Is site analysis the same as a site plan?

Site analysis evaluates conditions and constraints; a site plan depicts an existing or proposed arrangement. They inform each other but are not identical.

Which items can software answer?

Software can organize mapped context and calculate geometry, but authoritative boundaries, title, local interpretations and professional design require appropriate sources and people.

How should unknowns be reported?

Label the unknown, explain why it matters, identify the source or professional needed and avoid silently replacing it with a confident default.

When is analysis complete?

For preliminary decisions, it is complete when major controlling risks are either answered or explicitly carried forward with an acceptable plan to resolve them.

Residential Site Analysis Checklist for Builders and Lot Owners

Use a residential site analysis checklist to review parcel identity, zoning, title, access, terrain, drainage, flood, utilities, soils, house fit, and site costs.

Identity, authority and rights

Confirm address, parcel number, jurisdiction, legal description, ownership context, lot status, title exceptions, easements, rights-of-way, deed restrictions and legal access. Record the document or authority for each item. A map screenshot is not a title conclusion or boundary determination.

Rules and buildable geometry

Collect zoning, required yards, height, coverage, impervious limits, overlays, buffers, parking, accessory structure and design-review rules. Identify which edges are front, side, rear and street-side. Draw the resulting envelope, then subtract easements and other no-build areas rather than reporting lot width alone.

Terrain, water and environmental context

Review slope, high and low points, drainage paths, flood information, wetlands or washes, erosion, vegetation, wildfire exposure and known environmental overlays. Note the resolution and date of mapped sources. Identify where field survey, delineation or specialist review is needed.