Quick Summary
- Architect ran AI plan check on 11,000 SF ground-up project—AI found 350 issues
- Drafters fixed the issues before city submission—city came back with minimal comments
- City comments were addressed in 2-3 days instead of the typical weeks of back-and-forth
- AI serves as a second set of eyes before the city reviewer sees the drawings
Every architect knows the pain of getting a long list of plan check comments back from the city. Each comment means corrections, re-submittals, and weeks of delay. One architectural firm used AI plan review as a pre-submission check—and the difference in permitting speed was dramatic.
The Story: 11,000 SF Ground-Up Project
An architectural firm was working on an 11,000 square foot ground-up commercial project. Before submitting to the city for plan check, they ran the complete drawing set through AI plan review.
AI Found 350 Issues
The AI review identified 350 issues across the drawing set—coordination conflicts between disciplines, code compliance gaps, missing details, dimension inconsistencies, and specification conflicts. These are the exact types of issues that generate plan check comments from the city.
What Happened Next
The firm's drafters worked through the AI-generated issue list and fixed the problems before submitting to the city. The result:
Instead of the typical cycle—submit, wait 2-4 weeks for comments, spend 1-2 weeks correcting, re-submit, wait again—the firm got through permitting in a fraction of the usual time. The city reviewer had fewer issues to flag, so the comment list was short, and the corrections were minor enough to address in days.
What AI Catches That Generates City Comments
City plan reviewers check for specific categories of issues. AI reviews the same categories:
Common Plan Check Comment Categories
- Code compliance: Egress widths, fire ratings, occupancy loads, accessibility
- Coordination: Structural layout matches architectural, MEP routing doesn't conflict
- Completeness: Missing details, unreferenced sections, notes that reference non-existent sheets
- Consistency: Room names, dimensions, and areas match across all sheets
- Standards: Correct code edition referenced, notes match current requirements
The Pre-Submission Workflow
Adding AI plan review before city submission is straightforward:
Steps
- 1Upload final drawings
Upload the same PDF set you'd submit to the city.
- 2AI reviews in hours
Get a prioritized issue list organized by discipline and severity.
- 3Fix issues, then submit to city
Drafters address findings. Cleaner submission = fewer comments.
The Math
Consider the cost of a typical plan check cycle for an 11,000 SF commercial project:
- Without AI pre-check: 2-3 rounds of city comments, 4-8 weeks of permitting, drafter time for corrections, re-submission fees
- With AI pre-check: $50-500 for AI review, 1 round of minimal city comments, 2-3 days of corrections, weeks saved
The time savings alone justify the cost—but the real value is getting to construction faster. For developers, every week of permitting delay is holding cost on land, interest on loans, and delayed revenue.
Reduce Your Plan Check Comments
Upload your drawings before submitting to the city. AI catches the issues that generate plan check comments, so your submission is cleaner and permitting is faster.
Pre-Check Your Plans Before the City
Upload your drawing set. AI identifies the issues that would generate city plan check comments—fix them first and get through permitting faster.
Get Started · From $50