What Belongs in a Permit Set
A permit set has to let a plan reviewer confirm the project complies with code without contacting you. In most jurisdictions that means a cover sheet with the code summary, a site plan, dimensioned floor plans, elevations, sections, structural and life safety information, and the schedules and notes the local authority asks for. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and by project type, so the first step is always reading the submittal checklist published by the authority that will actually review it.
In our experience the most common reason a set comes back is not a design problem. It is a missing document or an unanswered question, which costs a review cycle. That makes completeness the governing objective for this deliverable, and it is why we treat the jurisdiction's own checklist as the specification when we prepare drafting for permitting.
What is usually in the set
Cover sheet and code summary. Project data, applicable code editions, occupancy classification, construction type, occupant load, allowable versus proposed area and height, and a sheet index. Reviewers start here, and a clear summary sets the tone for the rest of the review.
Site plan. Property lines, setbacks, the building footprint with dimensions to the lines, access, parking, and the site information the jurisdiction requires. Zoning compliance is often checked entirely from this sheet.
Floor plans. Fully dimensioned, with room names, door and window tags, wall types, and the egress information the reviewer needs.
Elevations and sections. All exterior elevations with heights and materials, and enough sections to show floor to floor dimensions, assembly and how the building is put together vertically.
Schedules. Doors, windows, and finishes where required, plus wall and assembly types.
Life safety. For commercial work this is frequently its own sheet: occupant loads, egress paths and travel distances, exit capacity, ratings and separations.
Consultant drawings. Structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and energy compliance documentation as the project and jurisdiction require. Architectural drafting does not replace these, and a set submitted without them is incomplete no matter how good the architectural sheets are.
What gets sets returned
- Missing or outdated code edition references
- Dimensions that do not close, or plans that disagree with elevations
- Egress information that is stated but not demonstrated
- A site plan that does not show the dimension the zoning review needs
- Sheets that do not match the sheet index
- Consultant drawings that were assumed to be someone else's responsibility
None of these are hard to prevent. The ones we see are almost all coordination failures rather than knowledge failures, which is why a single cross check pass before submittal is worth more than any individual sheet.
The jurisdiction is the specification
There is no universal permit set. Two neighboring authorities can want different things, and a residential submittal and a commercial one are not comparable. Most jurisdictions publish a submittal checklist, and where they do, that document defines the deliverable more precisely than any general guidance including this page.
When we take on a permit set, we ask which authority is reviewing it before we ask anything about the building, because that answer changes the sheet list.
What a permit set is not
It is not a full construction set. Permit sets are frequently issued before every construction detail is resolved, and additional detail continues after approval.
It is also not a marketing document. Clarity beats presentation here, and a set that is beautiful but ambiguous will still be returned.
If your project is documenting an existing building rather than building a new one, the starting point is different and is covered in as-built drawings versus new construction drawings. If you are trying to work out what to hand over so the set can be started, see what to send a drafting partner. How long the process runs is covered in how long architectural drafting takes.
Send us your project and the jurisdiction reviewing it and we will come back with the sheet list that submittal actually requires.