Do I Need a Plan Check Before Permit Submission?

A pre-submission plan check isn't legally required, but it's highly recommended. The jurisdiction will review your drawings against code no matter what — running your own review first simply lets you find and fix the issues before they become official plan check comments. Fewer comments means fewer correction cycles, and correction cycles are usually the biggest driver of permit timeline.

Why review before you submit

• Catch code-compliance gaps (egress, ADA, fire rating, occupancy) before the reviewer does
• Resolve spec-vs-drawing contradictions and cross-discipline conflicts on paper
• Cut the number of resubmittals, which compress the permit schedule
• Submit a cleaner set, which builds credibility with the reviewer

Pre-submission check vs. the jurisdiction's plan check

The jurisdiction's plan check is the official, permit-gating code review. A pre-submission check is your own QA of the same set, done first. They are complementary: the goal of the pre-submission check is to make the official one go smoothly the first time.

How AI makes it practical

A thorough manual pre-check of a full set is time-consuming, which is why teams skip it. AI plan checking reviews the entire set — drawings, specs, and selected codes — in hours, flagging issues with evidence for each, so you can fix the meaningful ones before submitting. See the most common issues it catches, or read how to reduce plan check comments.