Contour Survey

ADU Surveys in Rodeo, CA

We provide ADU surveys in Rodeo, unincorporated Contra Costa County — county-checklist site plans on an 1890s townsite grid where the recorded lot lines and the fences have had 130 years to disagree.

ADU Surveys in Rodeo: Local Conditions

Rodeo's ADU applications go through Contra Costa County's Department of Conservation and Development, and the county checklist asks for what every serious site plan needs: property lines with dimensions, lot size, roadways and easements, all structures with setbacks, water and sewer line locations for detached units, trees over 20 inches in circumference within 50 feet of the construction area, parking, and a grant deed with the legal description. What makes Rodeo interesting is underneath those requirements. The downtown grid was laid out in the 1890s, long before modern surveying standards, and on blocks of small cottage lots the occupation lines — fences, garages, shared driveways — routinely drift from the record dimensions. An ADU designed to a 4-foot setback off a fence that is a foot over the line is a problem that only gets more expensive the later it is found, and field inspectors frequently require a surveyor to verify foundation forms against the approved setbacks before the pour.

Terrain and elevation add a second layer. The postwar tracts above the old grid sit on gentler ground, but the county's geotechnical trigger — a report may be required where the site slopes more than 5 percent, one foot of fall across the ADU — still catches plenty of backyards on the hill-facing streets. Down toward the San Pablo Bay margin, low-lying parcels can carry liquefaction mapping under the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act, where documented site elevations on a recognized vertical datum support the geotechnical and flood review. Our laser-scanned site survey covers the whole picture in one visit: boundary resolved against the 1890s record, structures and trees mapped, slope quantified against the county thresholds, and datum-referenced elevations where the shoreline margin makes them relevant.

Deliverables are a stamped base map, layered DWG, and staked corners, with research through the Contra Costa County Recorder and County Surveyor in Martinez. For elevation-led work on the margins, see our Rodeo topographic surveys.

Full service details, process, and deliverables: ADU Surveys & Site Plans for Permit Applications · All surveying in Rodeo: Rodeo land surveying

What's Included

  • Scaled site plan base map matching city ADU checklists
  • Boundary verification — 4-ft setbacks measured from the true line, not the fence
  • Property corners staked for design and construction
  • 1-foot contours and drainage data for sloped lots
  • Easement and utility locations from record research
  • CAD-ready DWG base file your designer builds on directly
  • Foundation form verification when the inspector requires it

Our Process

1

Checklist Review

We confirm your city's ADU submittal requirements — site plan content, survey triggers, slope and drainage items — so the survey is scoped to what plan check will actually ask for.

2

Boundary & Records Research

We research your deed, recorded maps, and easements, then locate existing monuments to establish where your property lines actually are.

3

Site Survey

One laser-scanned site visit captures structures, hardscape, trees, utilities, and terrain — spot elevations and contours included where the lot slopes or the city requires them.

4

Deliverables

You receive a stamped site plan base map and layered DWG file sized to your city's checklist, with property corners staked on the ground for your designer and builder.

ADU Surveys in Rodeo: FAQ

Property lines with dimensions, lot size, roadways and easements, all buildings with setbacks, water and sewer line locations for detached ADUs, trees over 20 inches in circumference within 50 feet of construction, parking, and a grant deed with the legal description. Rodeo is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County reviews the application — and our stamped base map covers the mapped items directly.
Treat them as unverified until surveyed. The 1890s grid predates modern standards, and fences, garages, and driveways on the small cottage lots often sit off the record lines. We resolve the boundary from record maps and monument evidence in Martinez before your designer draws a 4-foot setback that turns out to start from the wrong place.
Yes — countywide, a geotechnical report may be required where the site slopes more than 5 percent, which is one foot of fall across the ADU footprint. Rodeo's hill-facing streets above the grid reach that easily. Our survey measures the actual fall across your proposed site so the question is settled with numbers, not guesses.

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Need ADU Surveys in Rodeo?

Call (510) 543-2220 or request a quote — we'll scope your Rodeo project and give you a fixed price.

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