Deliverable · Contour Map (PDF)

A contour map of your land, as a single PDF

Sometimes you don’t need software — you need to see the terrain. The Contour Map PDF draws 1 ft minor and 5 ft major contours (widening automatically only where steep terrain demands it), with elevations labeled on the lines, over lightened USGS aerial imagery of your site.

It opens in any PDF viewer, prints clean on letter paper, and carries a scale bar, north arrow, and coordinate-system title block. It’s the fastest way to understand a property’s slopes — for you or for a client who’ll never open CAD.

Draw your site — free reportDownload a real exampleFrom $10

Step 1

Draw your property

On the map, or import a boundary file.

Step 2

Order the Contour Map (PDF)

Pick your coordinate system; 1 ft / 5 ft contours wherever terrain allows.

Step 3

Open the PDF

Vector contours over aerial imagery — zoom in without losing sharpness.

Built for

  • Bidding earthwork, grading, or pool excavation without a topo on file
  • Site walks and client conversations — print it and mark it up
  • Land purchase due diligence: see the slopes before you offer

Opens in: Any PDF viewer — Adobe Acrobat, Preview, a browser.

Common questions

Do I need GIS or CAD software to use it?

No — it’s a normal PDF. Contours are drawn as vectors, so they stay sharp at any zoom, and elevations are labeled directly on the major contour lines.

Where do the elevations come from?

Ground-classified USGS 3DEP lidar for your exact site, gridded and smoothed with cartographic best practice. The map states the data’s vintage and accuracy, and carries a NOT A SURVEY disclaimer — it informs design and negotiation; it does not replace a licensed survey.

What contour interval will my map use?

1 ft minor / 5 ft major wherever the terrain allows. On steep or large sites the sheet grows automatically through standard sizes (up to ARCH D, 36×24 in) to keep 1 ft contours readable; only when even that cannot hold legible 1 ft lines does the interval widen (2 ft, then 5 ft). The sheet size and interval actually used are always stated in the map’s title block.

Other deliverables

Civil 3D Surface Model · Raw LAS · Elevation Model (GeoTIFF) · ENU Points (E, N, U) · Coverage by state

Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) lidar. Pricing shown as of 2026-07-10; the exact quote for your site is computed when you draw it. ToposNow deliverables are derived from published USGS lidar and are not a land survey.