Services

Land Development & Drainage

Site improvement plans, grading and drainage, water and sewer, and entitlements — carried from tentative map through agency approval and into construction.

Request a quote Call (916) 835-3588

What I Provide

  • Site improvement plans: grading, paving, utilities, and frontage improvements
  • Drainage studies and detention design using the Sacramento Method, with plan-check responses
  • Water and sewer design, including mains, services, and separation waivers with the State Division of Drinking Water
  • Erosion and sediment control, sediment basins, and stormwater permit coordination
  • Tentative subdivision and tentative parcel maps, map extensions, and entitlement processing
  • Re-approval of expired improvement plans
  • Cost estimates for bonds and frontage agreements
  • Construction support: field changes, minor revisions, and site and retaining walls

How It Works

  1. Feasibility. Zoning, flood zone, existing utilities, and the agency standards that will apply.
  2. Entitlement. Tentative subdivision or tentative parcel map and the conditions of approval.
  3. Plans and studies. Improvement plans, drainage study, and utility design to the city or county standards.
  4. Agency review. Review cycles with every department and district — public works, fire, water, and sewer — with written responses each round.
  5. Bonds and construction. Cost estimates, agreements, covenants, and support through construction.

What to Send for a Quote

  • Parcel number or address
  • What you want to build or divide
  • Any prior approvals, conditions, or expired plans
  • Surveys, soils reports, or as-builts you already have

Church site improvement plans

Sacramento County, CA2026

Civil engineer of record

Re-approval of expired improvement plans: 15 civil sheets, an offsite 12-inch water main, and a state water-main separation waiver.

Codes
Sacramento County Improvement Standards · Title 22 §64572
Outcome
Approved by all reviewing County disciplines; declaration of covenants recorded.

Church site improvements through construction

North Highlands, CA2024–2026

Civil engineer of record, from plans through construction

Site improvement plans, sediment basin sizing, a hydrant flow analysis, and a retaining seat wall.

Codes
Sacramento County Improvement Standards
Outcome
Plans approved in 2024; under construction.

Parcel map drainage study

Elk Grove, CA2026In review

Drainage engineer: stamped study and plan-check response

Gravity detention for a six-acre, three-parcel map with about one foot of usable fall across the site.

Codes
Elk Grove Improvement Standards §9 · Sacramento Method
Outcome
Post-project peak flows 18–28% below existing without pumping; submitted October 2026.

14-lot single-family tentative map

Merced, CA2024

Civil engineer: tentative map and entitlement

Vesting tentative subdivision map for 14 single-family lots on 3.35 acres.

Codes
Subdivision Map Act
Outcome
Approved July 2024; extension granted to July 2028.

See all projects

Common Questions

Can expired improvement plans be re-approved?

Often, yes. Plans that expired before construction can usually be updated to current standards and resubmitted rather than redesigned from scratch — I recently took a church site in Sacramento County through re-approval with every reviewing department.

Do you prepare drainage studies for parcel maps?

Yes, including detention design where post-project peak flows may not exceed existing. On a recent Elk Grove parcel map, a gravity swale held 100-year peaks below pre-project levels with about a foot of usable fall.

Can you extend a tentative map before it expires?

Yes. I prepare the extension request under the Subdivision Map Act and work with planning staff — a recent 14-lot map in Merced received a two-year extension.

Which agencies do you work with?

Sacramento and Placer county agencies and cities across the region, plus fire, water, and sewer districts and the State Division of Drinking Water.