Permit drawing set checklist: what to check before you submit

What drawings are needed for a building permit

There is no single national list. In the US, most states and cities adopt an edition of the International Building Code, often with local amendments, and each building department publishes its own submittal requirements. In Canada, provinces and territories set the building code, most of them based on the National Building Code of Canada, and in most places the municipality reviews the drawings and issues the permit.

Scope changes the list too: a house addition needs far less than a commercial building. Start from the authority having jurisdiction's checklist, then use the lists below to catch what it leaves unsaid.

General and architectural sheets

• Cover sheet. Project name and address, owner, design team with contact details, a short scope of work, the codes and editions the design follows, and a location or key plan.
• Code analysis. Occupancy classification, construction type, actual and allowable building area and height, sprinkler status, occupant load, required fire separations and plumbing fixture counts. Ontario architects are required to present it as a Building Code data matrix.
• Sheet index. Every sheet in the set by number and title, in the order the set is bound.
• Site plan, drawn to scale. Property lines, new and existing structures, distances to lot lines, existing and finished grades, and flood hazard information where it applies.
• Floor plans for every level, plus a roof plan, dimensioned, with rooms named and doors and windows tagged.
• Exterior elevations of every side, with heights and materials.
• Building and wall sections through the main conditions.
• Details for the exterior envelope (flashing, openings, roof and wall intersections), fire-rated assemblies, stairs, guards and handrails.
• Schedules for doors, windows, finishes and rated assemblies, numbered to match the plans.

Life safety and code plans

These are common on commercial, assembly, institutional and multi-unit residential work, and rarely asked for on a single house. They show exits and exit paths to the public way, travel distances, occupant loads and exit capacity, and fire-rated walls, floors and doors with their ratings.

Structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing

Structural drawings usually carry foundation and framing plans, design loads and general notes, often under an engineer's seal. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings go in as the scope requires. Some jurisdictions let fire sprinkler and fire alarm drawings follow as separate or deferred submittals; confirm that before you leave them out.

Energy code compliance

In the US, the set has to show compliance with the adopted energy code, usually an edition of the IECC or ASHRAE 90.1. Many jurisdictions accept the US Department of Energy's COMcheck or REScheck reports with their checklists. In Canada, it is whatever your province or territory has adopted, which may be the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings or a provincial standard. Name the edition on the cover sheet.

Title block essentials for permit drawings

Every sheet's title block should carry:

• Sheet number and sheet title, exactly as they appear in the index.
• Project name and address.
• Firm name and contact details, and the consultant's firm on consultant sheets.
• The issue name and date, for example Issued for Permit.
• A revision block with the number, date and description of each revision.
• The scale, or As Noted where a sheet holds drawings at several scales.
• The seal, signature and date, where your jurisdiction requires them.
• The permit or application number on resubmittals, if the department assigns one.

Professional seals and signatures

Whether drawings need a seal, and whose, depends on the building and on where it is. In the US, state licensing boards for architects and engineers set the rules. Many states let designers without a license prepare drawings for some small residential work, and boards differ on whether the seal goes on every sheet or on the first sheet of a bound set.

In Canada, architects and engineers seal under their provincial associations. Ontario also registers qualified designers who are neither, and they put their Building Code Identification Number (BCIN) on the drawings; most industrial, commercial and institutional work there still needs an architect, an engineer or both.

Digital seals are widely accepted, under rules that vary by board. Many are built to reveal tampering, so seal last: a change after signing can invalidate the signature.

Consistency checks plan reviewers bounce sets for

Missing sheets are easy to spot; small disagreements between sheets are what slow a review. Run these before every issue:

1. The sheet index matches the set. Every sheet listed is in the set, every sheet in the set is listed, and numbers and titles match the title blocks exactly.
2. Every callout resolves. Section cuts, elevation markers, detail bubbles and see-sheet notes all point at a drawing that exists, with the number and sheet they name.
3. Every sheet carries its latest drawing. A sheet left over from before the last changes is how plans, schedules and details stop agreeing.
4. Schedules and code data agree with the plans. Door, window and room numbers match, and so do the areas, occupant loads and construction type on the cover sheet.
5. Scales are stated and correct. Every drawing has a scale, and a graphic scale bar keeps it usable when the sheet prints at another size. Keep NTS for diagrams.
6. North arrows are on every plan and point the same way from sheet to sheet.
7. Consultant sheets line up. Structural grids and levels match the architectural ones.
8. Seals, signatures and dates are where the jurisdiction wants them.

