Quick answer: In Metro Atlanta, a civil engineering feasibility report typically costs a few thousand dollars for a small residential lot, $8,000 to $25,000 for a 5 to 20 acre commercial parcel, and $40,000 to $80,000 or more for a large mixed-use due diligence package. A standalone concept site plan is usually priced below a full feasibility report, from a few hundred dollars for a drafting-only layout to several thousand dollars for a professionally prepared plan. Surveys, environmental assessments, geotechnical testing and public review fees are often extra.
Those ranges are wide for a reason. The price is driven by how much land you are evaluating, how many questions the report has to answer, and how much third-party data is needed to answer them. This guide breaks down what you are paying for, what moves the number, and how to get an accurate quote before your due diligence clock runs out.
Feasibility report vs. concept site plan
The two are related but not the same. As described in Mack Engineering’s site feasibility report guide, a feasibility report is a civil engineer’s formal analysis of whether a piece of land can support the buyer’s intended use. A concept site plan is the drawing that shows what that use could realistically look like on the ground.
A feasibility report typically covers
- Zoning and land use: permitted uses, setbacks, height, lot coverage, density, overlays and rezoning risk
- Utilities: water main size and distance, sewer availability or septic feasibility, power, gas and telecom
- Stormwater and floodplain: FEMA flood zone, estimated detention footprint, stream buffers and state waters
- Environmental and soils: Phase I environmental needs, wetlands, geotechnical conditions and tree ordinances
- Access: frontage, curb cut and sight distance feasibility, DOT permits and traffic study triggers
- Yield: the realistic number of lots, units or square feet the site can support, plus any deal-killers
A concept site plan typically shows
- Lot layout or building footprints
- Roads, drives, parking and circulation
- Setbacks and buffers drawn to scale
- Conceptual stormwater facility locations
- Open space and amenity areas
A concept plan is not a construction document. Mack Engineering’s zoning exhibit guide notes that Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton and most North Georgia jurisdictions do not require a conceptual zoning exhibit to be sealed, while the later construction site plan is fully engineered and sealed for the land disturbance permit.
Typical cost ranges
The table below reflects Mack Engineering’s published feasibility fee ranges. Treat them as budgeting ranges, not quotes.
| Deliverable | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility report, small residential lot | A few thousand dollars | Mack Engineering |
| Feasibility report, 5 to 20 acre commercial parcel | $8,000 to $25,000 | Mack Engineering |
| Large mixed-use due diligence package | $40,000 to $80,000+ | Mack Engineering |
Sources: Mack Engineering. Published market prices for standalone concept plans from SitePlans.us and Kteam Architects range from a few hundred dollars for drafting-only layouts to several thousand dollars for professionally prepared plans; Tilt Analytics outlines the third-party reports that often accompany commercial due diligence. Those third-party costs vary by site.
What drives the price
- Acreage: more land means more area to analyze, more lots to lay out and more site limits to map
- Intended use: a single home, a subdivision, multifamily and commercial pads each trigger different code and utility questions
- Number of layout options: comparing two or three yield scenarios costs more than one
- Available data: a site with a current boundary and topographic survey is faster to evaluate than one relying only on county GIS
- Utility questions: sewer capacity letters, lift station needs or septic soil testing add time and cost
- Environmental flags: streams, wetlands, floodplain or prior industrial, gas station or dry cleaner use can require specialist reports
- Jurisdiction: zoning, buffer, tree and stormwater rules differ from city to city and county to county
- Rezoning: if the use requires rezoning, the concept plan becomes a zoning exhibit with more required content
What is usually not included
Ask any engineer exactly what their fee covers. Items that are often priced separately include:
- Boundary and topographic surveys
- Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and any Phase II testing
- Geotechnical borings and soils testing, including septic soil reports
- Wetland and stream delineation
- Traffic impact studies
- Local application and review fees for rezoning, variances or plan review
- Full construction plans and land disturbance permit design
Is a feasibility report worth the cost?
According to Area Development, feasibility studies can cost anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars depending on depth and project size, but the cost is rarely more than one percent of overall project costs and often far less.
The return comes from what the report finds. Two examples from recent Mack Engineering projects, as described in the feasibility report guide:
- A buyer of a 4-acre tract in Cherokee County learned that the sewer manhole he had been told was “right at the property line” was actually 1,400 feet away and 60 feet uphill, avoiding a $250,000 surprise.
