Guides
Working notes on zoning compliance for the people who draw and submit site plans: setbacks, coverage limits, buffers, and the review process itself.
Why Site Plans Get Rejected: The Code Violations Reviewers Catch First
Most residential site plan rejections come down to the same handful of zoning violations. What they are, why they slip through, and how to catch each one before you submit.
June 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Impervious Coverage: What Counts and How It Is Actually Measured
Lot coverage caps sink more residential projects than any setback. What counts as impervious surface, how jurisdictions differ on decks, gravel, and pool water, and how to run the math before a reviewer does.
June 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Setbacks Explained: Main Structure vs. Accessory Structure
Houses and sheds follow different setback tables, and mixing them up causes rejections in both directions. How the two systems work, where they diverge, and the attached-structure trap.
June 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Pool Setbacks and Barrier Requirements: What to Check Before You Dig
Pools answer to three rulebooks at once: zoning setbacks, safety barrier codes, and easements. Where the setback is actually measured, and the checks that keep a dig date from slipping.
June 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Stream Buffers and Floodplains: The Constraint That Kills Site Plans Late
Buffers and floodplain lines are not on the survey, but they bind the design anyway. How to find them, how the tiers stack, what is prohibited in each zone, and why variances are a last resort.
June 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Retaining Walls: When Height Triggers Engineering and Extra Review
Somewhere around four feet, a landscape wall becomes a regulated structure. How the threshold is measured, why surcharge lowers it, the terracing rule, and the zoning limits that apply even to short walls.
June 1, 2026 · 7 min read
DXF Layer Conventions for Site Plans That Survive Review
Reviewers and automated checkers both read your drawing through its layers. A minimal layer set for residential site plans, the CAD habits that break area calculations, and why INSUNITS matters.
June 1, 2026 · 7 min read