The short answer
The story pole plan checklist is short. To draft the plan we need the current plan set (site plan, roof plan, elevations, and grading or a survey if the lot slopes), the project address with the jurisdiction or HOA reviewing it, your hearing or submittal date, and any story pole plan your architect has already started. Email them to hello@AllAmericanStoryPoles.com and the finished plan comes back, in your town’s format, usually within 1 to 2 business days.
The Story Pole Plan Checklist
1. The plan set (PDF is fine)
- Site plan with property lines and setbacks.
- Roof plan with ridge and eave lines and, ideally, ridge elevations.
- Elevations for all sides, with heights above grade.
- Grading plan or topographic survey if the lot slopes; on hillside lots the poles must show the final building height with grading accounted for, and we cannot do that without grades.
- Floor plans help but are not essential.
2. The address and the reviewer The street address, the city or town, and, if an HOA or architectural committee is reviewing, its name and its design guidelines. The jurisdiction sets the plan format, so this determines what we draw, whether that is an 8.5 x 11 reduction of the roof plan on the site plan in Hillsborough (Town of Hillsborough, requirements), numbered poles with an elevation table in Mill Valley, an 11 x 17 with red poles in Burbank, and so on.
3. Your dates The hearing date, or the submittal or notice date your planner has given you. We work the plan turnaround, the installation lead (typically 1 to 2 weeks) and the town’s required lead time backward from it.
4. Anything already drawn If your architect has prepared a story pole plan, send it; we install to architects’ plans regularly. If a planner has marked up which elements must be shown, send that too.
Story pole plan requirements, and what comes back
- The story pole plan as a PDF sheet: numbered pole locations on the roof plan, top-of-roof elevations, string-line connections, netting or flagging noted, and the legend or table the town requires.
- The town's plan notes where a policy requires them (Malibu's marking and safety notes, for example).
- A short note on what else the town will want: photographs after installation, a certification form, a project sign, a waiver.
- A written quote for the installation and, if required, certification and a sign.
Most plans are turned around within 1 to 2 business days. Complex roofs or sloped sites without grades can take a little longer, and we tell you when we see the set.
What slows a plan down
Three things, usually. A plan set without elevations, because pole heights cannot be derived from a roof plan alone. A sloping lot with no grading or topographic survey, since every pole height is measured from existing grade. And an address given without the reviewing body, where a project turns out to sit in Los Altos Hills rather than the City of Los Altos, or under an HOA architectural committee rather than the city. Any of the three turns a one-day turnaround into a conversation. Send all four items in the first email and the plan comes back in the town’s own format without a round trip.
After the plan
The planner approves it (most towns require this before installation), we install to it, photograph the result, and coordinate certification and a project sign where the town requires them.
Send us your plans. Email hello@AllAmericanStoryPoles.com, or call or text (650) 613-1721 (Northern California) or (310) 980-2543 (Southern California).
Frequently asked questions
Do you need CAD files or is a PDF enough?
A PDF plan set is enough. If you have CAD or Revit exports they help, but we draft from PDFs every day.
What if the lot slopes and I have no survey?
Tell us. On a mild slope we can work from the grading shown on the elevations; on a steep lot we will recommend a topographic survey, because every town wants the poles to show the final height with grading accounted for.
Can you draft a plan for an HOA?
Yes. Send the HOA’s architectural guidelines with the plan set and we draft the silhouette plan to them.
How fast can you turn a plan around?
Usually within 1 to 2 business days of receiving a complete set.
Story pole requirements are set by each city, town, county or review board and change from time to time. Confirm current requirements with the planning department before your submittal.
