There's more to installing a fence on your property than picking out the materials and arranging for installation. You need to make sure the fence follows local zoning laws and will be located in the right spot — on your property, rather than your neighbor's.
Architects, urban planners, and engineers use site plans to map out a property and show the changes to be made to a plot of land. Believe it or not, you need a site plan for a fence installation project! If you want to learn more about site plans and how to use them, this blog is for you:
What Is a Site Plan?
Also known as a plot plan, a site plan is a diagram that shows the improvements you want to make to your property, such as installing a new fence. The plan depicts landscape features, buildings and structures, driveways, utility poles, property lines, and features on your neighbor's property.
Your property's site plan shows how the existing features will interact with the new installation, such as a new fence.
Site plans offer a bird's eye view of your property. A professional should draw your site plans to scale and show how your parcel of land relates to the connecting streets.
The rules for site plans vary from municipality to municipality. In Indianapolis, you don't have to hire a surveyor or architect to create your plan for you. You will most likely be able to use the most recent mortgage survey as your plan or request original plat documents from the Recorder's Office or Township Assessor's Office.
What's on a Site Plan?
Your site plan should contain specific pieces of information about your property. Someone reviewing the plan should be able to orientate themselves and figure out what they're looking at quickly.
The plan should include:
- The property address
- The scale to which it was drawn
- A North arrow
- The land parcel's boundaries and dimensions
- The location of easements
- The location of driveways or water features
- Outlines of structures, existing or proposed, including fences, pools, decks, sidewalks, septic systems, wells, sheds, and parking areas. The outlines should include dimensions and the distance to the closest boundary.
- Centerlines of adjoining streets
- Trees and other landscaping
Why You Need One
You may need a site plan for several reasons. A site plan can help you settle property disputes with neighbors and gives you a clear idea of where your home sits in relation to your property line.
To install a fence, your site plan lets you plan and incorporate the fence along your property line and around any existing landscaping elements or structures. For example, with a site plan, you can see whether a particular tree or shrub stands in the way of your planned fence. If that's the case, you can adjust the fence's location or make arrangements to remove the landscaping.
You can also use a site plan to ensure that your plans for a fence comply with local laws and codes. There might be fence height requirements you need to follow based on the location of your fence. Additionally, local laws might dictate how close or far from a property line your fence can be. Using a site plan ensures that you comply with the laws and helps to minimize the risk of disputes or lawsuits in the future.
How to Get a Site Plan
If you don't already have a copy of your property's site plan, you have a few options for getting one. Before installing a fence, you may want to hire a surveyor to create a map of the boundary lines. In Indianapolis, you need to hire a private surveying company to do this.
You may need to do a few things before working with a surveyor. For instance, they might ask you to get a copy of your property's plat document. You can get a copy from the Assessor's office, or you might be able to find a version online.
You can get a free site plan online if you don't want to hire a surveyor or find the price beyond your budget. HOA Affordable Fence Company offers free, non-certified site plans that make it easy for you to determine where to put a new fence and see how a fence will interact with other features on your property. We work with homeowners in the Greater Indianapolis area and can help ensure your fence project complies with local rules and the expectations of your homeowner's association. See if you qualify for a free, non-certified site plan:
