Plan Review and Permit Processing
Intake and completeness
- The review clock generally starts when an application is complete. Jurisdictions usually must notify the applicant in writing of missing items within a set period, and the clock is suspended until those items arrive.
- Route the set to every discipline: architectural, structural, mechanical/electrical/plumbing, fire protection, accessibility, and land-use/zoning where applicable. Consolidate comments into one response.
- Verify that plans are sealed and signed by licensed design professionals competent in that discipline, and that revisions are dated and logged.
What the review must confirm
- Occupancy classification and construction type, then height and area compliance.
- Means of egress: occupant load, number and width of exits, travel distance, door hardware.
- Fire-resistance ratings, opening protectives, and active systems.
- Accessibility of the route, entrances, and toilet rooms.
- Structural design basis, loads, and geotechnical assumptions.
Issuance and lifecycle
- A permit authorizes only the work described in the approved documents; it does not authorize a code violation.
- Permits expire after a defined period of inactivity. Extensions and renewals are discretionary and must be documented.
- Work begun without a permit draws a stop-work order, after-the-fact review, and often multiplied fees; the burden sits on the owner.
- A certificate of occupancy follows a satisfactory final inspection. A temporary certificate may carry conditions and a hard expiration.
Worked example
A complete architectural set arrives without structural calculations. The department must issue a written deficiency notice within its stated period; the review clock stops until calculations are submitted. If the applicant pours footings during that suspension, the work is unpermitted - the permit was never effective.
Traps
- Confusing plan approval with permission to occupy.
- Letting a conditional approval function as a code modification.
- Missing that a revision was never routed back to the fire-protection reviewer.