- A 12-lot subdivision concept in Milton was reduced to 7 lots after rural viewshed and stream buffer analysis showed the original yield was not achievable.
For sellers, the math works in reverse. Mack Engineering’s pre-sale feasibility guide explains how a documented conceptual layout lets a seller price land on realistic lot count or building area instead of acreage comparisons alone.
How long it takes
Most feasibility reports can be delivered in two to four weeks, according to Mack Engineering. That matters because Georgia residential due diligence periods are typically 7 to 21 days, while commercial and land contracts often allow 30 to 90 days. Order the report within the first 48 hours of going under contract so the engineer has working time before the contingency expires. Third-party data, such as utility letters, soils testing and Phase I reports, is usually what limits a rush schedule.
How to get an accurate quote
Sending the following up front lets an engineer give you a fixed fee instead of a broad range:
- Property address or parcel ID and total acreage
- Intended use and target yield (lots, units or square feet)
- Any existing survey, plat, title commitment or prior reports
- Purchase contract dates, especially the end of the due diligence period
- Known concerns, such as sewer availability, streams, slopes or rezoning
- Whether you need one layout or several options to compare
How Mack Engineering prices feasibility work
Mack Engineering is an Alpharetta-based civil engineering and land development firm that prepares feasibility reports, concept site plans and zoning exhibits for buyers, sellers, builders and developers across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, including Fulton, Forsyth, Cherokee, Cobb, Gwinnett, Hall and Dawson counties.
We provide fixed-fee quotes scoped to the decision you need to make, so you know the cost before work begins. Because Mack Engineering is owned by a licensed general contractor, our feasibility findings and concept layouts are checked against how sites are actually priced and built, not just what the code allows on paper. Engineering work that requires a seal is prepared and sealed by the responsible Georgia professional engineer of record.
Frequently asked questions
Fees scale with site size and complexity. A small residential lot may be a few thousand dollars, a 5 to 20 acre commercial parcel typically runs $8,000 to $25,000, and large mixed-use due diligence packages can run $40,000 to $80,000 or more. Third-party reports such as surveys, Phase I environmental assessments and geotechnical testing are often priced separately.
A standalone concept site plan is one piece of a full feasibility report, so it is typically priced below one. Published prices range from a few hundred dollars for drafting-only layouts that are not for permit submission to several thousand dollars for professionally prepared concept plans. The final price depends on acreage, the number of layout options and the jurisdiction.
A feasibility report is a civil engineer’s analysis of whether a property can support an intended use, covering zoning, utilities, stormwater, floodplain, environmental limits, access and yield. A concept site plan is a drawing that shows a realistic layout of lots, buildings, drives, parking and stormwater facilities. Most feasibility reports include a concept plan.
Most feasibility reports can be delivered in two to four weeks. The limiting factor is often third-party data such as utility capacity letters, soils testing or a Phase I environmental assessment, so the report should be ordered as soon as the property is under contract.
Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton and most North Georgia jurisdictions do not require a conceptual zoning exhibit to be sealed by a professional engineer or land surveyor. The construction plans submitted later for the land disturbance permit are fully engineered and sealed.
Request a fixed-fee feasibility quote
Under contract on a property, or thinking about listing one? Send us the address and your intended use, and we will scope the right level of feasibility work for your timeline.
Call (770) 715-7295, contact Mack Engineering, or visit us at 5745 Stables Wy A-09, Alpharetta, GA 30004.
Related reading
- Feasibility reports
- How to get a site feasibility report before you buy land in Metro Atlanta
- Pre-sale feasibility engineering for Georgia property sellers
- Zoning exhibit requirements for Metro Atlanta rezonings
- Due diligence engineering in Atlanta
- How to avoid delays in land disturbance permit approval
- Site planning services
Sources
- Mack Engineering, Site Feasibility Report Before You Buy Land in Metro Atlanta
- Mack Engineering, Zoning Exhibit Requirements in Metro Atlanta
- Mack Engineering, Pre-Sale Feasibility Engineering in Georgia
- Area Development, Feasibility Studies: An Overview
- Kteam Architects, Architect Fees and Pricing in Georgia
- SitePlans.us, Subdivision Plans for Developers and Land Acquisition Teams
- Tilt Analytics, The Definitive Commercial Real Estate Development Checklist
This article is general information, not a site-specific engineering opinion. Fees are budgeting ranges, not quotes; code requirements and local ordinances change, so confirm current requirements with the authority having jurisdiction for your property.