Services
All Services: Surveys, Maps, Plans & SWPPPs
Surveys, maps, engineered plans, and stormwater documents for California projects, from the first boundary question through construction.
How are the services organized?
American Engineering's services are organized into four groups, in the order a California project usually needs them: land surveying, land development and mapping, civil engineering and site design, and stormwater and erosion control.
Measure and record
Land Surveying
Surveys that locate property lines, map the ground, stake construction, and document boundaries and elevations.
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Topographic Surveying
Contours, elevations, utilities, and site features on one sealed base map.
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Boundary Surveying
Property lines and corners located and marked before you build, fence, or buy.
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ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys
Boundary, easements, and encroachments to the 2026 standards, for lenders and title insurers.
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Record of Survey & Corner Records
Monuments set and tagged, and a sealed map filed on the county's public record.
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Legal Descriptions & Easements
Sealed Exhibits A and B for deeds, easements, and dedications, checked to close.
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Construction Staking
Grade, building, utility, and curb stakes set from approved plans, with cut sheets.
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Elevation Certificates
Surveyed building elevations on FEMA's form for permits, flood insurance, or a map amendment.
Lots and approvals
Land Development & Mapping
Maps and approvals that create, adjust, or combine parcels, plus early site research.
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Parcel & Subdivision Maps
Parcel, tentative, and final maps that take a lot split or subdivision to recording.
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Lot Line Adjustments & Mergers
Survey, plat, and sealed legal descriptions to move a shared line or combine lots.
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Feasibility Studies
Zoning, title, hazards, utilities, and a concept layout before you commit to buy land.
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Planning & Entitlements
Zoning research, exhibits, fee estimates, and agency processing through to a decision.
Design and permits
Civil Engineering & Site Design
Engineered plans that lay out, grade, drain, and serve a site for plan check.
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Site Layout
Buildings, parking, fire access, and utilities laid out to setbacks and agency checklists.
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Improvement Plans
Street, frontage, storm drain, and sewer designs with calculations and an engineer's estimate.
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Grading Plans
Finished grades, drainage, and earthwork quantities on sealed sheets for a grading permit.
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Septic System Design
Percolation testing, tank and leach field sizing, and signed plans to county septic rules.
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Metal Building Foundation Design
Sealed footing, slab, and anchor rod plans sized to your building's reactions and soil.
Runoff and construction
Stormwater & Erosion Control
Calculations, plans, and inspections that manage runoff and keep sediment on site.
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Stormwater Calculations
Runoff, low impact development (LID), basin, and pipe sizing in one signed report.
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Erosion & Sediment Control Plans
Plan sheets showing the controls and phasing that keep soil on site during construction.
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Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP)
A Qualified SWPPP Developer's plan and filing package for Construction General Permit coverage.
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SWPPP Inspections
Weekly, monthly, and storm-event inspections, with reports that follow the 2022 permit.
Which service do I need?
Which survey do I need: topographic, boundary, or ALTA?
A topographic survey maps ground elevations and site features for design; it does not establish property lines. A boundary survey locates and marks those lines from deeds, recorded maps, and field monuments. An ALTA/NSPS survey is a boundary survey prepared to national standards that also shows the title commitment's easements and potential encroachments; lenders and title insurers usually require it.
Do I need a parcel map or a lot line adjustment?
A lot line adjustment moves the lines between four or fewer existing adjoining parcels and cannot create a new parcel; the city or county approves it without a tentative, parcel, or final map (Gov. Code §66412(d)). A parcel map divides land into new parcels, typically four or fewer, under the Subdivision Map Act; five or more parcels generally need a tentative and final map.
Is a SWPPP the same as an erosion control plan?
A SWPPP (Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan) is the document the state's Construction General Permit requires for projects disturbing one acre or more, including smaller sites within a larger common plan of development or sale, and a Qualified SWPPP Developer writes it. An erosion and sediment control plan is a set of plan sheets a city or county reviews with a grading or building permit. A site can need one or both, depending on its size and the local grading ordinance.
Where should I start if I'm not sure which service I need?
A survey is usually the first step: a boundary survey shows where the property lines are, and a topographic survey gives designers existing grades. Maps, site plans, and stormwater documents build on that base. Send the address and a short project description; the proposal then matches the scope to your agency's requirements.
Sources & references
- Government Code §66412, lot line adjustments (subdivision (d)) (California Legislative Information)
- Government Code §66426, when a tentative and final map is required (California Legislative Information)
- Construction Stormwater Program and Construction General Permit (State Water Resources Control Board)
- 2026 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys (American Land Title Association)
Last reviewed .