks measure from the real walls.

Can I show stairs, landings and the patio under the deck?

Yes. Draw the stair run and the landing as small rectangles and the patio or walk as a hardscape piece. Each one shows its dimensions, and the hardscape totals in the live takeoff for offices that ask about impervious coverage.

What if the reviewer wants a specific corner distance?

Click the deck corner and the two perpendicular distances to the nearest property lines drop onto the sheet as drafting-style dimensions, on top of the automatic setbacks. That is the number most deck resubmittals are about.

Can I attach my framing plan to the same PDF?

Yes. Upload the framing plan, footing detail or manufacturer railing spec as a PDF or image and each becomes its own title-blocked sheet, indexed on the cover sheet, in one multi-page permit package. The package exports with the same single plan credit as the site plan.

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 deck permit site plan in minutes

Type the address, add the house, place the deck, read the setbacks. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

Start a Deck Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool