How to draw a site plan for a permit in Texas

What nearly every city asks for.

• Property lines that match your survey or plat
• The house and every other structure already on the lot
• The new structure, with its size
• The distance from the new structure to each property line
• Easements
• Setbacks or building lines
• A north arrow and the scale
• The address and legal description

Start from your survey or plat.

Houston asks for a Texas registered survey or a site plan based on one, and Fort Worth for a plan drawn from an accurate boundary survey. Frisco and Round Rock take your survey marked up with the new work. The lot lines on your plan should match the record, not a guess from the fence line.

Extras some cities ask for.

• Austin: impervious cover in square feet and as a share of the lot, large trees, utility lines and the water meter
• Georgetown: an impervious cover calculation
• Houston: the street name and width
• San Antonio: the street, sidewalk and curb, and a signed statement that nothing is built over an easement
• Fort Worth: your neighbors' front setbacks and the street grades
• Dallas, for a fence: driveways, alleys and visibility triangles

What gets a plan sent back.

Houston turns away graph paper drawings, photos and 3D drawings, and wants the plan to scale and dimensioned. Cedar Park turns away pencil, illegible or incomplete plans, though it doesn't require a scale as long as the measurements are accurate. Austin accepts owner-made drawings if they're legible, to scale and complete.

Where DrawPermit fits.

DrawPermit starts from your county's lot lines for any Texas address. You place the house and the project, and it draws a dimensioned 11x17 site plan with the north arrow, scale, setbacks, distances to each line and impervious cover, for $49. Add anything else your city asks for by hand.

City by city.

• Austin: Austin accepts drawings made by the owner, as long as they are legible, drawn to scale and show what the city asks for.
• Houston: Houston has no zoning, but a shed over 120 sq ft, a raised or attached deck, or a fence over 8 ft still needs a permit and a to-scale site plan showing property lines, easements and building lines.
• Dallas: Dallas lets a detached shed or small freestanding deck of 200 sq ft or less go without a permit. An attached deck always needs one.
• San Antonio: San Antonio lets a shed of 300 sq ft or less go without a permit, but every new fence needs one, and so does a deck or patio cover over 300 sq ft or attached to the house.
• Fort Worth: Fort Worth asks for a permit for every shed, whatever its size, and for any deck more than 6 inches above grade.
• Frisco: Frisco asks for a permit for every shed and patio cover, with no size exemption, and for every new fence. The survey must show the distance to every property line.
• McKinney: McKinney exempts a detached structure under 120 sq ft with no electrical or plumbing work. Anything bigger, any attached patio cover, and every new fence needs a permit.
• Cedar Park: Cedar Park asks for a deck permit once a deck is 30 inches up, over 200 sq ft, attached or serving an exit door, and a shed permit over 80 sq ft. Fences need no permit.
• Round Rock: Round Rock asks for a permit for every wood deck or covered patio, and publishes its deck fees.
• Georgetown: Georgetown permits decks on its residential miscellaneous application, and may ask for an engineer's stamp on decks over 6 ft high.
• Manor: Manor asks for a permit for any deck or patio that changes the original survey, with no size exemption.

Questions.

Can I draw my own site plan?

In most of the cities we've checked, yes. Austin accepts owner-made drawings that are legible, to scale and complete. Cedar Park doesn't require a design professional, and McKinney accepts a hand drawing for a fence. San Antonio lets a homeowner apply after attesting they'll own the home for 12 more months.

Does a site plan have to be to scale?

Usually. Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth ask for a scale drawing. Cedar Park is an exception: accurate measurements, no scale required.

Is a site plan the same as a survey?

No. A survey is the surveyor's record of your lot. A site plan shows what you'll build on it. Many cities accept a copy of your survey marked up with the new work as the site plan.