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For new home builders

The New House on the Lot, Setbacks on Every Side.

A new-construction site plan is the first sheet in the permit set and the one the plan reviewer reads before anything else: the lot, the house footprint at its real size, the front, side and rear setbacks, the driveway, the walks, the septic or the sewer lateral, the drainage. PlotForge™ loads the recorded lot from the address or the parcel number, you build the footprint from rectangles, and the setbacks, dimensions and coverage write themselves. The cover sheet comes with it.

What does a site plan for new home construction need to show?

A site plan for a new house shows the property lines with dimensions and bearings, the house footprint drawn to scale, the front, side and rear setbacks with distances, the driveway and walks, the garage, any accessory buildings, easements, the septic area or sewer connection, and the drainage direction. Most offices also want lot coverage, a north arrow, the scale and a title block.

What the plan reviewer looks for on a new-construction site plan

The reviewer checks the building envelope first, then coverage, then access and utilities. A PlotForge™ sheet covers the items most residential new-construction checklists share:

The lot with bearings — the recorded property lines, every side dimensioned, with survey-style bearing labels and a scale bar if the office likes it that way

The footprint at its size — rectangles for the main body, the garage, the porch and the wings, merged into one outline with the square footage

Setbacks on every side — front, side and rear distances label themselves and update as you move the house; road-centerline setbacks on rural lots

Driveway and walks — the drive traced to full width from the street to the garage, the walks to the door, the hardscape totaled

Easements and utilities — recorded easements at their width, a labeled zone for the septic field, a note for the lateral and the meter

Cover sheet and title block — an editable permit cover sheet with location and vicinity maps generates with the plan; the title block fills from My Info

How a home builder draws the site plan

Load the lot

Type the address, or search by parcel ID when the new lot has no address yet. The recorded lines load to scale with the owner and parcel number.

Build the footprint

Drop rectangles for the main body, the garage and the porch at their sizes, drag them together and merge. One click dimensions the whole outline.

Set it in the envelope

Slide the house until the front, side and rear distances read what the zoning allows. Trace the drive and the walks.

Export the set

The to-scale PDF with the cover sheet in the same file, the DXF for the designer, and your uploaded foundation plan as its own sheet.

The tools home builders use

Address → parcel, automaticallyThe lot by address, or by parcel ID, PIN or APN when the new lot has no address yet, every side dimensioned.How it works → Structure builderThe footprint from rectangles at exact sizes, merged into one outline with the square footage.How it works → Automatic setbacksFront, side and rear distances label themselves and update as you move the house.How it works → Auto cover sheetAn editable cover sheet with location and vicinity maps, property sketch, project data and sheet index, free with every plan.How it works → Topo contour linesUSGS-derived reference contours in one click for the drainage conversation; reference topography, not a survey.How it works → DXF for CADA layered DXF of the lot, setbacks, footprint, hardscape and dimensions for the designer who draws the house.How it works →

Which plan fits a home builder

Starts every month

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month, every drawing tool and the DXF, every lot saved in your account. Higher-volume plans include team seats for the office and the superintendent; ask us.

Check the lot before you buy it

Site Feasibility Report

Flood zone, wetlands, soils with septic suitability, slope, road frontage and a buildable-area sketch from public data, one plan credit. See the report.

A custom build or two a year

Job Pack, 12 plans for $144

Twelve clean exports at $12 a plan for the submittal and the revisions, no subscription, credits that never expire. Compare plans.

▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw a House Footprint for a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Show Building Setbacks on a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonScale, North Arrow, Scale Bar and Bearings on a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonExport a Permit-Ready Site Plan PDF

New home builders FAQ

Does a new house need a surveyed site plan?

Some jurisdictions require a sealed survey or an engineered plot for new construction, especially where the lot is new, the boundaries are disputed or the house sits close to a setback. Many accept a to-scale site plan on recorded parcel lines for the building permit and ask for the surveyor's foundation location later. Check your office's new-construction checklist; if a survey is required, PlotForge can trace it as the boundary and the sheet says so.

The lot is new and has no address. Can I still load it?

Yes. Use Search by Parcel ID: pick the state and county, enter the parcel number, PIN or APN, and the lot loads the same way. You can also start from a neighbor's address, add the lot next door and remove the first one.

Can I show the septic field and the well?

Yes. Trace the drainfield as a labeled zone with a dashed outline, drop a well symbol as a small round feature, and note the separation distances. The Site Feasibility Report also reports the soil's septic suitability rating from public data for lots without sewer.

Can I show grading or drainage?

PlotForge draws USGS-derived reference contour lines and a slope-shading overlay in one click, labeled on the PDF and exported to CAD, plus arrows and notes for the drainage direction. They are reference topography for the conversation, not a grading plan or a survey.

How do I get the plans into my designer's CAD?

Export the DXF. It carries the property lines, setbacks, roads, structures, hardscape, easements, contours, dimensions and text on named drafting layers, so the designer starts from the real lot.

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 new-construction site plan in minutes

Load the lot, build the footprint, set it in the envelope, export the set. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

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