Planning, Permitting and Construction

CONTACT INFORMATION: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Permitting Business Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (M-Th), 9:15 a.m. - 4 p.m. (F)
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12055 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
Multiple Development Agency Directors

Submitting House Location Plats

 

View of plat
 Click for larger view
House location plats show the location of structures on an individual property. Submit a house location plat for projects disturbing less than 2,500 square feet of land.

 

House Location Plat Requirements

  • Be clear and legible.
  • Show the entire parcel, and show all property line bearings and distances.
  • Be drawn to a designated scale no larger than 1” equals 50’.
  • Show existing and proposed structures properly identified, accurately located and dimensioned and drawn to the designated scale.
  • Be signed and sealed by a licensed professional in accordance with Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC10-20-380

See Technical Bulletin 18-02 for more detailed information on House Location Plat Surveys.

What does "to scale" mean?

A scaled item retains the original scale indicated by the surveyor of the plat. Here are some things to consider to ensure your plat scales correctly:  

  1. The best place to start is with the plat document itself, not a picture of it, photocopy or a version that has potentially been skewed.  

  1. Next, the proposed work must be drawn onto the plat to the scale indicated, by either using an engineer’s scale, ruler or digital software. The document itself must be to scale as well as the structure being proposed.

  2. The document is scanned in (made digital) to the original size document. Example:  the size paper of your plat is 8 ½" x 14" so you need to scan it to 8 ½" x 14" and not 8 ½" x 11" or another size. By scanning the document correctly, you will not lose the scale.

Surveys that have been photographed, scanned on a phone app, faxed, reduced, enlarged, or otherwise altered may not be accepted if they are not typically to scale and have poor resolution and lack of detail. 

Remember!

  • Include disturbed area limits (see Calculating Disturbed Area graphic).
  • Elevation/height of structure is required to be listed within the construction documents.
  • If there is flood plain present on your property, it must be shown on the plat.

Calculating Disturbed Area

Add the area of project footprint
+
10-foot work zone around all sides of project footprint
+
Area of stockpile footprint (when project includes excavation)
+
10-foot-wide access path from street/driveway to edge of project
=
TOTAL DISTURBED AREA

Before you dig, find out more about land disturbance 101


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