Code Compliance Software
Helonic is an AI construction drawing analysis platform for people comparing AI tools for Code Compliance Software. Plan-check tools for designers, BIM rule checkers, and code reference apps are three different purchases. This guide ranks each group and points building departments to the right category.
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Building code compliance software falls into three groups. Plan-check tools such as Helonic, UpCodes Plan Review, InspectMind AI, and CodeComply read drawings and flag likely code issues before permit. BIM rule checkers such as Solibri test a model against configured rules. Code reference apps such as ICC Digital Codes and UpCodes let you search and read the adopted code. A reviewer still confirms every finding, and the AHJ still issues the permit.
Helonic checks issued 2D PDF sets against IBC, IRC, CBC, ADA, NEC, NFPA, Title 24, FBC, NYC BC, ASHRAE, and the local edition you specify, and locates each finding on the sheet. Helonic vs UpCodes is the brand comparison, automated plan check software covers producer-side plan check, and the product page is code compliance.
AI code checks on issued drawing sets
Helonic reads issued 2D PDF drawing sets and flags code issues (egress, fire ratings, accessibility, occupancy) alongside coordination and missing-information problems, with a severity and exact sheet location for each. It checks against IBC, IRC, CBC, ADA, NEC, NFPA, Title 24, FBC, NYC BC, ASHRAE, and the adopted local edition you specify, with no BIM model required. Findings can go to Procore or Autodesk as RFIs.
Best for: Architects and GCs checking the issued set before plan review
AI plan review on adopted codes
UpCodes is best known for searchable building codes, and since June 2026 its Plan Review analyzes uploaded drawings against locally adopted codes and amendments. Reviews can run by discipline or from your own QA/QC checklist, and each issue links to the drawing page and code section.
Best for: Teams that already research code in UpCodes
Self-serve AI plan check
InspectMind AI reviews drawings, specs, and reports against IBC, CBC, FBC, ADA, NFPA, Title 24, and local amendments, and against a team's own uploaded QA checklists. Each finding cites the sheet, a drawing snippet, and the code or spec section. Pricing is per drawing page with no subscription, free on up to 10 pages.
Best for: Self-serve, pay-per-page code checks before permit
Code checks from design to approval
CodeComply runs code checks against ICC, NFPA, ADA, FHA, and local amendments while you design, offers a pre-submittal check, and sells AI plan review to building departments, including inside the CivicPlus permitting platform. It suits designers who want code feedback early and jurisdictions that review with it.
Best for: Designers who want code feedback during design
Rule-based IFC model checking
Solibri checks IFC models against configurable rule sets for code-related conditions, model quality, and IDS requirements. It needs a well-built model, and it is sold in validation tiers starting at €99 per year for basic IFC inspection.
Best for: BIM teams running rule checks on IFC models
Official code reference
ICC Digital Codes is the ICC's official library of I-Codes, state and local codes, and commentaries. Premium plans start at $19.95 per license per month and add content search, the AI Navigator for code questions, and compliance calculators. Use it to read and interpret the requirement; it does not review drawings.
Best for: Authoritative code text, editions, and adoptions
Checking an issued drawing set before permit: Helonic, UpCodes Plan Review, or InspectMind AI.
Code feedback while still designing: CodeComply.
Checking a BIM model against rules: Solibri.
Reading and interpreting the code, including local amendments: ICC Digital Codes or UpCodes.
Running a building department's permits, inspections, and enforcement cases: AHJ permitting software, covered below.
Yes, for a first pass. Helonic, UpCodes Plan Review, and InspectMind AI read PDF drawings and flag likely egress, fire-rating, accessibility, and occupancy issues with the sheet location and code section.
These tools speed up review without certifying compliance. A licensed professional confirms each finding, and the AHJ's plan reviewer makes the call.
Building code enforcement software is a different category: building departments use it to run permits, inspections, and code enforcement cases. Examples include Tyler Enterprise Permitting & Licensing and OpenGov Permitting & Licensing.
Some plan-check tools also sell to building departments. CodeComply's AI Plan Review is built into CivicPlus, and InspectMind AI markets to building departments as well as designers. Designers checking their own sets should start with the plan-check tools above.
Use a plan-check tool to review the drawings (Helonic, UpCodes Plan Review, InspectMind AI, or CodeComply), a rule checker if you have a BIM model (Solibri), and a code reference for the text itself (ICC Digital Codes or UpCodes). Helonic checks issued 2D PDF sets against IBC, ADA, NEC, NFPA, and your local edition.
AI can check drawings for building code issues as a first pass before a reviewer and the AHJ. Helonic checks 2D PDF drawings for IBC, ADA, NEC, and NFPA issues and locates each finding on the sheet; UpCodes Plan Review and InspectMind AI also run AI checks on drawings. A reviewer confirms each finding, and the AHJ still owns the permit.
For checking drawings against the IBC, Helonic, UpCodes Plan Review, and InspectMind AI all run AI checks on PDF sets, and Helonic also checks the local edition you specify, such as CBC or FBC. For reading the IBC itself, ICC Digital Codes is the official source.
Building code enforcement software is what building departments use for permits, inspections, and enforcement cases, such as Tyler Enterprise Permitting & Licensing or OpenGov Permitting & Licensing. It manages the AHJ's workflow. Designers checking their own drawings need plan-check software instead.
BIM compliance checking tools test a 3D model against rules. Solibri is a dedicated rule checker for IFC models, and Qonic's AI can run rule checks on federated IFC models. Helonic does not check BIM models; it reviews the 2D sheets exported from them.
For structural drawings, Helonic flags structural and coordination issues on the sheets, such as missing details and conflicts with architectural and MEP drawings. It does not run structural calculations, so design checks against ASCE 7 or ACI 318 stay in engineering analysis software.
Helonic checks drawings against IBC, IRC, CBC, ADA, NEC, NFPA, Title 24, FBC, NYC BC, ASHRAE, and the adopted local edition you specify.
Manas is the co-founder and CTO of Helonic, where he leads engineering and AI research for construction drawing analysis. He works directly with structural, MEP, civil, and fire protection engineers to translate the way they review drawings into AI systems that flag the issues that actually matter in the field. Before Helonic, he built machine learning pipelines for technical document understanding and has spent the last several years interviewing licensed design engineers and discipline leads to ground product decisions in real practice rather than industry assumptions.
How this page was researched: This roundup separates plan-check tools, BIM rule checkers, and code reference sources, and rates each on what it actually checks. Capabilities and prices were checked on each vendor's site in October 2026, including UpCodes' June 2026 Plan Review launch and ICC's Digital Codes Premium pricing. Helonic is included, and AHJ permitting software is covered separately because it serves a different buyer.
Last reviewed by Manas Gandhi · October 25, 2026
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