Georgia property owners
Owning land doesn't automatically mean your intended project can be built there. Before investing in architectural plans, engineering, financing, or construction, SiteWise helps identify the preliminary development requirements and constraints affecting your property.
The ten factors
These are the categories a preliminary review works through. Each one can expand or shrink what the property supports.
01
Your zoning district determines which uses are permitted, which require special approval, and which are prohibited outright. Two neighboring parcels can carry different districts and support entirely different projects. If your intended use is not permitted, a rezoning or special-use process may be possible — with its own cost, timeline, and approval risk.
02
Codes set minimum lot area and frontage for most districts and uses. Acreage alone is not the measure; shape, frontage, and how much of the parcel is actually usable matter more than the raw number.
03
Front, side, and rear setbacks push the building envelope inward from the property lines. On small or irregular parcels, setbacks plus buffers can consume a large share of the site before a single square foot of building is placed.
04
Water, sewer or septic, power, and gas have to physically reach the property with adequate capacity. A line near the parcel is not the same as service to the parcel — distance, capacity, and who pays for extension all change the math.
05
You need legal and physical access to a public road. Driveway location, sight distance, and access permits can shape the layout, and shared or easement access adds its own questions.
06
Local codes set parking ratios by use. Parking is often the quiet constraint that shrinks a building: the stalls, drive aisles, and maneuvering area can require more site area than the structure itself.
07
Mapped flood hazard areas reduce usable area and can add elevation requirements, permitting, and insurance considerations. Publicly available mapping is a screening tool; determinations require licensed professional work.
08
Streams, buffers, wetland indicators, and documented environmental features can restrict where you build. Desktop screening flags what warrants review by a qualified environmental professional.
09
Grade change affects building placement, parking layout, accessibility, earthwork cost, and stormwater. A steep parcel can be developable and still be expensive.
10
Beyond zoning, local governments apply landscape, lighting, stormwater, corridor, and architectural standards. These often decide the final layout more than the base district does.
FAQ
A $495 Quick Site Screen answers the preliminary questions in 2–3 business days.