Surveys: Why They Matter...and a Word of Warning
Word of warning: almost every survey I get has most of the setbacks marked incorrectly.
If you just accept those setbacks without checking the zoning ordinance, you could be making some *very* costly mistakes.
Every jurisdiction defines setbacks differently, and there are always little tricks hidden in the ordinance. You can't just look at the dimensional tables - you've gotta look at the footnotes, the definitions, the section on non-conformance, accessory structures, etc...and then don't forget to look up any amendments that have been recently passed!
And sometimes, setbacks are actually a complicated calculation - a relationship between length and height of the building, for example. Gotta understand how to calculate length and height - is it average, is it to the highest point, is it from grade at a point 2' out from the building, etc.
All of that is given in the ordinance, but most people [including surveyors!] skip over it and miss all kinds of important stuff.
We do zoning analyses all the time - it's how we start every project - and newbie clients are always surprised at just how complicated it is. We've built spreadsheets and calculators to help us with jurisdictions we often work in, and I've got most of the little tricks and gotchas memorized in those places.
Some of the highest and best value we create for our clients is in that initial analysis - and sometimes, it's that a project isn't viable. The faster we can figure out viability - the faster we can get to a go or no-go decision - the better it is for our clients.
Proceed with caution...and I don't advise doing a zoning analysis yourself unless you've got experience. It can be a minefield!
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