Lot Grading Plan Review

Lot Grading Plans

Lot grading plans are required when a single family home is built in Prince William County. A lot grading plan shows existing and proposed topography of a lot, setbacks from all property lines, the footprint of the proposed home as well as a proposed location for any well and septic systems, when required. A lot grading plan will almost always consist of a geotechnical report which describes the soil found in the location where a home site is proposed.

The lot grading plan must be prepared by a civil engineer or land surveyor certified in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Plans are designed to adhere to the requirements set forth in both section 700 and 800 of the Design and Construction Standards Manual "DCSM" as well as the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook.

Individual Lot Geotechnical Reports

Geotechnical reports are not to be confused with AOSE soil tests.

AOSE soil tests are done in conjunction with the design of your drain field / septic system and is reviewed separately through the Environmental Health Department (703-792-6310, option 2).

A geotechnical report recommends the type of foundation to be dug or poured along with any additional weep holes, or the geotechnical report can indicate that the soil has a high shrink-swell index in that area where the home is proposed, and any additional requirements for soil stability. The geotechnical study can only be prepared by someone certified to do so within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

If a geotechnical report is required for your lot, it is recommended that you coordinate the geotechnical study with your civil engineer. The geotechnical report recommendations must be transposed onto the plan as part of the final lot grading package.

Submission of the Lot Grading Plan and Individual Lot Geotechnical Report

(Please bring a completed lot grading transmittal form with you, which can be found here.)

Lot grading plans WITH a geotechnical study:

Submit seven (7) copies of the plan. Please roll six (6) sets together for civil review and one (1) plan along with the soils report/booklets for the geotechnical review.
Two (2) copies of the soils report / booklet.
Appropriate fees for lot grading review, geotechnical review, and VSMP fee (per lot, if required).

Lot Grading Plans WITHOUT a geotechnical study:

Submit six (6) copies of the plan.
Appropriate fees for lot grading review and VSMP fee (per lot, if required).

Revised lot grading plans:

Revisions to lot grading plans can be considered major or minor, items such as riser changes are considered minor while the change in the location of a driveway is considered major. If a revision is considered major, it will require the full per lot fee that is charged just as if it were a brand new plan. Minor revisions are charged a lesser fee.

Please click here and check to see if your plan revision would be considered a major or minor revision PRIOR to delivering plans to Watershed. If the incorrect fee amount is received, it will cause a delay in your review.

When submitting a revised lot grading plan for review, it is helpful to reference the previously approved lot grading plan on the submission transmittal and to also include a summary or narrative of changes. When a plan is revised and submitted without this summary or narrative, then the reviewing engineer must re-review the entire lot and plan package, by including the narrative, you are guiding the engineer as to the areas which should be focused on for this new review.

In addition, you may be required to submit the Agreement In Lieu Of Stormwater Management form and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), both of which can be found here.

The normal review time for both a geotechnical report and a lot grading plan is 10 business days (approximately 2 weeks from date of submission).

Submissions of plans with over 15 lots are given more time due to the number of lots under review. While it is not required to submit the geotechnical report at the time of the lot grading submission, it is recommended to coordinate the plan submissions with your civil and geotechnical engineer to save time and unnecessary trips to the County. You may now go online to check the status of your plans, please check the Development Services DMS webpage for additional information.

Lot Grading Review Fees:

Fee Schedules and Forms are subject to change July 1:

Current Fee Schedule

Additional factors for consideration:

VSMP Requirements

If the builder and developer are not the same entity, each lot will be subject to the VSMP fee based on the amount of disturbance. Also, single lots may be subject to Agreement In Lieu Of SWM and SWPPP plan. Please check here for further details.

Bull Run Mountain Service District Road Impact Fee

If the lot to be developed is located within the Bull Run Mountain Service District, a one-time, non-refundable road impact fee of $3,000.00/lot is required to be submitted prior to approval of the lot grading plan. If you are unsure as to whether your lot is located in the Bull Run Mountain Service District, please contact us at 703-792-7070.

PASA/PFD Requirements

If the lot to be developed has any perennial streams or water bodies on the property, it may be subject to both PASA (Preservation Area Site Assessment) and PFD (Perennial Flow Determination) requirements. Please contact 703-792-7070 to confirm whether these requirements exist.