Build a Site, Setback, and Zoning Compliance Checklist

A. Finished-Project Specification

Scope: one parcel-specific zoning and site compliance checklist, organized by the requirement categories in the Component Schedule below, covering one defined residential parcel and one proposed project scope, with every dimension sourced from the recorded survey or plat and every requirement sourced from the adopted zoning code or an official determination.

B. Checklist Section Schedule (Component Schedule)

Section	Quantity	Source Type	Required Content	Verification / Purpose
Property Record	1	Official	Recorded survey or plat, legal description, parcel number, property record	Confirmed as the legally controlling reference
Zoning District	1	Official	Zoning district, permitted use, conditional use, accessory-use provisions	Matched to the confirmed parcel
Overlays and Special Districts	1	Official	Flood, wildfire, seismic, coastal, historic, planned-development, or other overlay conditions	Confirmed applicable or not applicable to the parcel
Setbacks	1	Official	Front, side, rear, street-side, waterfront, slope, well, septic, and other applicable setbacks	Measured from the legally controlling reference on the site plan
Easements and No-Build Areas	1	Official	Recorded utility, drainage, access, and other easements; encroachment or release status	Confirmed against the recorded survey or plat
Lot Coverage	1	Official	Existing and proposed building footprint, impervious coverage, floor-area ratio where applicable	Calculated using the jurisdiction's own definitions
Height	1	Official	Height limit, grade-measurement method, story and basement definitions affecting height	Measured using the jurisdiction's defined method
Accessory Structures	1	Official	Size, location, separation, foundation, and use limits for accessory buildings	Confirmed applicable to the proposed scope
Parking, Access, and Environmental	1	Official	Parking, driveway, sight-triangle, landscape, tree, stormwater, and fire-access conditions	Confirmed applicable to the proposed scope
Private Restrictions	1	Non-governmental	HOA, covenant, deed, or lease restrictions affecting the proposed scope	Confirmed separately from government zoning requirements
Unresolved Items and Referrals	1	Working document	Missing survey information, uncertain lot lines, conflicting dimensions, unverified easements	Converted into surveyor, zoning, utility, fire, or engineering questions

C. Resource Takeoff

• Property data: one defined parcel with recorded survey or plat, legal description, and current property record.
• Site plan: one proposed or approved site plan showing the project scope, property lines, setbacks, easements, structures, access, utilities, and drainage.
• Source documents: saved copies or stable official links, with access dates, for the zoning code, use tables, setback tables, overlay maps, and any official determination obtained.
• Verification allowance: at least one completed contact with the zoning official, surveyor, or utility for an item that could not be confirmed from the recorded survey or published zoning resources alone.

D. Acceptance Standards

Check	Standard
Property-line sourcing	Every property-line dimension is traced to the recorded survey, plat, or legal description, never to a fence, tax map, or aerial image
Setback verification	Every applicable setback is measured from the legally controlling reference on the site plan and compared to the adopted requirement
Easement identification	Every recorded easement, right-of-way, and no-build area affecting the buildable area is identified and shown on the marked-up site plan
Coverage calculation	Lot coverage, impervious coverage, or floor-area ratio is calculated using the jurisdiction's own definitions, not an assumed formula
Height verification	The height limit is checked using the jurisdiction's defined grade point and measurement method
Accessory-structure review	Applicable accessory-structure size, location, separation, and use limits are identified and compared to the proposed scope
Unresolved-item handling	Every missing, uncertain, or conflicting site condition is logged, referred to the responsible party, and tracked to a recorded response
Checklist completeness	All eleven checklist sections from the Component Schedule are present, populated, and correctly labeled

E. Preparation — Confirm Parcel, Survey, and Zoning District

1. Identify property address, parcel number, legal lot, ownership, and jurisdiction. Record this information on the Parcel and Project Record above.
2. Obtain the current survey, recorded plat, legal description, site plan, zoning map, and property record. Confirm the survey or plat date and that it reflects the current recorded condition of the parcel.
3. Do not establish property lines from fences, landscaping, tax maps, aerial imagery, or occupant statements. Use only the recorded survey, plat, or legal description as the controlling reference.
4. Identify the zoning district and all overlays, planned-development conditions, historic controls, flood zones, and special districts. Record each applicable overlay in the Overlays and Special Districts section.
5. Locate the permitted-use, conditional-use, accessory-use, and prohibited-use provisions. File the current published provisions in the Zoning District section.
6. Confirm whether the proposed project changes use, occupancy, dwelling count, parking, or home-occupation status. Record the classification and its official source.

F. Identify Setbacks and Easements

1. Identify front, side, rear, street-side, waterfront, slope, well, septic, and other setback requirements. Record each applicable setback value and its official source in the Setbacks section.
2. Identify how the jurisdiction defines lot line, yard, building line, projection, eave, deck, porch, bay, stair, and accessory structure. Record each definition used to measure a setback.
3. Measure proposed setbacks from the legally controlling reference on the approved site plan. Record the plan value against each adopted setback requirement.
4. Identify recorded easements, rights-of-way, utility corridors, drainage easements, access easements, and no-build areas. Mark each easement location on the site plan from the recorded survey or plat.
5. Confirm whether encroachment agreements, easement releases, or utility approvals are required. Record the requirement and status in the Easements and No-Build Areas section.

G. Calculate Coverage and Verify Height and Accessory Limits

1. Calculate existing and proposed building footprint using the jurisdiction's lot-coverage definition. Record the calculation method and result in the Lot Coverage section.
2. Calculate impervious coverage, landscape area, open space, or floor-area ratio where required. Record each applicable calculation with its official definition source.
3. Identify height limits and the local method for measuring grade, average grade, ridge, roof, parapet, or structure height. Record the grade-measurement method before checking the proposed height.
4. Identify story, basement, attic, mezzanine, and accessory-structure definitions affecting height or area. Record each definition applicable to the proposed scope.
5. Identify accessory-building size, location, separation, foundation, utility, and use limits. Record each applicable limit in the Accessory Structures section.
6. Identify deck, fence, pool, retaining wall, shed, driveway, parking, and mechanical-equipment restrictions. Record each restriction applicable to the proposed scope.

H. Identify Access, Environmental, and Private Restrictions

1. Identify required parking spaces, driveway dimensions, sight triangles, curb cuts, and right-of-way permits. Record each requirement in the Parking, Access, and Environmental section.
2. Identify landscape, tree, stormwater, erosion, wildfire, flood, coastal, or environmental conditions. Record each applicable condition and its official source.
3. Identify utility, well, septic, fire-access, hydrant, and emergency-access restrictions. Record each restriction applicable to the proposed scope.
4. Identify HOA, covenant, deed, lease, or architectural-review requirements separately. File these in the Private Restrictions section, clearly separated from government zoning requirements.

I. Compare, Flag, and Resolve

1. Compare the site plan with zoning requirements line by line. Work through every section of the Component Schedule against the current site plan.
2. Flag missing survey information, uncertain lot lines, conflicting dimensions, and unverified easements. Record each flagged item in the Unresolved Items and Referrals section.
3. Convert unresolved site issues into surveyor, zoning, utility, fire, engineering, or legal questions as appropriate. Write each question as a specific, answerable request tied to the flagged item.
4. Obtain official zoning determinations, variances, administrative approvals, or design-review approvals where required. Record the responsible agency, contact, date, question, and response for each item submitted.
5. Do not represent a variance as likely or guaranteed before formal approval. Record only the status of the submitted request, not an anticipated outcome.
6. Prepare the checklist with requirement, source, plan value, status, evidence, responsible party, and action. Complete the checklist entry for every section identified in Steps E through H.
7. Attach a marked-up site plan showing verified controlling dimensions and unresolved areas. Distinguish verified dimensions from unresolved dimensions using a consistent marking method.

J. Review and Archive

1. Review the checklist before foundation layout or excavation. Confirm every setback, coverage, height, and easement entry is sourced and dated before field layout begins.
2. Update the checklist after plan-review comments or approved site revisions. Record the revision date and the reason for each update.
3. Archive zoning approvals, survey, marked-up plan, correspondence, and final checklist. Store the archived package where it remains available to the Chapter 3 application packet and the Chapter 20 capstone.