Verify pad elevations during rough grading — against the approved plan, on a phone or tablet, before the final grader leaves the site. Stop paying for surveyor callbacks caused by pads that were fixable on the original visit.
A surveyor discovers a non-compliant pad at final certification. The grader remobilizes, fixes the pad, the surveyor returns for a recheck. At $900 per visit, a 100-lot subdivision with ten problem pads generates $18,000 in avoidable callback costs — before counting the schedule delay.
Building departments use approved pad elevations to enforce flood zone requirements and drainage compliance. When a pad is out of specification, the builder cannot pull permits — and the cost of fixing pads after site improvements are in is ten times the cost of catching it during rough grading.
Without field-level pad elevation checks, developers are blind to compliance status until the surveyor visits. By then the grading equipment is gone, the crew is off site, and every correction is a new mobilization.
Sitemark compares field-measured pad elevations to the approved plan the moment you enter them. Out-of-tolerance pads are flagged immediately — while the grader is still on site and the fix takes one pass instead of a remobilization.
With per-lot pad elevation records organized by lot number, developers can identify and correct compliance problems at rough grading — before site improvements lock in the grades.
When the surveyor arrives for pad elevation certification, the field data is already organized by lot. The surveyor spends less time, finds fewer discrepancies, and the developer gets fewer callbacks.
Record design elevation, field elevation, and deviation per lot — organized by phase and tract.
Compare field shots to approved grading plan elevations — deviations flagged automatically.
Formatted PDF showing all lots with design, field, and deviation columns — shareable with surveyor and engineer of record.
Verify swale slopes and lot drainage patterns conform to the approved drainage plan.
Organize lots by grading phase or tract — track completion status across a large subdivision.
Add compaction records to the same job — grading and compaction documentation in one package.
Pad elevation certification on an 85-lot subdivision used to mean six or seven surveyor callbacks per project at $900 a pop. With Sitemark I catch the out-of-tolerance pads before the final grader leaves the site. Last project we had one callback. One.
Dave K.
Land Development GC
Residential land development · Denver, CO
Typical pad elevation tolerance on residential subdivisions is ±0.1 ft (1.2 inches) from the approved grading plan. Some jurisdictions require ±0.05 ft. Tolerance is usually specified in the geotechnical report and approved grading plan. Sitemark lets you set the project tolerance at job setup and flags pads outside it automatically.
A pad elevation certification is typically required before building permits can be issued on individual lots, as a condition of final map recordation, and as a condition of rough grading permit sign-off. The certification is prepared by a licensed civil engineer or land surveyor and verifies that finished pad elevations conform to the approved grading plan within specified tolerance.
Most surveyor callback costs are caused by pads that fall outside tolerance and require re-grading before certification. By checking pad elevations in the field during rough grading — while equipment is on site — developers identify and correct out-of-tolerance pads in the same mobilization. Sitemark makes this check fast enough to do on every lot.
Sitemark generates a pad elevation summary report showing design elevation, field-measured elevation, and deviation for each lot. This is the format geotechnical engineers and surveyors use when preparing pad certification letters. While Sitemark does not replace the licensed engineer certification, providing this data reduces the engineer's field time and back-check effort.
Sitemark gives land developers the tools to verify pad elevations during rough grading and arrive at final survey with every lot documented and compliant.