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Plan check (plan review)

Also called: plan review · permit review

The AHJ’s review of submitted construction documents for code compliance before a permit is issued. Reviewers examine the drawing set against the adopted codes and amendments and either approve it or issue corrections.

Narrower: Corrections & resubmittals

Depends on: AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)

Related: Corrections & resubmittals Continuous compliance Digital permitting

Architects Jurisdictions Owners & developers

Why it matters

Plan check is where compliance problems become schedule problems: review queues run weeks to months in many cities, and each correction cycle repeats the wait. For jurisdictions, the pressure runs the other way, high submission volumes against limited reviewer capacity. Both sides benefit when submissions arrive already checked, which is the practical argument for moving compliance upstream of submission.

Often confused with

  • Inspection. Plan check reviews the documents before construction; inspection checks the built work in the field. A project passes through both.

Sources & reading

Why design-phase compliance beats plan check rework

Also in Permitting: Corrections & resubmittals Digital permitting Rework

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