A permit set is the package of permit drawings and documents a building department reviews before it issues a building permit. Most departments expect a cover sheet with a code analysis, a life safety plan, a site plan, architectural, structural, and MEP sheets sealed by the design professionals, plus calculations, reports, energy forms, and a deferred submittals list.
Helonic checks permit drawings against the model codes (IBC, NEC, NFPA, and ADA) before submission.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Milind Sagaram
Use this table to confirm the set is complete before it goes in. Requirements vary by authority having jurisdiction, so treat this as the baseline and add the local department's own checklist on top.
| Sheet group | What the department expects | Common gap |
|---|---|---|
| Cover sheet and code analysis | Project name and address, sheet index, applicable codes and editions, occupancy, construction type, allowable and actual area and height, sprinkler status, occupant load, and egress capacity. | The code analysis says one thing and the plans show another. |
| Life safety plan | Occupant load per room, exits and exit capacity, travel distance, common path, rated walls and doors, and sprinkler and fire alarm coverage notes. | Travel distance drawn to the wrong exit, or rated walls that don't match the wall types. |
| Site plan | New and existing buildings to scale, distances to lot lines, grades, accessible route from the public way, parking and accessible stalls, utilities, and flood zone where applicable. | No dimensioned setback, or no accessible route shown from parking to the entrance. |
| Architectural plans, elevations, sections, wall sections | Dimensioned floor plans, roof plan, exterior elevations, building and wall sections, wall types with rated assembly listings, door and window schedules. | Wall type tags that reference an assembly listing nobody included. |
| Accessibility details | Enlarged toilet rooms, clear floor spaces, reach ranges, ramp and stair details, signage, and accessible counters. | Plans show a compliant room, but the enlarged plan has no dimensions to prove it. |
| Structural | Design criteria (codes, loads, wind, snow, seismic, soil values), foundation and framing plans, details, and a statement of special inspections. | Design criteria missing or citing a different code edition than the cover sheet. |
| Mechanical, plumbing, electrical | Equipment schedules, ventilation and plumbing fixture calcs, one-line diagram, panel schedules, load calculations, and energy compliance forms. | Energy forms that don't match the scheduled equipment or lighting. |
| Fire protection | Sprinkler and fire alarm scope on the design set; full drawings and hydraulic calcs, often as a deferred submittal. | Deferred without being listed on the cover sheet. |
| Seals and signatures | Seal and signature of the responsible architect or engineer on each sheet they prepared, per state licensing law. | A consultant sheet added late without a seal. |
| Project data | Owner, design team and contacts, scope of work, parcel number, zoning, and valuation where the department asks for it. | Scope of work that doesn't describe everything the drawings show. |
| Deferred submittals list | Every item to be submitted later, such as sprinklers, fire alarm, trusses, or curtain wall, identified on the set for building official approval. | A deferred item shown on the drawings but missing from the list. |
| Supporting documents | Structural calcs, geotechnical report, energy compliance documentation, and any reports the department or zoning approval calls for. | Geotech values on the structural sheets that don't match the report. |
This page covers what the set has to contain. For the quality pass that checks whether those sheets are right, use the pre-submittal plan review checklist. If you need a refresher on what each sheet type is, see types of construction drawings.
The code analysis is the first thing most plan reviewers read, and every later comment traces back to it. It usually sits on the cover sheet or a G-series sheet and lists:
IBC Section 107 sets the baseline for construction documents. Section 107.2.3 requires the means of egress to be shown in enough detail, with occupant loads on every floor for most occupancies, and Section 107.2.6 requires a site plan drawn to scale.
The life safety plan and the structural design criteria summarize decisions the rest of the set has to match, so a mistake on either one turns into comments on sheets that were otherwise fine. The life safety plan guide explains what a reviewer expects on that sheet.
On the structural sheets, IBC Section 1603 lists the design loads and data the construction documents must show: dead and live loads, wind, snow, seismic, flood, and soil values. The statement of special inspections required by IBC Section 1704 usually goes on the structural general notes or as a separate document. If the soil values come from a geotechnical report, the report goes in the submittal. The geotechnical report basics page covers what those values are.
On MEP sheets, energy compliance is the frequent gap. Commercial projects typically include IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance forms (often from DOE's COMcheck) for envelope, mechanical, and lighting. See ASHRAE 90.1 energy compliance basics.
IBC Section 107.3.4.1 lets the building official approve deferral of parts of the design, but the design professional in responsible charge has to list them on the permit set. Common deferred items include fire sprinkler and fire alarm drawings, pre-engineered trusses, curtain wall, and stair or guard systems designed by the fabricator.
The deferred submittals guide covers fees, review timing, and how deferred items cause field conflicts when nobody coordinates them.
Each sheet's title block should carry the project name and address, sheet number and title, issue date and revision history, the firm, and the seal and signature of the responsible professional. Many departments also want the issue purpose marked, such as “Permit Set” or “Plan Check Resubmittal 1.”
The sheet index on the cover has to match the sheets in the set, including titles. The title block guide covers each field.
Yes. Every authority having jurisdiction adopts a code edition, adds local amendments, and sets its own submittal rules. Many publish a submittal checklist listing required forms, sheet sizes, electronic file naming, and which reports they want. Some require fire department review in parallel, and some want zoning or planning approval first.
Pull the local checklist before you assemble the set. The plan check by city pages list the permit authority, adopted code, and known amendments for major US cities.
The department reviews the set and issues comments by discipline. Answer them with a response letter and clouded revisions. The guide to responding to plan check comments covers the letter format and why some sets go to a third round.
The permitted set is rarely the set crews build from. The permit set vs IFC set article explains what changes between them, and how to review construction drawings covers the review that follows.
Helonic reads the permit drawings and checks them against the model codes, including IBC, NEC, NFPA, and ADA requirements. It flags issues like a code analysis that doesn't match the plans, egress that falls short of the occupant load, and missing accessibility dimensions, each with the sheet and location. The code compliance feature lists what it checks.
Helonic checks the model codes and state and local adopted codes, such as the California Building Code, but not a department's own submittal rules. A licensed reviewer confirms those, and the design professional of record decides what changes.
Practitioner insight
“The comment I write most on a first submittal is that the code analysis doesn't match the plans. The cover says sprinklered, Type V-A, and the life safety plan is laid out like it isn't sprinklered at all. I can't review egress until they fix that.”
Conversations with municipal plan reviewers and permit expediters on commercial tenant improvement and mid-rise submittals.
Milind is the co-founder and CEO of Helonic, where he leads product and go-to-market for AI-powered construction drawing analysis. He works closely with general contractors, project managers, estimators, and owners to understand how drawing quality drives project outcomes - and where AI can reduce RFIs, change orders, and rework. Milind has interviewed hundreds of construction professionals across project delivery roles, from preconstruction estimators at ENR top-400 contractors to facilities directors at institutional owners, and uses those conversations to shape both product direction and the way Helonic talks about the work.
How this page was researched: Requirements were checked against IBC 2021 Section 107 (construction documents, including 107.2.3 means of egress, 107.2.6 site plan, and 107.3.4.1 deferred submittals), Section 1603 (structural design criteria), and Section 1704 (statement of special inspections).
Last reviewed by Milind Sagaram · October 2026
Related references for permit submittal and plan check.
The QA pass that cuts first-round comments.
Response letters, clouds, and deltas on resubmittal.
What gets deferred and how the deferral is approved.
The sheet a reviewer checks first.
Local permit authorities, code editions, and amendments.
A systematic approach to catching drawing errors before construction.