Digital Plan Review

There are a few document standards that we recommend for the best uploading performance. Please follow these guidelines in your document design to ensure correct processing in the Plan Room.

General documents

• All files must be in PDF file format
• Maximum file size is 200 MB
• Do not use encrypted or password-protected files
• All layers in the PDF will need to be flattened (including seals, signatures, and notations)
• Please don't combine and supporting documents in the same PDF file with any plan sheets - they will need to be uploaded as separate files

Plans

• Arrange plans in a landscape page view
• Title block must be located in the lower right-hand corner -our system will be reading your sheet numbers
• Make sure sheet numbers are unique and consistent for each version of submitted plan pages 
• All layers will need to be flattened (see below for tips on how to do this) 
• Generate plans to scale (e.g. 1/4" = 1’, 1/8” = 1’ or 1:10)
• Any annotations in the PDF will be removed during the submission process
• When possible, please include a table of contents when exporting/publishing to the PDF index page (ex. Include “Create bookmarks”) setting in AutoCAD*
• Include sheet titles within a table of contents when possible*
• You can upload multiple files, including plans, at the same time
• When submitting revisions, please do not resubmit the entire plan set; only upload the sheets containing changes from the previous submission*

Supporting Documents

• You can submit supporting documents as individual files or as a single file with multiple pages
• Document files may be oriented in either landscape or portrait view

There are a few additional items required for commercial plans. Please note that the document standards below are applicable to commercial plans only and are in addition to our general document standards listed in the above tab.

Commercial Plan Standards

• Plans submitted for review for all work involving multiple family dwellings (3+ units), mixed-use occupancies, commercial uses, or industrial uses must bear the signature AND seal of a registered architect or engineer.
• Please be sure to flatten all layers on the plan sheets (including seal and signature)
• Fire rated assemblies must have the applicable UL design numbers included in the specification booklet or shown on the plans.

Submitting Plans

We're posting video tutorials to walk you through the process of uploading and submitting documents.

Uploading Plans and Documents

Paper Guide

We're also providing a printable paper guide for submitting plans and documents.

DOWNLOAD THE PAPER COPY

Document Upload Times

Once you've uploaded and validated your files, they will be processed in our system. Here's what Citizen Access does with your plans during processing:

• Separates them into individual sheets
• Scans them via optical character recognition to identify sheet numbers
• Attaches them to previously submitted versions
• Prepares them for web and mobile access

There's a lot going on!

Processing Time

Most documents will only take 1-2 minutes to process, but larger plan sets could take a bit longer. But you don't need to wait on us!

After you've clicked the "Process Files" button, you can close the file processing screen and even exit the entire Citizen Access website. Your files will continue to process in our system!

Email Notice

When the processing is finished, you'll receive an email notification with a link for you to complete the remaining steps in your submission.

Issues

Issues are items that will need to be addressed and fixed prior to plan approval. Once created, each open issue will require a brief response in the Plan Room prior to a new review cycle being available to submit revisions.

Conditions

Conditions are items that may require action by the customer but do not need to be addressed prior to plan approval. Unlike issues, conditions do not require a response in the Plan Room. However, while the project is being inspected, conditions will need to be met before final approval can be granted.

Paper Guide

We're also providing a printable paper guide for reviewing comments.

DOWNLOAD THE PAPER COPY

Submitting revisions has never been easier. Through the Plan Room, you only need to submit sheets containing revisions, not the entire plan package.

Paper Guide

We're also providing a printable paper guide for submitting revisions.

DOWNLOAD THE PAPER COPY 

At the end of the plan review process, the Plan Room will automatically combine all approved versions of each sheet into one final, stamped PDF plan set.

Plans can be downloaded once approved. Follow the attached video or a paper copy of the instructions.

Paper Guide

We're also providing a printable paper guide for downloading final print sets.

DOWNLOAD THE PAPER COPY