Before buying coastal land or fixing a building footprint, work through seven screens in order: define the parcel and intended use; identify legal and planning constraints; evaluate flooding and water levels; investigate shoreline change and ground conditions; map utilities, wastewater, drainage and access; identify wetlands and other protected resources; then obtain written answers from authorities and qualified professionals. This is a U.S.-centered screening checklist, not a certification that any parcel is buildable.
Flood maps, shoreline rules, wetland jurisdiction, setbacks, building codes and permits vary by state, county, municipality and project type. FEMA’s Coastal Construction Manual cautions that its hazard discussion is not site-specific; location-specific data and professional interpretation are still required.
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What this checklist can—and cannot—tell you
A coastal parcel can look spacious on a plat yet have little usable building area after flood zones, erosion setbacks, wetlands, septic separation distances, access needs and utility corridors are mapped. The checklist helps you identify records to obtain, questions to ask and specialists to hire before you spend money on design or construction.
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It cannot approve a project, establish a legal wetland boundary, certify a foundation design or predict a particular storm. Treat every missing survey, study or agency determination as an unresolved question—not as evidence that the site is safe.
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1. Define the parcel and the intended project
Verify the legal site
- Obtain the parcel number, deed, recorded plat, legal description and current boundary information.
- Confirm legal road access and identify access easements, utility easements, conservation restrictions, public-access rights, covenants and other recorded limits.
- Ask the local planning and building departments which zoning map, comprehensive plan, floodplain ordinance, coastal rules, building code edition and site-plan requirements apply on the date you intend to submit.
- Check the current use, permitted use, conditional-use requirements, lot-line setbacks and any separate hazard or shoreline setbacks.
Describe the project before judging the land
Write down the intended use—such as a house, accessory structure, commercial building, dock or replacement project—and its approximate size, occupancy, height and construction method. Then sketch a preliminary building pad, driveway, utility routes, septic or sewer components, drainage area and construction access. FEMA advises allowing room not only for the structure but also for setbacks, hazards, sensitive resources, utilities, septic infrastructure, future maintenance and possible relocation.
Paper acreage is not usable building area. A prior footprint or alignment with neighboring buildings does not prove that the location is safe or currently legal. Review prior development, storm damage, flooding, erosion and repair history for the parcel.
2. Screen flooding and water levels
Start with current official records
- Obtain the current official flood-map panel and flood-zone designation for the parcel.
- Ask the local building department for the flood elevation, design flood elevation or other elevation reference it uses for permits. NOAA’s property checklist puts the practical question plainly: Do you know the projected flood elevation for your area?
- Request any locally adopted freeboard, substantial-improvement, enclosure, anchoring, elevation or floodproofing requirements.
A map boundary is only one input. Determine whether the site may experience tidal flooding, storm surge, breaking waves, river flooding, rainfall flooding or combinations of these. Total coastal water level can include tides, seasonal variation, sea-level rise, storm surge and wave effects. Compare those levels with the land, finished-floor, driveway, utility and evacuation-route elevations.
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Ask what service life the assessment assumes and whether the project needs a present-day, mid-life or longer-term scenario. Do not assume a current map captures future erosion, subsidence or sea-level change. A coastal engineer or other qualified professional should select the relevant present and future conditions for the structure and its intended life.
Check access and utilities separately
A building pad above a regulatory threshold can still be unreachable during a storm. Map the lowest road segment, bridges, culverts, evacuation routes, electrical equipment, wells, septic components and other critical utilities. Record which elements flood first and whether emergency, maintenance and resident access remains practical.
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3. Understand shoreline change and site stability
Gather local erosion evidence
Obtain reliable shoreline-change information for the specific reach, including long-term trends and storm-related retreat or advance. Look for dunes, bluffs, banks, inlets, overwash fans, scour, beach narrowing and evidence of repeated flooding. NOAA’s companion question is useful here: Do you know the estimated long-term erosion rates for your area? Verify the answer with the responsible state or local coastal program, a qualified coastal engineer or a documented local study.
Record the physical setting
For the proposed footprint, document bank height, shape and slope; wave and wind exposure; tides and currents; nearshore depth and substrate; vegetation; existing structures; and the space available for marsh migration where relevant. EPA identifies these as core coastal site-assessment factors.
