§ 01Parcel dimensions
Shape & size requirements
Dimension incrementWidth and depth must both be exact multiples of 50 ft
50′Minimum street frontageThe side facing the named BRC street or avenue
50′Common sizes: 100×100, 100×150, 150×200, 200×300 ft. New camps in 2026 are hard-capped at 100×100 ft.
§ 02Fire / service access lane
Required for deep parcels
Lane widthMust stay completely clear at all times
20′Trigger depthRequired when your parcel depth from frontage exceeds this
> 125′Size exemptionCamps this size or smaller are exempt regardless of depth
≤ 100×100′Fuel exemptionNo fire lane required if you store less than this
< 20 gal storedThe engine places the fire lane perpendicular to your frontage at 125′ depth. You can adjust the position in the rules panel.
§ 03Generator placement
Service-road access requirement
Max distance to service roadGenerator must sit within this distance of the frontage or service alley
20′Diesel delivery thresholdDyed-diesel generators using 30+ gal/day qualify for PETROL delivery
≥ 30 gal§ 04Fuel storage clearances
Life-safety — non-negotiable
These clearances protect against fire and explosion. The engine flags violations but cannot substitute for reading the BRC Fire Safety Agreement yourself.
Fuel → combustibles / ignition10 ft safety buffer around fuel from anything that can burn or spark
≥ 10′Liquid fuel ↔ propaneLiquid petroleum fuel and propane/LPG must stay this far apart
≥ 20′Fuel area ↔ fuel areaTwo separate fuel storage zones must be 50 ft apart
≥ 50′No-go safety radiusOff-limits zone around each fuel storage point
10′Max stored fuelTheme-camp cap for liquid fuel on-site
110 galSecondary containmentMust contain at least 110% of the largest single container
≥ 110%§ 05Environment & orientation
Prevailing wind directionGenerator exhaust, dust, and propane plumes travel NE off-playa
225° (SW)Black Rock City latitudeUsed to compute sunrise/sunset azimuth for shade orientation advice
40.79°NThe engine recommends orienting shade structures and living spaces on the NW–SE axis so prevailing winds from the SW carry heat away from camp in the afternoon.
§ 06Submission file requirements
File formatBRC does not accept PDF. Take a screenshot of any PDF placement letter before uploading here.
JPG / PNGMax file sizeThe PNG export is typically 1–3 MB at 1200px wide
10 MBMax filename lengthUnderscores only — no spaces or special characters
20 charsRecommended filename formatExport dialog pre-fills this from your camp name
YYYYCampName_SitePlan.pngBlack-and-white legibilityUse the B&W toggle in the studio to verify before exporting
Required§ 07What the compliance check covers
Every rule above is checked live as you drag items. Violations show in the compliance panel as FAIL (must fix) or CHECK (verify with your safety officer). The badge reads COMPLIANT only when zero FAILs remain.
Parcel dimensionsWidth or depth not a multiple of 50 ft
FAILFrontage widthLess than 50 ft of street exposure
FAILFire lane presenceDeep parcel with no 20 ft clear lane
FAILFuel clearancesAny fuel buffer violated
FAILItems outside parcelAny structure with its bounding box outside the parcel boundary
FAILGenerator road accessGenerator position relative to service roads — confirm on-site
CHECKFrontage visibilityLarge structures blocking street frontage — confirm acceptable with Placement
CHECKItems are modelled as oriented bounding boxes (OBBs): each has a centre point (cx, cy), a length, a width, and a rotation angle. At any angle, the axis-aligned footprint is:
dx = L·|cos θ| + W·|sin θ|
dy = L·|sin θ| + W·|cos θ|
Overlap detection between rotated items uses the Separating Axis Theorem (SAT). Clearance distances are measured between OBB edges, not centres, so a fuel clearance of 10 ft is the minimum gap between any two boxes — not the distance between their midpoints.
Placement letter readerExtracts clock, street, width, depth, and shape from your BRC assignment image
Claude Opus 4.8Layout assistantInterprets natural-language instructions and adjusts item positions to maintain compliance
Claude Opus 4.8Last-year importReads a photo of your prior layout and reconstructs item positions in the new engine
Claude Opus 4.8AI suggestions are advisory. The compliance checker runs independently after every AI adjustment — if the AI places something illegally the checker catches it and flags it immediately.
Navigate to Placement is a community tool. BRC Placement does not endorse or verify this software. Always cross-check your submission with official Burning Man documentation.