Digital Plan Submission Checklist for Residential Permits

The Master Digital Plan Submission Checklist

• Correct application type and project address
• Current jurisdiction checklist saved with review date
• All required prior approvals complete
• Sheet list matches the uploaded files
• Page size, orientation, and scale are consistent
• PDFs are searchable and flattened when required
• Files are not password protected
• Digital signatures and seals follow local rules
• Filename convention matches the portal
• Every sheet has a unique number and title
• Revision date and issue status are visible
• Blank approval area is provided when required
• External references and hyperlinks are controlled
• Uploads open cleanly after download
• Fees, declarations, and portal fields are complete
• A submission copy and receipt are archived

This list controls file readiness, not design completeness. Run it after the sheet coordination described in What Goes in a Residential Permit Set?, and use the drafting quote intake checklist before scoping outside correction help.

1. Verify the Portal's File Structure

Do not assume that "PDF" means one combined plan set. Austin's current ProjectDox page identifies the city's electronic plan and document system. The city's Expedited Building Plan Review guidance tells applicants in that workflow to save plan sheets individually and recommends simple filenames. Other Austin review paths can use different update instructions, so start with the active service page for the application type.

Miami-Dade publishes electronic plan processing guidelines that address PDF preparation, resolution, filenames, and portal handling. Its separate upload guidelines provide another example of how a local system can define discipline and sheet organization.

Save the current instructions with the project record. Portal standards can change without the building code changing.

2. Prepare Clean, Reviewable PDFs

Keep the editable CAD or BIM source separate from the issued permit PDF. Flattening a submittal should not destroy the production file needed for corrections.

3. Protect Digital Signatures Without Locking the Reviewer Out

Signed and sealed documents follow the licensing and portal rules that apply to the project. Jacksonville's online permit submission page requires electronic documents and states that digitally signed and sealed files cannot be password protected. It also explains that review starts only after required prior reviews are complete and applicable fees are paid.

Coordinate signature timing with the professional responsible for the sealed sheet. Combining, printing, or modifying a signed PDF after signature can invalidate it. If a correction changes a sealed sheet, return it to the responsible professional instead of editing around the signature.

Apex identifies engineering, survey, energy, architecture, or other outside responsibilities in the drafting scope. Read when residential plans may need an engineer's stamp for the role boundary.

4. Use Filenames That Survive Revisions

Follow the portal's exact syntax. When no detailed convention is published, a controlled name should still identify discipline, sheet number, and title, such as A101-Floor-Plan.pdf. Avoid spaces at the beginning or end, special characters, personal initials, and vague names such as plans-final-revised-2.pdf.

Do not overwrite your own archive. Keep an issued package by date, a correction package by cycle, and the portal receipt. A reviewer response should map every comment to the sheet or document that changed. Apex's plan-check correction service uses that controlled response approach.

5. Treat Intake as a Separate Quality Gate

Salt Lake City's electronic plan review page and building permit portal show the distinction between preparing documents and entering the review workflow. Galveston's current building permit application likewise states that plans are submitted electronically.

Before the final click, have someone other than the file preparer open every upload from the submission folder. Confirm the address, sheet list, revision, signatures, orientation, scale note, approval area, and file name. Then compare the portal queue with the package index one last time.

Jurisdiction Rules That Commonly Differ

Use the Apex permit requirements index to reach official starting pages for focus markets, then verify the project-specific checklist. Related services include builder drafting support and permit-ready plan sets.

Digital Permit Submission FAQ