How to Respond to Plan Check Comments (+ Template)

Here is how to respond to plan check comments: answer every comment by number, make each fix on the drawings or calculations rather than only in the letter, cloud and tag every change, and point each response to the sheet and detail where it was resolved. Have the professional responsible for each item sign its response, and resubmit only after every reviewing department has commented, in the format your building department requires.

What is a plan check correction letter?

A plan check correction letter lists the items a plans examiner needs resolved before a permit can be issued. Jurisdictions call it a correction letter, comment letter, correction notice or hold letter. Some departments say plan review instead of plan check; you respond to plan review comments the same way. The City of Alameda calls them hold letters and posts them as attachments in the city's Accela permit portal.

Comments are often numbered by discipline, such as A1 for architectural and S1 for structural, as in the sample letters in the Town of Danville's response letter guideline. Keep the reviewer's numbering exactly as issued.

How to respond to plan check comments, step by step

1. Collect every department's comments before you resubmit.
2. Log each comment and assign an owner, by number and discipline.
3. Revise the documents, then cloud and tag every change, including changes nobody asked for.
4. Write the response letter: one numbered response per comment, each with a sheet reference.
5. Resubmit the complete package in the required format.

Step 1: Collect every department's comments

Building, planning, fire and public works often finish at different times. Alameda accepts a resubmittal only after all reviewing departments have completed their review. Start on the comments you have, but hold revisions to sheets another department is still reviewing, and do not resubmit until every department has commented.

Step 2: Log each comment and assign an owner

Copy every comment into one table, then assign each item to the architect, engineer, consultant or owner who controls that decision. Responses about licensed design work should come from the professional responsible for it, and the City of Lynnwood's comment response checklist puts the coordination on the applicant.

Step 3: Revise the set, then cloud and tag the changes

Every response has to show up on the construction documents; Danville says a detail described only in the letter is not enough. Lynnwood's checklist sets out common markup conventions:

• Cloud every change and correction, including changes the city did not request.
• Draw cloud outlines in black.
• Add a revision triangle (delta) at each cloud and in the title block.
• Remove the city's markups from the sheets you resubmit.

Changes the reviewer has not seen before may add review time and fees, so list unrequested changes separately in your letter.

Step 4: Write the plan check response letter

Each response names the comment number, the sheet or page where the change appears, and what changed. If you made no change, justify it with a code reference or engineered calculations. Danville lists "Done", "Corrected", "Fixed" and "Checked" as insufficient responses. Departments can refuse a resubmittal that arrives without a response letter; Lynnwood and Danville both say so.

In an electronic review system, reference each item by its number in the markup summary, as Lynnwood requests, and answer in the portal too if it asks. Use the status "Deferred submittal" only where the reviewer allows deferral, with a cover sheet note, as in Danville's gas line sample.

Step 5: Resubmit in the required format

Alameda requires complete sets resubmitted electronically, with each plan set and supporting document as its own PDF rather than pages uploaded one by one. Confirm whether your portal expects a full set or only revised sheets.

Resubmittal checklist

• Every comment from every department has a numbered response naming a sheet and detail or a calculation page.
• Every change is clouded and tagged with this cycle's delta, and the revision schedule and sheet index are updated.
• Changes the reviewer did not request are listed separately.
• Each responsible professional has signed their responses, and sheets are stamped where required.
• Revised calculations, reports, product data and any documents the reviewer flagged as needed are attached.
• Files follow the portal's rules for set completeness, file splitting and naming.

Plan check response letter template

Use this comment response letter template unless your jurisdiction prescribes its own format. Start with a header block:

• Date
• To: building department name and reviewer, if named
• Subject: Response to [first / second] plan check comments
• Project address and permit or application number
• Comment letter date, review cycle and revision delta for this cycle
• Prepared by: name, role, firm and license number, if applicable

Then open with one sentence: "Below are our itemized responses to the plan review comments dated [date]. All revisions are clouded and tagged with revision delta [number]." Follow it with the comment table:

Close with Changes not requested by the reviewer, Enclosures (revised calculations, reports, product data), and a signature block with the responsible person's name, license and contact details.

Worked example: four plan check comment responses

This example is a generic single-family addition under the 2021 IRC. Section numbers can change in later editions and with local amendments, so cite the code your jurisdiction has adopted.

Each response names a sheet and detail and can be checked on the drawings. A2 cites R314.2.2 because an addition that needs a permit brings the whole dwelling's smoke alarms up to new-dwelling locations, with listed exceptions; answering only for the new room invites another comment. A3 disagrees but still adds evidence to the sheet. S1 would go in a separate letter signed by the structural engineer.

How to push back on a plan check comment

A comment can be wrong for your project: it may cite a provision that does not apply, or ask for information already shown on another sheet. You can respond without changing the design, but you have to show why.