Resubmittals: revision clouds, deltas and dates

After plan review comments, the resubmitted set has to show what changed. Many departments put this in writing:

• Cloud every change and tag it with a delta numbered for that revision.
• Add the revision to the title block with its date and a short description.
• Answer each review comment in a response letter that points to the sheet and detail where you addressed it.
• Ask whether clouds from earlier rounds stay, and whether the whole set must be resubmitted. Departments differ, and some turn away loose changed sheets.

In some departments, only clouded changes count as part of the approved revision.

How to package the permit set PDF for electronic submission

Many building departments now accept or require electronic submission, each with its own file rules. These come up most:

• One file or several. Some want the whole set in a single PDF; others want it split by discipline, or split once it passes a page count or file size.
• Bookmarks. Commonly one per sheet, named with the sheet number and title, for example A-201 Exterior Elevations.
• File names. Often a fixed pattern built from the application number, address, submittal round and document type.
• Page size and orientation. Full-size sheets at their drawn scale, all the same orientation, from vector output rather than scans.
• Unlocked and flattened. No passwords or security settings, and layers flattened, so reviewers can mark up the file.
• Seals. A digital signature, an image of the seal, or both, applied the way the department specifies.

Running the permit checklist in SketchWeave

SketchWeave is not a CAD program. It works alongside Revit, AutoCAD or Archicad, and its Drawing Set Management keeps each sheet's number, name, status and current drawing together, with every drawing uploaded kept in version history. For a permit issue, the checklist maps onto it like this:

• Create a submission named for the issue, such as Issued for Permit, with its date. Add the sheets it needs from the set, then order them by sheet number in one click.
• Watch the readiness bar. It counts the sheets that have reached their final status and warns you about any sheet without a drawing.
• Attach a QAQC checklist to each drawing, customized to your firm's standards, and put the checks above on it.
• Use Topology, which maps the references between views (the plan, the sections cut from it, the details they call up), to check that every callout points somewhere real.
• Assemble merges each sheet's current drawing into one PDF, in order, and records which version of every drawing went out, so when comments come back you know what the reviewer saw. Earlier versions are one click away for the back-check.

Then check the assembled file against your jurisdiction's electronic submission rules before you upload it. Submission assembly walks through the whole flow.

Frequently asked questions

What drawings are needed for a building permit?

Most permit sets include a cover sheet with project data and a code analysis, a sheet index, a site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, details and schedules. Larger and commercial projects add structural and MEP drawings, life safety plans and energy code documentation. The exact list depends on the project and your jurisdiction, so start from the building department's own checklist.

What goes on the cover sheet of a permit set?

The project name and address, the owner and design team, a short scope of work, the codes and editions the design follows, a location or key plan, the sheet index and usually the code analysis. Some jurisdictions also want the permit application number and the design professional's seal there.

Do permit drawings need an architect's or engineer's seal?

It depends on the building and where it is. Commercial, institutional and larger residential buildings usually need sealed drawings, while many jurisdictions let designers without a license prepare drawings for some small residential work. US state licensing boards and Canadian provincial associations set the rules.

Should a permit set be submitted as one PDF or separate files?

It varies. Some building departments want the whole set in one bookmarked PDF, others want separate files by discipline or per sheet, and many set rules for file size and file names. Check the authority having jurisdiction's electronic submission guide before you build the file.

How do I show revisions when resubmitting permit drawings?

Cloud every change, tag it with a delta numbered for that revision, and add the revision with its date and description to the title block. Include a response letter that answers each review comment and points to where it was addressed. Many departments delay or reject resubmittals with changes that are not clouded.