Vicinity map for a building permit in the Philippines: what it shows and who signs it
What a vicinity map or location plan is, what it must show for a building permit, who signs it, and how it differs from a sketch, the site plan and the survey.
A vicinity map, also called a location plan, is the first drawing in a set of house plans. It shows where the lot is, so that anyone at the building office can find it from roads and landmarks they already know. It is one of the architectural sheets the office asks for, and our permit and documentation assistance service prepares it with the rest of the set.
It is a small sheet and an easy one to get wrong, mostly by drawing too much or too little of the area around the lot.
What the rules ask a vicinity map to show
The rules that implement the National Building Code (PD 1096), as revised in 2004, list the documents a building permit application needs in Section 302. The architectural plans start with this one:
| What the rule says | For a house |
|---|---|
| How far around the lot it reaches | Within a half-kilometre radius for residential buildings. Commercial, industrial and institutional complexes need a 2.00 kilometre radius |
| Scale | Any convenient scale |
| What it shows | Prominent landmarks or major thoroughfares, for easy reference |
| How many sets | Five sets of plans, signed and sealed, go in with the application (Section 302(3)) |
That is the whole rule. It does not fix a scale, a sheet size or a list of landmarks, which is why vicinity maps vary so much from one set of plans to the next. Your building office may have its own checklist on top of it; ask for it when you get the application forms.
Who may sign it
Only a registered and licensed architect. The Supreme Court settled this on 15 March 2023 in DPWH v. Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers. It reinstated Section 302(3) and (4) of the 2004 rules and listed the documents only architects may prepare, sign and seal, starting with the vicinity map and the site development plan. The guide to reading a house plan sets out who signs every other sheet: the lot survey by a geodetic engineer, the structural plans by a civil engineer, and so on.
What goes on a good one
The rule only asks for landmarks and thoroughfares. A map that does its job usually has:
- The lot itself, hatched or shaded so it is the first thing the eye lands on.
- The roads around it, named, including the one the lot faces and the nearest main road.
- Landmarks people actually use for directions: a church, a school, the barangay hall, a market, a gasoline station, a bridge. Pick ones that will still be there next year.
- A north arrow. The same north as the site development plan, so the two sheets agree.
- The subdivision, block and lot number, where the lot is in a subdivision, as they appear on the title.
Leave out what does not help someone find the lot. A map crowded with every side street within half a kilometre is harder to read than one that shows the route from the main road and three good landmarks.
How it differs from the other location sheets
Three sheets in a permit set are about where the house is, and people mix them up:
| Sheet | What it answers | Who signs |
|---|---|---|
| Vicinity map | Where is the lot, in the town? | Architect |
| Site development plan | Where is the house, on the lot? | Architect |
| Lot survey plan | Where exactly are the lot’s boundaries? | Geodetic engineer |
The vicinity map is the least technical of the three. The lot survey plan carries the bearings and distances the boundaries are set out from, and the site development plan places the house inside those boundaries. Both of those are measured drawings; the vicinity map is a finding aid.
Can I make one from Google Maps?
A map app is a good way to find landmarks and check road names before the sheet is drawn, and many vicinity maps start that way. The sheet that goes into a building permit application is still part of the architectural set, drawn and signed by the architect, so a screenshot on its own is not the vicinity map the rule describes. Some offices that are not building offices, such as a business permit counter or a school, ask for a “vicinity map” that is only a sketch of how to get to you. Those have their own rules, and this page does not cover them.
Where people get stuck
- The lot cannot be found from the map. Usually because the landmarks are too far away, or the roads are unnamed. An inspector who cannot find the lot cannot inspect it.
- The map and the site plan disagree. North points different ways, or the road the lot faces has a different name on each. Draw them together.
- The radius is wrong for what is being built. A house uses the half-kilometre radius. A building that is part of a commercial or institutional complex needs 2 kilometres.
The rest of what the office needs is in the building permit requirements guide.
Getting the whole set right
A vicinity map is quick to draw. What takes time is a full permit set where every sheet agrees with every other and with the title. Our permit and documentation assistance service prepares the architectural sheets, coordinates the engineers’ sheets, and files them with your building office.
More guides
- Why a 3D walkthrough is worth doingWhat a virtual walkthrough shows that a floor plan cannot, and why changing a wall in a model costs nothing while changing it on site costs a great deal.
- 50 sqm house design in the Philippines: what fits on the floor and on the lotHow big 50 sqm is (5 m by 10 m), what a 50 sqm house holds, a 50 sqm lot under the lot coverage and BP 220 rules, and when to build up on a 100 sqm lot.
- How architect fees work in the PhilippinesThe four ways architects in the Philippines charge, what each one suits, what moves the number, and which costs are the architect's fee and which are the build.