California Coverage · Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County base maps & site data for designers
The existing-conditions base map and pre-design site analysis that normally takes a half-day of GIS hunting and a site visit — for any South Bay address, from Palo Alto to the Los Gatos foothills, in about a minute.
What Lekua resolves in Santa Clara County
Every layer below is pulled live from Santa Clara’s own GIS and authoritative state sources the moment you enter an address — no manual tracing, no generic insets, every source cited.
County parcel boundary with APN, address, and lot area from the hosted Santa Clara County parcel service.
Fine 1–2 ft contours generated on-demand from the 1-meter USGS 3DEP elevation model — the county’s own contour service isn’t publicly reachable, so this is the finest data available off the shelf.
FEMA national structure footprints — Santa Clara publishes no cloud-reachable county footprint layer, so the export says exactly what the source is.
Jurisdiction resolved across the county’s 15 cities. Setback tables encoded and code-cited for San José (SJMC 20.30.200 Table 20-60) and unincorporated county land; rings draw once a table passes independent review.
CAL FIRE FHSZ severity with Zone 0 / 1 / 2 defensible-space perimeters drawn around structures — pointed where it counts in the Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Almaden foothills.
USDA SSURGO soil profile, historical rainfall, and modeled seasonal sun-hour heat maps for the parcel.
California natives matched to the site’s soil and microclimate, plus lawn-replacement rebate estimates from Valley Water’s countywide Landscape Rebate Program and city add-ons.
Tuned for the South Bay’s foothill fire interface
The Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Almaden foothills sit in mapped fire-hazard severity zones, and defensible-space planting rules now shape those hillside projects. Lekua draws the CAL FIRE Zone 0 / 1 / 2 perimeters on the plan and filters the plant palette to what each zone allows.
- Zone 0 (0–5 ft ember-resistant), Zone 1 (5–30 ft), and Zone 2 (30–100 ft) perimeters drawn around the structures.
- Every recommended plant carries a defensible-space zone rating, so you place the right species in the right zone.
- Flammability ratings draw on Las Pilitas burn-time research and UCANR / CAL FIRE-aligned fire-safe lists.
Zoning setbacks, by jurisdiction
Setbacks in Santa Claraare set per town, not countywide. Lekua resolves the parcel’s jurisdiction and zone code and encodes each jurisdiction’s adopted setback table, citation and all. Setback rings are drawn only after a table passes independent panel review — until then the export carries the code-cited values with an explicit “unverified” advisory instead of lines we can’t stand behind.
A native palette, enriched beyond the plant list
Start from the Calscape native plant database — then get the research-backed traits Calscape alone doesn’t put at your fingertips, matched to the parcel’s exact soil, sun, rainfall, and microclimate. Hand a client a list that’s code-compliant, climate-appropriate, and built to perform.
Flammability and defensible-space zone suitability from Las Pilitas burn-time research and UCANR / CAL FIRE-aligned fire-safe lists — not just a name on a list.
Slow / moderate / fast growth plus mature height and spread, so spacing and time-to-fill are realistic from day one.
Calscape cultivation and longevity guidance, so the palette reads for how it performs over 10–20 years, not just at install.
WUCOLS-aligned water-use ratings (for the MWELO budget) and pollinator / bird support scores on every species.
Plant data: Calscape / CNPS, enriched with Las Pilitas burn-time research, UCANR & CAL FIRE-aligned fire-safe lists, and WUCOLS water-use ratings.
Water districts & rebates
Lawn-replacement rebate estimates are matched to the serving district: Valley Water (countywide Landscape Rebate Program) · San Jose Water · City of Santa Clara Water & Sewer.
Santa Clara County base map FAQ
Can I get a CAD base map for a Santa Clara County parcel?
Yes. Enter any South Bay address and export a layered DXF (AutoCAD-compatible) with county parcel lines, building footprints, on-demand 1–2 ft contours, spot elevations, and the zoning determination — plus a designed PDF site report for the client.
What contour interval is available in Santa Clara County?
The county’s own contour service isn’t publicly reachable from the cloud, so Lekua generates fine 1–2 ft contours on-demand from the 1-meter USGS 3DEP elevation model — hillside-grade relief for the foothill lots where grading matters.
Does it include zoning setbacks for South Bay cities?
The parcel’s jurisdiction is resolved across the county’s 15 cities, and setback tables are encoded with citations for San José (SJMC 20.30.200 Table 20-60) and unincorporated county land. Setback rings are drawn only after a table passes independent panel review; until then the export carries the code-cited values with an explicit “unverified” advisory and always labels the zone determination honestly.
How does it handle defensible space and fire-safe planting?
Lekua draws CAL FIRE Zone 0 / 1 / 2 defensible-space perimeters around the structures and tags every recommended native with the zones it’s suited to — using flammability data from Las Pilitas burn-time research and UCANR / CAL FIRE-aligned fire-safe lists.
Is the data current and reliable enough for submittals?
Layers are pulled live from county GIS, USGS, and CAL FIRE at export time, and any encoded setback table cites its source with a date. Everything is labeled “for planning reference — not for construction.” Verify against the current code and a stamped survey before submittal.
Start with a Santa Clara address
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