Plan Check vs Plan Review: What's the Difference and Why It Matters

The short answer: same process, different names

The terminology varies by region and by how firms describe their own internal processes, but the municipal process itself is the same regardless of which term the AHJ uses.

Where each term comes from

"Plan check" is the dominant term in California and the western US, while "plan review" is more common in the northeast and midwest and is used by the ICC in its model codes. Both refer to the examination of construction documents by a plans examiner prior to permit issuance.

The ICC's language in IBC Section 107 uses the term "examination," so the terminology difference should not be attributed to the code itself but to regional usage.

When the distinction actually matters

The distinction matters when a firm operates across multiple jurisdictions and must use the correct term when communicating with the AHJ. It also matters when procurement documents or contracts specify plan review as a deliverable, which can refer either to the municipal process or to an internal review service.

In both cases, confirming the intended meaning early avoids confusion in scope and communication.

What happens during a plan check or plan review

The process begins with submission of the permit set to the AHJ, followed by discipline-specific review across structural, architectural, MEP, fire, and accessibility. Reviewers issue consolidated comments, the design team revises and resubmits, and this cycle continues until all comments are cleared and the set is approved for permit issuance.

Who performs it and what they examine

Plans examiners, employed by the building department or contracted as third-party consultants, examine construction documents for compliance with the applicable building code, zoning ordinance, fire code, accessibility standards, and energy code.

For larger commercial projects, this examination is performed in parallel across departments including building, fire, planning, and sometimes public works. Teams preparing submissions for jurisdictions with parallel department review often use a building code compliance checker to verify compliance across disciplines before the set goes out.

The correction comment cycle

After initial review, the examiner issues a correction letter listing deficiencies. The applicant revises the drawings and resubmits. A backcheck confirms the corrections were addressed.

This cycle repeats until the plans are approvable, and the number of rounds varies significantly by jurisdiction, project complexity, and submittal quality.

What triggers a resubmittal

Missing documentation is the most frequent trigger: calculations not included in the set, or deferred submittals not identified with the applicable code section. Code compliance gaps follow closely, including egress paths not fully documented and occupancy separation not shown at required rated assemblies.

Drawing coordination errors, where structural and architectural sheets show conflicting information, and incomplete title sheet data round out the most common resubmittal causes.

Why private-sector teams conflate the two

The confusion starts because both terms get used for two different things: the municipal AHJ process and the internal review teams run before submitting to it.

Municipal vs internal use of the terms

Municipal plan check or plan review is the AHJ process, focused on code compliance, that triggers permit issuance. Internal plan review is a separate pre-submission QA process conducted by the design team, owner, or a third-party consultant. The two are often confused in project communications.

How the terms differ by jurisdiction and project type

California building departments almost exclusively use "plan check," which appears in permit applications, fee schedules, and AHJ communications statewide. New York City uses "plan examination," administered through the Department of Buildings. Texas jurisdictions vary by municipality, with some using plan review and others using building review or permit review interchangeably.

Federal projects typically use "design review," which reflects the different regulatory framework governing federally funded construction. The practical implication is consistent across all of them: confirm the local AHJ's terminology before the first submission in a new jurisdiction, particularly when drafting contracts or procurement documents that reference the process by name.

Pre-submission review: the step before the plan check

Pre-submission review is the internal step private-sector teams take before submitting to the AHJ, where the drawing set is checked for code compliance, coordination, and completeness. It is a distinct workflow stage that catches issues before they become formal correction comments during plan check.

What it is and how it differs from plan check

Pre-submission review is conducted by the design team or a third party against the same code standards the AHJ will apply, but before permit submission. The goal is to catch correction-triggering issues internally so the first submission is cleaner.

It does not replace the AHJ plan check; it reduces the number of correction rounds.

How AI pre-submission review works

Pre-submission review works by running the drawing set through the same categories of checks a plans examiner applies, before the set leaves the design team. InspectMind automates that process: the team uploads the drawing set and receives an issue report within hours, with drawing references and code citations for every flagged item.

Each finding is tied to a specific sheet and location, so the project architect knows exactly what to resolve and where before the first submission goes to the AHJ. That level of specificity is what separates an AI plan check from a general drawing review, and it is what reduces avoidable correction rounds rather than just identifying that problems exist.

Frequently asked questions

How many rounds of plan check are typical?

It depends on the project type, the quality of the drawings, and how thoroughly the jurisdiction reviews submissions. Straightforward residential projects may clear in one round, while complex commercial projects in jurisdictions with thorough review processes often require two to three rounds. Larger or more complex projects may require more.

Can you reduce plan check comments before you submit?

Yes, pre-submission review against the same code standards the AHJ applies is one of the most direct ways to reduce plan check comments before formal submission. It helps identify coordination issues, code gaps, and missing information earlier, when corrections are easier and less expensive to make.

Is plan check the same as plan review?

Plan check and plan review are the same process. The terms differ by region, with plan check dominant in California and the western US and plan review more common in the northeast and midwest, but both refer to the AHJ's review of construction documents for code compliance before a permit is issued.

Who performs a plan check?

Plans examiners employed by the building department or contracted as third-party consultants perform the review. On larger commercial projects, multiple departments review in parallel, including building, fire, planning, and sometimes public works.

What is a plan check correction letter?

A plan check correction letter is the formal document the plans examiner issues after initial review, listing every deficiency the applicant must resolve before the permit set can be approved. The applicant revises the drawings and resubmits for a backcheck confirming the corrections were addressed.