How to Prepare Drawings for Plan Check Submission

Preparing drawings for plan check is about removing, before submission, the issues a reviewer would otherwise turn into correction comments. Complete the set, include the required code information, coordinate the disciplines, reconcile specs against drawings, and run a final pre-submission review. The checklist below covers each step.

Plan check preparation checklist

1. Complete the set. Confirm every referenced detail, section, and sheet actually exists, and that the sheet index, scales, and north arrows are correct. Missing references are a top source of comments.
2. Include code & project information. Provide the code analysis the jurisdiction expects: occupancy, construction type, egress, accessibility, fire ratings, and applicable code editions. Gaps here drive rejections.
3. Coordinate across disciplines. Check that architectural, structural, MEP, and civil drawings agree — no duct-vs-structure clashes, fixtures landing in walls, or panel clearance violations.
4. Reconcile specs vs drawings. Make sure the specification book and the drawings describe the same materials, products, and assemblies. Copy-paste and revision drift create contradictions reviewers flag.
5. Run a pre-submission review. Do a final QA pass of the whole set before submitting, so code gaps and conflicts are resolved on paper instead of becoming official comments.

Make the last step automatic

The final pre-submission review is the step teams most often skip because a thorough manual pass is slow. AI plan checking reviews the whole set — drawings, specs, and codes — in hours and returns each issue with evidence, so you fix the meaningful ones first. See how to reduce plan check comments, what a plan check comment is, or whether you need a plan check before permit.