Plan Review and Inspection Practice
The Review and Inspection Workflow
Plan review is a structured comparison: the submitted drawings must demonstrate compliance with the adopted code, referenced standards, and approved alternates. A Building Official Level I candidate should understand the sequence - intake and completeness check, discipline review (architectural, structural, fire, accessibility), comment issuance, resubmittal, and permit issuance with conditions. Inspection practice continues that thread: inspections verify that construction matches approved plans, with required inspections at defined stages such as foundation, framing, and final.
Concepts to Master
- What constitutes a complete submittal and the authority to request additional information.
- Documentation of review comments and the resubmittal loop.
- Field inspection stages, notice requirements, and the authority to stop work.
- Certificates of occupancy and the conditions that must be satisfied first.
- Records, reports, and the duty to document findings objectively.
Traps in Questions
Questions often probe the boundary between plan review and field inspection: an approved plan does not guarantee field compliance, and a field condition cannot be approved verbally without documentation. Another trap is the scope of authority - the official may require corrections but must follow procedural steps before denial or stop-work. Distinguish an inspection from a special inspection, which is performed by a qualified third party and reported to the official.
Worked Example
If a contractor installs framing differing from approved plans, the rule of thumb is: document the discrepancy, issue a written correction notice referencing the code section, and require either field correction or a revised plan submittal. Never accept a field change by conversation alone.