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A seawall, bulkhead, beach-nourishment project or planned erosion-control feature is not a guarantee of lot stability. Protection can have design limits, maintenance obligations, permitting constraints and effects on adjacent shorelines. FEMA recommends accounting for the different types of erosion and the policies that govern them before selecting a site or layout.
Keep dunes and established vegetation in the initial layout review. The California Coastal Commission’s planning example treats dune stability and vegetation disturbance as relevant considerations, but that example is California-specific; it is not a universal rule for every U.S. coast.
4. Investigate soils, slopes and foundations
Commission an appropriate investigation
Ask the building department whether a geotechnical report is required and what credentials, scope and testing it expects. Engage a geotechnical engineer familiar with the local coastal setting before finalizing the footprint or foundation type.
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The investigation should address relevant surface and subsurface conditions, including soil classification, bearing capacity, groundwater, erosion and scour evidence, and signs of landslides or slope movement. Depending on the site, ask specifically about liquefaction, settlement, expansive or compressible soils, steep slopes and seasonal or tidal groundwater.
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Do not substitute informal evidence
Nearby buildings, a seller’s statement, a consumer soil test or an old foundation design cannot establish that your proposed structure is supportable. Loads, elevations, drainage, vibration, flood forces and soil conditions can differ across a single parcel. The engineer’s findings should be tied to the actual structure, location and anticipated hazards.
5. Map utilities, wastewater, drainage and access
Confirm connections and responsibilities
- Locate the nearest public water, sewer, electricity, communications and road connections.
- Ask each provider who owns and maintains the connection, whether capacity is available, where the connection point is, what easements are required and who can authorize extensions.
- Estimate the route, length, grade and construction effects of every extension within the usable building area.
Prove wastewater feasibility
If on-site wastewater is proposed, obtain the applicable soil and site evaluation and confirm required setbacks, reserve area, installation standards and approvals with the local authority. Map tanks and drain fields against the building pad, driveway, utility lines, drainage features, wetlands, wells and property boundaries. A technically adequate septic area that blocks access or future repair space is not a workable plan.
Account for water movement
Review natural drainage, flood storage, groundwater and surface-water connections, impervious-area limits and stormwater requirements. FEMA warns that lot development can alter surface- and groundwater hydrology. Identify where runoff will go during ordinary storms and coastal flooding, and whether grading, fill, retaining walls or outfalls need separate permits.
Reserve space for construction equipment, future repairs, utility replacement and possible relocation or protection work. A narrow site may be legally buildable yet impractical to construct or maintain.
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6. Check wetlands, habitat, dunes and shoreline access
Identify resources early
Determine whether wetlands, tidal waters, dunes, native vegetation, wildlife habitat, public-access routes, marshes or other sensitive resources are present. If the status is uncertain, request a qualified wetland delineation, habitat survey or resource mapping rather than relying on a casual visual inspection.
Map restrictions onto the concept plan
Ask which buffers, setbacks, seasonal restrictions and limits on grading, vegetation removal, fill, dredging, shoreline alteration or construction access apply. FEMA recommends identifying and avoiding—or setting back from—sensitive resources wherever practicable.
Confirm federal, state and local jurisdiction
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers guidance advises people planning work in or near waters of the United States, including wetlands, to contact the appropriate Corps district about permit requirements. The district and other agencies can clarify jurisdiction and process; a general federal webpage is not a determination for every parcel. State coastal, wetlands, floodplain and environmental authorizations may apply separately.
7. Ask the right authorities and professionals
Authorities to contact
- Local planning and building departments: zoning, permitted use, flood elevations, construction standards, hazard setbacks, site-plan contents and building permits.
- Floodplain, coastal and environmental agencies: shoreline setbacks, dune or bluff rules, floodplain administration, habitat protections and state permits.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district: potential federal authorization for work in or near wetlands, tidal waters or other regulated waters.
- Utility providers and wastewater authority: connection capacity, easements, maintenance responsibility and septic approvals.
Professionals to engage
- Coastal engineer: waves, surge, erosion, shoreline change, protective works and coastal water levels.
