What Is Plan Check Comment?

A plan check comment is a specific, documented issue a jurisdictional plan reviewer identifies during their review of a submitted drawing set, requiring a response or correction before the permit can be issued. Comments are typically numbered, tied to a specific code section or drawing location, and compiled into a formal correction list the design team has to address and resubmit against.

Plan check comments range widely in severity and complexity. Some are simple documentation gaps, a missing note, an unclear callout, that are quick to resolve. Others point to a genuine code compliance issue requiring a design change, which can mean revising multiple sheets and potentially re-coordinating with other disciplines if the fix has downstream effects.

The number of plan check comment cycles a project goes through directly affects how long it takes to get a permit issued. A set with a high number of comments, or comments requiring substantial rework, can add weeks or months to a project timeline through repeated correction and resubmittal cycles. This is part of why pre-submittal review, catching likely comments before formal submittal, has direct schedule value: fewer real issues discovered by the jurisdiction means fewer correction cycles.

FAQ

Is this term used consistently across the industry, or does it vary by firm or region? Most of these terms are used fairly consistently across the industry, though exact usage can vary slightly by firm, region, or project delivery method. When in doubt, project-specific contract documents typically define exactly how a term is being used on that project.

How does this connect to AI-assisted drawing review? Structured AI's QA/QC Compliance Checks, Document Chat, and Overlay features are built to catch the kinds of issues and inconsistencies that show up in exactly this part of the design and construction process, with findings tied to the exact page and location involved.

Where can I learn more about related terms? See the related topics below for connected concepts that often come up alongside this one.