Maryland. Existing residence and accessory structures with a full metes-and-bounds boundary.
Permit-ready pergola
site plan
We draw your proposed pergola onto a clean, scaled site plan using county GIS data and satellite imagery, posts, footprint, and setbacks included. Delivered to your inbox in 24 to 48 hours, ready to submit.
Choose your tier — from $89Revised free until your building department accepts it, or your money back
On every pergola plan we draw
- Your proposed pergola, drawn to scale
- Setback to every property line
- The surface underneath, shown as built
- Real property boundaries
- 11 × 17 sheet
- Drawn by a drafter
- 24 to 48 hours
- All 50 states
Three tiers. Pick what your department asks for.
Every tier includes your pergola drawn and dimensioned on the plan. The difference is how much of the rest of the lot comes with it.
Basic
$89
- Property lines
- Lot dimensions
- House roofline, drawn to scale
- North arrow
- Scale
- Parcel ID
- Driveway
- Your proposed pergola drawn and dimensioned, posts located
Standard
$169
- Everything in Basic
- Setback dimensions labeled on plan
- Sidewalks
- Trees
- Accessory structures
- Fence (if present)
- Swimming pool (if present)
- Measurements between major features
- Vicinity map
Premium
$259
- Everything in Standard
- Impervious surface calculations
- Topographic contour lines
- Easements shown on plan
- Shrubs and paths
- Well and septic system (if present)
- Distances labeled from all existing structures to property lines
- Adds DWG file (CAD format)
Backed by our approval guarantee
Order today and we draft your site plan within 24 to 48 hours. If your reviewer asks for changes, we revise it free, usually within one business day, until your building department accepts it. In the rare case we cannot make it work for your jurisdiction, you get a full refund.
Trusted by contractors
Plans professionals are comfortable submitting.
Deck builder serving Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio.
PermitsGuide may cost a little more than some providers, but the quality is worth every cent. Their plans are clearer and more professional than the alternatives we've used, and every plan we've submitted has been accepted.
About 40 plans now, zero rejections. The DWG in the Premium tier works with my CAD setup.
Carlos T. · Contractor, Austin, TXI run a fencing crew and most of my clients have no survey. Fifteen so far this year and none rejected.
Dwayne F. · Fencing contractorIt comes back overnight, permit goes in the next morning. Keeps my schedule from slipping.
Ashanti M. · Deck builderWhat Your Building Department Checks on a Pergola Site Plan
A pergola is mostly air, but the review is about the ground. The reviewer is not judging your design; they are checking a short list of measurable things, and a plan that answers all of them usually sails through.
Setback distances. The measured distance from the pergola to each property line, compared against your zone's minimums. Most departments measure to the roof projection, not the posts, so the overhang is drawn and dimensioned.
Attached or freestanding. Whether the pergola connects to the house decides which rules apply. Freestanding structures can qualify for accessory exemptions; attached ones are reviewed as additions. The plan has to make the classification obvious.
Footprint and height. Length, width, and covered area drawn to scale. Cities set their thresholds by these numbers, from 100 square feet in Cincinnati to 300 in San Antonio, and North Carolina measures any dimension over 12 feet, so the reviewer verifies them against the drawing.
The surface underneath. The patio or deck below the pergola, shown as built. Coverage and impervious-surface math is cumulative, and several cities review the cover and the slab as one project.
Easements. Utility and drainage easements on your lot. A pergola footing set inside an easement will be rejected no matter how good the rest of the application is.
If any of these are missing or not to scale, the application usually bounces back with a correction notice. Our plans are built around this checklist, which is why they clear review the first time in 98% of cases.
Hear it from a homeowner
A surveyor quoted me $650 and a three week wait for a site plan. For a drawing of my own backyard. Then I found PermitsGuide for $169. The form took maybe five minutes, and the finished plan was in my inbox the next day. Property lines, setbacks, my deck drawn exactly where I wanted it. Every single number the city reviewer needs. I submitted it. Permit approved on the first try. First try. And if the city rejects your plan, they fix it for free. Still rejected? Full refund. You cannot lose. Need a permit? Stop overthinking it. PermitsGuide.com
What homeowners say
Recent site-plan orders. Each card shows the project it was written about.
"We put a pergola over part of the patio and that changed what the city wanted to see. They drew the posts and the footprint of the cover aswell as the slab. Went through no problem."
"He told me most people bring in something drawn on notebook paper. Mine wasnt that. Felt pretty good honestly."
"Never had a survey done on this house. turns out I didnt need one. Two car detached, approved."
"The county wanted a site plan with the shed on it plus the impervious calculations. Premium tier had everything they asked for in one PDF. The lady at the counter said it was one of the cleanest residential plans she'd seen that week."
"Great job, exactly what the city asked for. thank you"
"Good overall. Took a day longer than I expected, though that was over a weekend so probably on me for ordering Friday night. Shed permit approved first time and the drawing was clear."
How it works
Three steps. No phone calls. No back and forth. Submit details today, hold your plan tomorrow.
Choose your tier
Pick Basic, Standard, or Premium based on what your building department or HOA needs.
Submit your details
Enter your property address, pergola dimensions, and where on the lot you plan to build. Takes about 4 minutes.
Receive your plan
We draft, review, and email your finished plan within 24 to 48 hours. Submit to your building department or HOA.
Questions
Pergola site plan FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does my pergola permit require a site plan?
Nearly always, and often even when the building permit itself is waived. Cities that exempt small pergolas from a building permit still check placement through a zoning review, and the site plan is what that review reads. Mecklenburg County, which permits for Charlotte, requires a zoning permit for accessory structures at any size, and Toledo issues a Certificate of Zoning Compliance even below its permit threshold. The drawing answers the question every reviewer asks first: how far from each property line.
Do you draw the posts or the roof?
Both. The posts are located and dimensioned because that is where the structure meets the ground, and the roof outline is drawn because most departments measure setbacks to the edge of the projection, not to the post. A pergola that keeps its posts behind the setback line can still encroach with its overhang, so the plan shows the full footprint.
My pergola goes over an existing patio or deck. Does the plan show that?
Yes, and it matters more than most buyers expect. Adding a cover changes how several states classify the project: Pennsylvania's deck exemption applies only to uncovered decks, and South Bend requires a permit for any porch or deck with a roof or trellis over it. Your plan shows the existing surface as built and the pergola over it, so the reviewer sees the whole project the way the code reads it.
Is the pergola attached to the house or freestanding, and does the plan show which?
The plan makes it obvious, because the two are usually reviewed under different rules. A freestanding pergola can qualify for accessory-structure exemptions in many cities; an attached one almost never does. We draw the connection or the gap to the house exactly as you plan to build it, with the distance labeled.
What do I need to send you?
Your property address and the pergola's size and location, described in plain words or sketched on a photo or printout. We pull your parcel geometry from county GIS, verify it against satellite imagery, and draw the plan from that. No survey needed for the standard product, though if you have one we will match it.
What if my city wants changes?
Send us the correction notice and we revise the plan for free within your tier's revision allowance. Corrections on pergola plans are usually small, a setback label the reviewer wants restated or the roof projection dimensioned, and turn around quickly.
Will this work for an HOA or architectural review too?
Yes. The same scaled plan works for homeowners association and architectural review submissions, which usually ask for the pergola's location, size, and distance to lot lines, the same facts your building department wants. Many customers submit the identical sheet to both.
Before you go
The permit office wants a pergola site plan. We draw it overnight.
- Your pergola dimensioned to every property line
- Revised free until your building department accepts it
- 98% pass review with no correction notice
Delivered in 24 to 48 hours