- Geotechnical engineer: soils, groundwater, slopes, scour, settlement and foundation recommendations.
- Licensed surveyor: boundaries, topography, building elevations and the vertical datum used for every elevation.
- Qualified environmental professional: wetland delineation, habitat and other resource constraints.
- Architect or experienced coastal contractor: translating site findings into a code-compliant, maintainable design after the core studies are available.
Evidence to collect before committing to a footprint
| Record or study | What it should answer | Responsible source |
|---|---|---|
| Current official flood-map panel and written flood-elevation information | Which flood designations and elevations govern the parcel | Local floodplain or building authority |
| Local shoreline-change and erosion information | How the shore has changed over time and during storms | State or local coastal program, documented studies or coastal engineer |
| Boundary and topographic survey with vertical datum | Where the property, ground elevations, access and proposed improvements actually lie | Licensed surveyor |
| Geotechnical report matched to the proposed structure | Whether soils, groundwater, slopes and scour support the concept and what foundation issues require design | Geotechnical engineer |
| Wetlands, habitat and resource delineation | Whether sensitive resources and regulated areas overlap the project | Qualified environmental professional and relevant agencies |
| Utility availability and wastewater feasibility information | Whether connections or on-site treatment can be placed, approved and maintained | Providers and local wastewater authority |
| Written zoning, setback, permit and coastal-zone determinations | Which legal restrictions and approvals apply to the intended use | Responsible planning, building and coastal agencies |
How to compare two or more coastal parcels
Use the same evidence standard for every candidate. Compare flood and wave exposure; erosion and shoreline-change exposure; stable, usable area after all setbacks; soil and foundation uncertainty; utility and wastewater feasibility; drainage and access; wetland and habitat constraints; permit uncertainty; and room for future repairs or relocation.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesKeep an “unresolved” column in your internal decision sheet. Missing surveys or studies should not be scored as acceptable. A parcel with fewer known hazards but no elevation or geotechnical data is not automatically better than a parcel with documented, manageable constraints.
Decision gates before design or purchase
- Stop if the intended use is not legally allowed. Obtain a written interpretation or pursue a different use before paying for detailed design.
- Stop if no practical building area remains. Overlay setbacks, flood elevations, erosion allowances, wetlands, septic areas, access and utility corridors on a surveyed base map.
- Stop if access or wastewater fails. A buildable pad without an approved route, emergency access or workable wastewater system is not a complete site.
- Stop if hazard information is too uncertain for the investment. Commission the missing survey, coastal analysis or geotechnical work rather than guessing.
- Proceed to a detailed concept only after agencies and professionals agree on the controlling constraints. Their written requirements should drive the footprint, elevations, foundation and construction sequence.
What published case figures do—and do not—prove
EPA’s Protect Coasts page summarizes one Camp Wilkes living-shoreline analysis with $219 lower repair costs per minor hurricane, $1,417 in avoided maintenance costs annually, $30,000 in avoided replacement costs over 25 years and a 6.03 benefit-to-cost ratio. The underlying analysis year is not stated on that page. These are figures for that project, not estimates of savings from building on coastal land and not a guarantee for another shoreline. Verify the underlying case study and publication date before using the numbers in a financial decision.
Common screening mistakes
- Using a neighbor’s foundation, a previous building footprint or a seller’s flood statement as proof of suitability.
- Checking only the structure’s elevation while ignoring roads, bridges, utilities, septic components and evacuation routes.
- Assuming a seawall or nourishment project removes erosion risk or eliminates maintenance and permitting obligations.
- Ordering a house design before mapping wetlands, dunes, access, septic reserve area and construction staging.
- Treating a general FEMA, NOAA or Corps publication as a site-specific approval.
- Assuming a coastal rule from one state applies elsewhere; the California dune example and NOAA checklist’s Delaware references illustrate why local equivalents are necessary.
FEMA’s practical siting test
FEMA’s Coastal Construction Manual, Volume I, Table 4-3, states: DO determine whether the lot is suitable for its intended use; if not, alter the use to better suit the site or look at alternative sites.
That is the decision this checklist is designed to support: establish the intended use, document the constraints, obtain qualified interpretation and change the project or the parcel when the evidence does not support the original plan.
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