• Mark it "No change" and justify it. Give the code section and the specific condition (a dimension, a load, an occupancy) that places your design outside the requirement, or attach calculations.
• Put the evidence on the sheet. Add a dimension, spot elevation or callout so the reviewer can confirm your reasoning, as in example A3.
• Point to what already exists. Give the exact sheet and detail, and add a cross-reference callout where the reviewer was looking.
• Ask before you argue. If a comment is unclear, contact the reviewer before revising.
• Know the formal routes. If the reviewer holds the comment, ask to meet the plans examiner's supervisor. Beyond that, the model codes provide for modifications where strict compliance is impractical, approval of equivalent alternative materials, designs or methods, and appeal to a board of appeals. Each needs a written justification and adds time.
• Keep unrelated changes out of the resubmittal, or disclose them clearly.

Georgia has written a related rule into law for one permit type. Under SB 447 (effective July 1, 2026), a local issuing authority reviewing a resubmitted land-disturbance permit application may not comment on anything unrelated to its initial comments or the changes made, except on developments of regional impact, and the bill as passed treats unrelated material additions as a new application. It does not cover building permit plan review. For building permit deadlines by state, see our guide to state permit shot clock laws.

Common plan check corrections, and the response mistakes that cause another cycle

The Village of Northbrook, Illinois, publishes a list of common residential plan submission mistakes. In summary:

• Title blocks without the signature of a licensed design professional
• Site plans not drawn to scale
• Missing design loads, standards and material properties
• Smoke detector locations not shown
• Energy code requirements missing from the plans
• No whole-house mechanical ventilation information
• Incorrect insulation values, or insulation types (including spray polyurethane foam) not identified

Those produce first-round corrections. Response mistakes are what send a revised set back:

• One-word responses with no sheet reference
• A fix described in the letter but never drawn
• Changes left unclouded, or unrequested changes not disclosed
• Resubmitting before every department has finished its review

How many plan check cycles is normal, and what do extra cycles cost?

The City of Fairfax, Virginia, publishes permit review metrics. Figures as published July 14, 2026, covering building permits issued in the preceding 180 days:

The counts are small: the new-construction averages rest on 8 houses and 5 commercial buildings. New houses in Fairfax also need an approved grading plan, and new commercial buildings an approved site plan, which the city says lengthens those timelines. Treat these as one city's figures, not a benchmark.

Each extra cycle costs time, and sometimes fees and the application itself:

• Schedule. In Fairfax, later reviews of residential additions averaged 1.64 weeks, and applicants took an average of 1.85 weeks to resubmit, so each extra cycle there added roughly three and a half weeks.
• Fees. Lynnwood warns that failing to address every required correction may add review time and fees.
• Expiration. Under IBC Section 105.3.2 and IRC Section R105.3.2, as adopted in many jurisdictions, an application is considered abandoned 180 days after filing unless it has been pursued in good faith or a permit has been issued; extensions require justifiable cause. Menlo Park, California, citing CBC 105.3.2, counts responding to plan check comments as active pursuit.

Pre-check your set before you resubmit

PlanChecker.AI is a pre-screening tool. It does not replace the plan checker or the professional who signs the response. It can help you find potential issues in a revised set before you submit:

• Upload the revised PDF set. Each sheet is classified by discipline.
• Run a plan check. It flags potential code issues and cross-discipline design conflicts with code citations, as findings for your team to review.
• Search building codes by city and state. Each result links to the cited provision, which you can quote in a no-change justification after you confirm it matches the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
• Ask Mr.Beam where something is shown. Answers point to their source sheet, so you can verify each one before filling in your letter.

AI output can contain inaccuracies or omissions, and it does not establish that a set is complete, compliant or approvable. Your licensed professionals remain responsible for reviewing every finding; see our AI disclosure. See how a project moves from upload to review, or compare Basic and Pro plan details.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I don't respond to plan check comments?

The application stalls, and once the 180-day limit described above runs out it can be treated as abandoned. Some jurisdictions then require new plans and a new plan review fee to start again. If you need more time, ask the building official for an extension in writing before the deadline.

How long does plan check take after resubmittal?

There is no national standard. Some states set deadlines in statute for certain building permits: North Carolina's G.S. 160D-1110.1 gives the local government up to 10 additional days to decide after the applicant responds to a request for more information or revised plans, for sealed commercial and multifamily plans. Otherwise, check your department's published review targets or ask your permit technician.

Can I resubmit only the revised sheets?

Only if your jurisdiction says so. Some departments want the complete set back: Danville asks for three complete sets of drawings with an in-person resubmittal. Where a portal accepts versioned files, revised sheets may replace earlier uploads, so read the upload instructions and confirm with the permit technician.

Who signs a plan check response letter?

The person responsible for the work each response describes. The architect answers architectural comments and the structural engineer answers structural ones, and the applicant or expediter assembles the package. Danville asks for a separate signed letter from each responsible person, and requires responses about a licensed professional's design to come from that professional.

Can the plan checker add new comments on a resubmittal?

Usually, yes. Unless a state or local rule limits it, a reviewer can comment on anything that does not comply, including items missed earlier and anything you changed. A few states set limits: Georgia for land-disturbance permits (not building plan review), Utah for some one- and two-family and townhome plans, and Florida for private-provider permits. See our state-by-state guide. Disclosing unrequested changes keeps the next review's scope clear.

Start a 14-day trial of Basic

Every new account starts with a 14-day free trial of Basic, then $80/month. Card required; cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged. Upload your revised set and review the flagged findings before your next resubmittal. Start free trial.