Fairfax County Infill Lot Grading Plan: What Information Does an Engineer Need From You?
If you need an Infill Lot Grading Plan (INF) in Fairfax County, one of the first questions your engineer will have is surprisingly simple:
What exactly are you planning to do on the property?
A good grading plan starts with good project information.
If important details are missing at the beginning, the design process can slow down later.
Here is what a homeowner should be prepared to provide.
Start With the Property Information
Your engineer will need to know exactly which property is being discussed.
That normally includes the property address and information that identifies the parcel.
If you already have a recent survey, previous site plan, grading plan, or other property documents, provide those as well.
Old plans can be useful for understanding how the property was previously designed.
Explain the Proposed Construction
Don’t just say:
“I need a grading plan.”
Explain what you’re actually building.
For example:
- Home addition
- Detached garage
- Pool
- Patio
- Driveway
- Retaining wall
- Accessory structure
- Other site improvement
The proposed construction affects the grading and the amount of land disturbance.
Provide the Architectural Plans
If you’re adding onto the house, the architectural plans can help the civil engineer understand the building footprint and finished-floor information.
The grading design needs to work around the proposed structure.
That means the civil and architectural plans should agree.
A change to the building footprint can affect the grading plan.
Tell the Engineer About Any Existing Grading
If you know that the property was previously graded, say so.
If a contractor already moved soil, mention it.
If the backyard was raised, mention it.
If a retaining wall was recently installed, mention it.
Don’t leave out work because you think it isn’t important.
A plan based on incomplete information can create problems later.
Bring Your Notice of Violation If You Have One
This is especially important.
If you’re requesting an INF because Fairfax County has issued an NOV, provide the complete notice.
Don’t just send a photograph of the first page.
The engineer needs to understand what the county identified and what corrective action is being requested.
Fairfax County’s INF requirements specifically address Notices of Violation when applicable.
Tell Them About Drainage Problems
Does water collect in the backyard?
Does runoff come from a neighboring property?
Does water flow toward the house?
Has a neighbor complained?
Was a drainage pipe recently installed?
These details can be important to the grading design.
A homeowner may consider standing water a landscaping problem while the engineer sees a grading and drainage issue.
Explain Any Environmental or Site Restrictions You Know About
If you have been told that the property is affected by an RPA, floodplain, easement, or another restriction, tell your engineer.
Even if you’re not sure what the restriction means, provide the documents.
It is better to have the information available for review than to discover it halfway through the design.
How Much Land Will Be Disturbed?
Try to describe the full construction area.
Don’t use only the size of the new building.
Construction access, grading, excavation, work areas, and other activities can contribute to the total disturbance.
The 2,500-square-foot threshold is important for Fairfax County land-disturbance requirements.
An accurate estimate at the beginning helps determine which requirements may apply.
Provide Previous Permits and Approved Plans
If there has been previous construction on the property, gather the records.
Useful documents include:
- Previous grading plans
- Building permits
- Site plans
- Surveys
- Approved plans
- County correspondence
- NOVs
- Corrective Work Orders
- Contractor plans
You don’t need to understand every document.
Just provide them.
The design professional can determine which information matters.
Don’t Hide Contractor Changes
This is worth saying directly.
If the contractor built something differently from the original plan, tell your engineer.
Maybe the addition moved two feet.
Maybe the driveway became wider.
Maybe more fill was brought in.
Maybe a retaining wall was added.
Those changes can matter.
The engineer can only evaluate what they know about.
The More Complete the Information, the Better
An INF plan isn’t created in isolation.
It has to reflect the property, the proposed improvements, the grading, drainage, stormwater requirements, and applicable county rules.
Giving the engineer complete project information at the beginning can make that process much smoother.
Need an INF plan for a Fairfax County property? CeedCivil can review your project information, evaluate the applicable site requirements, and prepare the civil engineering documentation needed for the INF process.
Project requirements vary. Current Fairfax County requirements should be confirmed before design and submission.