Site Plan for Permit in Port St. Lucie, FL: Surveys

Planning a shed, detached garage, pergola, room addition, pool or other residential project in Port St. Lucie? Your permit application may require a site plan, property survey or signed and sealed plot plan showing where the work will be located.

These drawings help the City review the proposed structure before construction begins. They show how the project fits on the lot and whether it may conflict with property boundaries, setbacks, drainage areas, utility easements or existing improvements.

Site plan, survey and construction plans: What is the difference?

These documents are related, but each serves a different purpose. Some permit applications require more than one of them.

A site plan does not automatically replace a required boundary survey. Likewise, a survey showing only existing conditions may not explain the proposed project clearly enough for permit review.

Projects that commonly need location drawings

Port St. Lucie publishes separate applications and checklists for numerous residential projects. The exact documents depend on the proposed structure and scope of work.^[1]

What should a Port St. Lucie site plan show?

A clear residential site plan should give reviewers enough information to understand the property and proposed work without having to guess where anything is located.

Accessory structures: Sheds, garages and garden structures

The application also asks for the structure’s size, whether it is prefabricated or built on site, the manufacturer, pad type, slab dimensions, footing size, anchoring system and information about other accessory structures already on the property.

Prefabricated structures may require product approval information. Site-built structures may require signed and sealed construction plans prepared by a Florida licensed architect or engineer.

When a concrete foundation is being poured, the City’s checklist says a formboard survey will be required.^[2]

Information to show for an accessory structure

• The proposed structure’s width and length
• The distance to the rear and side property lines
• The distance between the structure and the house
• The location of existing sheds, garages or workshops
• The proposed slab, pad or foundation
• Nearby drainage and utility easements
• Driveway or access connections
• Any canal, drainage right-of-way or adjacent tract

Room additions and attached structures

Room additions require more than a basic location sketch. Port St. Lucie’s checklist calls for an original signed and sealed plot plan or property survey showing all setbacks between the property lines and the proposed addition.^[3]

The permit package may also require signed and sealed construction plans, energy documents, truss information and separate permits for electrical, plumbing, gas, air-conditioning or insulation work.

What to show for an addition

• The existing house footprint
• The proposed addition shown with separate shading or linework
• The addition’s complete outside dimensions
• Distances to the nearest property lines
• Doors, steps, porches and covered areas affecting the footprint
• Existing pool, screen enclosure, garage and driveway
• Recorded easements near the proposed work
• Septic-system information when applicable

New homes and signed survey requirements

Port St. Lucie’s single-family residence checklist calls for an original signed and sealed plot plan survey showing the proposed house. The survey must be signed and sealed by a licensed surveyor.^[4]

New-home permit packages can also require engineering approval, utility information, energy calculations, truss documents and signed and sealed plans separated by construction trade.

Certain communities listed by the City require a site-drainage plan signed and sealed by a design professional. Property-specific conditions can therefore change what must be submitted.

Residential pools and property surveys

Pool applications have particularly detailed survey requirements. Port St. Lucie’s residential pool guidance says a new signed and sealed survey completed by a Florida licensed surveyor is required.^[5]

The survey must show information including:

• The property’s recorded easements
• The legal description
• A drawing scale
• The proposed pool and pool deck
• Distances from property lines to the pool and deck
• All current improvements on the property
• Adjacent tracts when applicable

The City warns that additions cannot be made to a sealed survey except by the original signing professional. In other words, applicants should not draw a proposed pool onto a sealed survey in a way that suggests the surveyor approved or certified the added information.

Why setbacks and easements matter

A setback is the required distance between a structure and a property line, street or other regulated feature. An easement is an area where a utility, government agency or another party may have rights for drainage, access, maintenance or infrastructure.

A structure may physically fit in the yard but still be unsuitable if it crosses a setback or occupies a restricted easement. This is especially important in Port St. Lucie because many residential properties contain drainage and utility easements, swales or nearby canals.

The City’s typical accessory-use diagrams illustrate common setbacks and easements, but they also warn that exceptions can apply. The correct placement must be confirmed for the specific property rather than copied from a generic diagram.^[5]

Can an aerial-based site plan be used?

An aerial-based site plan can provide a clear visual layout for many straightforward projects. It can show the house, yard, driveway, existing improvements and proposed structure in an easy-to-read format.

However, aerial imagery does not legally establish property boundaries. When the City requires a signed and sealed survey, that survey must be prepared by a Florida licensed surveyor. Aerial imagery can supplement reliable boundary information, but it cannot replace professional surveying.

How the Port St. Lucie permit process generally works

1. Define the project.
   Record the type of structure, intended use, proposed dimensions and preferred location.
2. Check the property information.
   Locate the property survey, recorded plat, legal description and any available easement information.
3. Confirm zoning and placement.
   Check the required setbacks and determine whether the project may affect an easement, canal or drainage area.
4. Prepare the site plan or survey exhibit.
   Show the proposed structure, existing improvements, project dimensions and distances from property lines.
5. Prepare construction documents.
   Add structural plans, product approvals, anchoring information and trade documents required for the project.
6. Submit the permit application.
   Contractors can use the City’s online permitting services. Homeowners applying as owner-builders must personally appear and satisfy the City’s owner-builder requirements.^[7]
7. Respond to review comments.
   Revise the plans if reviewers request clearer dimensions, additional structural information or corrected placement.
8. Complete required inspections.
   Keep the approved permit documents available at the site and schedule inspections at the required construction stages.

Common reasons plans are returned for corrections

• The proposed structure is not clearly labeled.
• The site plan does not show property boundaries.
• The project dimensions are missing.
• Distances from the structure to property lines are not shown.
• Existing sheds, pools or screen enclosures are omitted.
• Recorded easements are not identified.
• The site plan and construction plans show different dimensions.
• The wrong type of survey was submitted.
• A sealed survey was altered by someone other than the signing surveyor.
• The proposed location conflicts with zoning or an easement.

Frequently asked questions

Permit, zoning and survey requirements can change and may vary by property and project. Confirm current, project-specific requirements with the City of Port St. Lucie Building Department, Planning and Zoning Department and Public Works Department before beginning construction. USA Site Plans is an independent drafting service and is not affiliated with the City of Port St. Lucie. USA Site Plans does not provide legal boundary surveys.