Lot Grading Plan Compliance Documentation for Homebuilders

The permitted grading plan is the baseline. It shows finished floor elevation (FFE), pad elevation, lot corner design grades, swale flow lines and slopes, and drainage direction arrows. Your compliance documentation must show that what was built matches what was permitted — within the applicable tolerance.

1. Obtain the approved grading plan. Use the permitted version — the plan stamped by the building department. If the contractor or engineer of record made changes during construction, confirm that a plan revision was submitted and approved before proceeding.
2. Set a benchmark from the grading plan control. Most grading plans reference a benchmark — a monument, manhole rim, or established elevation marker. Record the benchmark description, elevation, and your tie-in shots. Any compliance report that cannot be traced back to the design datum is incomplete.
3. Shoot all required measurement points. Use a total station, GPS rover (network RTK or base-and-rover), or calibrated digital level. Record raw measurements — do not round in the field. Capture more points than required; you can always delete points from the report but cannot add them without returning to the field.
4. Tabulate measured vs design elevations. Build a deviation table: measurement point, design elevation (from plan), measured elevation, deviation (measured minus design), and a pass/fail flag. A deviation within the tolerance is a pass; a deviation outside tolerance requires correction before sign-off.
5. Verify drainage slope calculations. For each drainage direction shown on the grading plan, calculate the actual slope from the measured elevations. A 5% slope over 10 feet equals a 0.50-foot drop. If the measured grade shows less, correction is required before the drainage compliance statement can be signed.
6. Assemble and submit the compliance package.The package includes: the measurement table, a plot showing measurement locations on the grading plan, the drainage slope calculations, and the certifying signature. Submit to the building department inspection counter or upload to the jurisdiction's permit portal.

• Missing benchmark reference. The report shows elevations but does not identify the datum or benchmark. The building department cannot verify the elevation reference against the permitted plan.
• Wrong plan version. The compliance report references an older plan version; a revision was approved during the permit but the documentation compares to the original design elevations.
• Incomplete drainage slope documentation. Pad elevation is compliant but no drainage slope measurements are included. In most jurisdictions, drainage compliance is a separate documentation requirement.
• Out-of-tolerance deviations with no corrective action note. The report shows deviations beyond tolerance but does not document what correction was made and when.
• Unsigned or uncredentialed report. The measuring party is not identified, or their license number is missing. Many jurisdictions require a licensed surveyor or civil engineer to sign the compliance report.

Sitemark allows field crews to log grade shots directly against design elevations from the grading plan. Deviations are calculated automatically. The compliance report — with deviation table, measurement location plot, and pass/fail summary — is generated from the field data without manual tabulation.

For homebuilders working across multiple active lots, Sitemark's job structure allows each lot to be tracked independently with its own compliance status. When a lot is ready for sign-off, the report is exported as a PDF and submitted to the building department.