Are site plans submitted to a municipality public? Not the subdivision plan, but rather the site plan for a commercial building?
I have not yet asked, but this particular municipality is difficult, when I wanted a copy of a flood study they paid an engineering firm for I had to go to court to get it, the judge ordered them to give it to me, but that was paid for with tax dollars. This is a site plan submitted by a private entity, just wondering if that is usually considered public information.
John Hamilton, post: 447354, member: 640 wrote: Are site plans submitted to a municipality public? Not the subdivision plan, but rather the site plan for a commercial building?
I have not yet asked, but this particular municipality is difficult, when I wanted a copy of a flood study they paid an engineering firm for I had to go to court to get it, the judge ordered them to give it to me, but that was paid for with tax dollars. This is a site plan submitted by a private entity, just wondering if that is usually considered public information.
Locally, any plans or maps submitted for approval are considered public information.
round here they all are, but only if you use IE: https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/permit/public-search-other
all the city stuff (mainly concerned with GIS on my end) is IE only, for whatever stupid reason.
I just hate dealing with these idiots, they gave me such a hassle when I built my house. My house is 900 feet from the road, and there is a barn about 300 feet from the road. When I went for my occupancy permit they said I had to tear down the barn (built around 1870 or so) because you are not allowed to have an accessory structure in the "front yard". This is a town full of 1/4 acre subdivision lots, so I get the idea behind the rule, they don't want people building sheds in the front yard, but it hardly applied here. Had to go to court for that one as well. Judge said it was ridiculous, and I got approval from the zoning board on a 4 to 3 vote )second time in front of them, first time they voted to deny) by saying that the side of the house with the garages and an office entrance was actually the front, and if you extend that line down then the barn is behind it. They also made me tear down a perfectly good 1950's 5 bedroom house because there was a moratorium on sewer taps and therefore I could not subdivide that house out of the larger parcel. I wanted to do a on-site sewer system until the moratorium is lifted, but they said you cannot have an onsite system if your property touches a sanitary sewer, even though no taps are allowed. So I had to tear down the house (and lose $1000/month rent, probably $1500/month now) to get a building permit and a tap-in.
everyone I talked to about them just rolled their eyes and said they are impossible to deal with. I think one reason is that the town is almost entirely developed, so few new developments are done here.
Just waiting for my daughter to graduate from law school next year so i can begin to challenge them...
Around here submittals are not usually public info until they're approved by the city.
But then utility records (as-builts) use to be public info also. Nowadays they tug on the reigns a little, I guess because some terrorist might use them to crawl up a sewer pipe and blow us all off the john with an IED.
Once it is formally submitted it is public record. That may mean it has to be accepted but not necessarily approved.
A freedom of information request should gain you access. Sometimes I fill them out even if not required so that my request is on the record.
BTW, an existing dwelling does not have to meet current regs to have an onsite system, especially if you have to repair a failing system. That system does not even have to be on the particular lot in question. Years ago my father and I owned a parcel that we designed to subdivide into 10 lots based on a future sewer system. We sold to a developer who built every other house with an on lot system on the in between lots. Twenty years later the system was finally built and the subdivision got built out. It was the PA DEP guy that suggested that scenario. He also taught me how to do my first perc tests and later on I became an SEO.
Paul in PA, former PA Sewage Enforcement Officer
John Hamilton, post: 447363, member: 640 wrote: Just waiting for my daughter to graduate from law school next year so i can begin to challenge them...
Keep us posted.
In New Jersey. yes, public after submission and would be on display at the municipal building prior to the Planning Board meeting, for public perusal.
John Hamilton, post: 447363, member: 640 wrote: ....Just waiting for my daughter to graduate from law school next year so i can begin to challenge them...
No pressure or anything.....;^)
I think I got a letter from a disgruntled client's daughter. Surely he wouldn't waste any money on paying a real lawyer to send me such gibberish. Looked good, though. Really nice letterhead and all sorts of principal names above hers.
Once something has been recorded and placed in the files it is within the public domain and anyone should be able to view, pay for a copy or make a sketch of what is there.
Most places will allow you to take a picture, wand scan or use smart phone to scan.
Many places they will not allow you to be alone with the information as you could fold it up and tuck it away.
Our local (Allegheny County) recorder of deeds office prohibits taking pictures. But you can wander around all day amongst the 19,000 deed books and copy by hand OR pay them $0.50/page to copy it. Not that hard to sneak a picture or two.
This app saves me a bundle of money day after day.
It does deeds, stuff hanging on walls, images on computer screens, photos, labels on boxes, grocery items, medicines, IDs, insurance cards, birth certificates and anything else.
A Harris, post: 447478, member: 81 wrote: This app saves me a bundle of money day after day.
It does deeds, stuff hanging on walls, images on computer screens, photos, labels on boxes, grocery items, medicines, IDs, insurance cards, birth certificates and anything else.
I use the same program. Does great.
Went to the courthouse in Baca County, CO and they charged me to take a picture of a plat. But way cheaper than them printing it or even being denied. Like 50 cents or something ridiculous.
Scotland, post: 447479, member: 559 wrote: I use the same program. Does great.
Went to the courthouse in Baca County, CO and they charged me to take a picture of a plat. But way cheaper than them printing it or even being denied. Like 50 cents or something ridiculous.
What? They charge you to take a picture? Gosh the ridiculousness of bureaucracy...
sireath, post: 447486, member: 9370 wrote: What? They charge you to take a picture? Gosh the ridiculousness of bureaucracy...
Same thing in Connecticut.
Revenue enhancement. Sometimes the excuse for not allowing pictures is that they have to check all copies for private information like SSNs that were commonly used in prior decades.
I also use camscanner.
Since I can walk in unattended and peruse the deed books with no supervision, I can only imagine that the reason for no pictures is that it would then eliminate a source of patronage jobs. Cynical? Yes, but that is the way things often work in government. I wish they would at least computerize the indices. They do have books after a certain date online, but there are literally more than 10,000 deed books that are not online, so a visit to the courthouse is often required for research. Fortunately I live in the only quadrant (south) of the city that has light rail into a subway in the downtown area, north/east/west only have buses. Parking and traffic are things one has to deal with when living near a large city.
John Hamilton, post: 447354, member: 640 wrote: Are site plans submitted to a municipality public? Not the subdivision plan, but rather the site plan for a commercial building?
I have not yet asked, but this particular municipality is difficult, when I wanted a copy of a flood study they paid an engineering firm for I had to go to court to get it, the judge ordered them to give it to me, but that was paid for with tax dollars. This is a site plan submitted by a private entity, just wondering if that is usually considered public information.
Here in NJ, when a site plan is submitted to a town is public information and is available for inspection but I don't thing there is any obligation to issue a copy of it as it is not the property of the town. You can show up and look it over, even take pics if you want, but, since it is not publically financed they more than likely will not give you a copy until it receives final site plan approval.
Even if they are public record they are still subject to copyright laws. Our municipality will not release copies without approval from the author.