Project planning resources
What to Check Before Leasing or Buying a Property
A listing, existing floor plan and prior tenant's use can start the investigation. Before committing to a property, connect the intended operation to the actual site, building systems, property rights and reviewing authorities. Use this checklist to identify the questions that need an answer before design, purchasing or a fixed opening date.
For owners, operators and project teams preparing a decision or handoff. Apply the checklist to the actual property, route, agreement and reviewing authority.
Request a project reviewVerify the property and usable records
Confirm the site itself before evaluating the drawing concept.
Location and authority
Confirm the parcel's actual city or unincorporated county and any separate roadway or special authority. A mailing address is insufficient. Where a site or route crosses boundaries, keep a separate scope and application record for each segment.
Survey, boundaries and restrictions
Compare the survey with recent improvements. Ask a qualified surveyor for the appropriate update where boundaries or elevations matter. Have the appropriate advisers review setbacks, easements, deed restrictions and property rights; ownership alone does not establish where the proposed work can go.
Existing building and approval records
Request current measured plans, system information, issued permits and occupancy records. Compare them with what is actually installed. Keep marketing drawings and approximate areas separate from verified technical information.
Test the operation against the whole site
A building footprint that fits can still leave an unresolved access, utility or drainage problem.
Parking, access and delivery
Evaluate parking, loading, accessible connections and equipment delivery with the proposed operation. Confirm whether a new or modified driveway requires roadway review. Do not assume an existing entrance is approved for the new use.
Utility demand and shared infrastructure
Have the responsible designers establish actual water, sewer, electrical, gas and other demands and coordinate provider capacity. Assign responsibilities among tenant, landlord, utility and designer for shared services, meters and connection work.
Drainage, floodplain and environmental conditions
Check the effect of pavement and grading on runoff, collection and discharge. Use qualified elevation and drainage analysis where needed; resolve an outlet crossing another property. Screen wetlands or waterways with the appropriate specialist and floodplain questions with the responsible authority.
Private and historic approvals
Identify landlord criteria for roof equipment, penetrations and shared spaces. Check whether historic or preservation review affects the proposed work, and integrate its conditions before finalizing the technical design.
Prepare the next conversation
Keep the initial inquiry brief. Detailed or confidential records can be exchanged through an appropriate channel after the assignment is defined.
Information to bring
Bring the address and parcel, proposed activities and equipment, survey or plat, available plans, approval history, lease requirements and the decision deadline. Mark information that is missing, approximate or provided only by a listing.
A useful next deliverable
A decision record identifying known constraints, unresolved investigations, required specialists, authority questions and responsibility for each next step. Have the appropriate adviser address purchase or lease terms; a technical feasibility review is not a property-rights opinion.
When a specialist decision is needed
Do not rely on an assumed easement, undocumented capacity or unverified flood elevation to commit to an irreversible layout. Obtain the appropriate survey, engineering, environmental or property-rights advice when those findings control feasibility.
Before you begin
Common questions
What information will make the first conversation useful?
Bring the address and parcel, proposed activities and equipment, survey or plat, available plans, approval history, lease requirements and the decision deadline. Mark information that is missing, approximate or provided only by a listing.
What should this review produce?
A decision record identifying known constraints, unresolved investigations, required specialists, authority questions and responsibility for each next step. Have the appropriate adviser address purchase or lease terms; a technical feasibility review is not a property-rights opinion.
Does this guide establish approval or a fixed completion date?
No. It helps organize the project questions and responsibilities. The actual scope, qualified professionals, property and asset owners, and reviewing authorities determine the applicable requirements and approval sequence. Confirm current instructions before submitting.
Source check ·
Official sources and application starting points
Use the linked authority’s current instructions for your actual property, use and work. Agency procedures can change; a source check is not a project approval.
FEMA floodplain development checklist
An official starting point for flood-risk screening and coordination with the local development review process; it does not establish a property's survey or approval.
ADA guidance for businesses open to the public
Physical accessibility and operating obligations should be considered alongside local permit requirements.
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