Cover Sheet
Project data, scope, sheet index, code summary, areas, contacts, and key notes.
What Goes in a Residential Permit Set?
A residential permit set is the evidence package a reviewer uses to understand the site, the proposed work, and the code path. The best set is not the thickest one. It is the complete, coordinated set for that project and jurisdiction.
The Core Residential Permit Set
Site Plan
Lot, property context, setbacks, building location, access, utilities, grading, and other jurisdiction-specific site facts.
Floor Plans
Dimensioned existing and proposed layouts, room uses, openings, stairs, fixtures, walls, and life-safety information.
Roof Plan
Roof geometry, slopes, drainage direction, penetrations, and coordination with the exterior elevations.
Elevations
All affected exterior faces, heights, grade, openings, materials, and roof relationships.
Sections and Details
Vertical construction, assemblies, stairs, foundations, roofs, and enlarged conditions that plans cannot explain alone.
Supporting Documents Depend on the Project
Structural plans and calculations, energy compliance, truss packages, product approvals, geotechnical reports, drainage plans, septic approvals, flood documentation, and utility letters may be separate deliverables. Jacksonville's official residential plan-review checklist, for example, identifies structural, energy, product-approval, drainage, and service documents alongside the architectural package. Miami-Dade's homeowner permit guidance says plans should cover the site, floor plan, finish-floor elevation, and applicable structural and building systems.
Coordination Is What Makes the Set Reviewable
A reviewer should not have to decide which sheet is correct. Window locations should match between plans and elevations. Roof geometry should agree with sections. Area totals should match the plans. Structural references should point to real details. Existing and proposed work should be visually distinct.
New York City explicitly calls for coordinated discipline drawings and complete submissions in its residential design-professional requirements. Even in less complex jurisdictions, the same principle applies: a set is useful only when its parts agree.
Use This Pre-Submission Check
- The scope on the application matches the scope on the cover sheet
- The project address and parcel information are consistent
- Every sheet appears in the index and carries the current issue date
- Plans, elevations, sections, and schedules agree
- Existing, demolished, and proposed work are distinguishable
- Outside consultant sheets use the same design basis
- Required seals, signatures, forms, and calculations are present
- Files meet the portal's format, size, naming, and orientation rules
Residential Permit Set FAQ
Does every residential permit set include the same sheets?
No. The project type, code, site, and permit office control the final list. A new home, garage conversion, and interior remodel do not need identical packages.
Is a site plan always required?
It is common for work that changes the footprint, use, access, or exterior, but requirements vary. The permit checklist and project scope decide whether a survey-backed or simpler site plan is acceptable.
Are electrical, plumbing, and mechanical sheets always included?
Some jurisdictions require dedicated trade plans and others accept coordinated information or separate trade permits. Confirm this before the sheet list is priced.
Can plans be permit-ready without an engineer stamp?
Sometimes. Whether a seal is required depends on state law, local rules, project type, and structural scope. Drafting and licensed design responsibility are separate questions.
Have a project like this?
Tell us what you're building and we'll scope it, confirm the timeline, and give you a firm number before any drafting starts. Every plan set is drafted to your local jurisdiction's documentation standards.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (435) 990-3556.
Define the Sheet List Before You Pay for Drafting
Tell us the project type and permit office. We will map the likely submission package, outside dependencies, and a clear drafting scope.