Before a building department issues a permit, the project team has to submit a permit set. The term gets used loosely on job sites, but what a permit set actually contains and what makes one complete versus incomplete is worth understanding precisely. A well-built permit set moves through plan check. A poorly built one comes back with corrections and costs weeks.
What a Permit Set Is
A permit set is a coordinated package of architectural, structural, and supplemental drawings that documents the proposed scope of work in enough detail for a plan checker to verify code compliance. The building department reviews the set against the applicable codes and either approves it, requests corrections, or denies the application.
The specific sheets required vary by project type, jurisdiction, and scope. A bathroom remodel permit set looks very different from a permit set for a ground-up commercial building. But the underlying purpose is the same: give the plan checker everything needed to evaluate the project without guessing.
What Goes In a Permit Set
Site Plan
The site plan shows the property boundaries, the location of the proposed and existing structures on the lot, setbacks from all property lines, and relevant site features. For residential projects, it often includes the floor area ratio calculation and lot coverage percentage. Jurisdictions use this sheet to verify zoning compliance before the plan checker even reviews the building.
Floor Plans
Floor plans show the layout of the proposed space at each level, including room dimensions, wall locations, door and window schedules, and the scope of work. For remodels and additions, they typically show existing conditions alongside proposed changes with clear notation distinguishing the two.
Elevations
Exterior elevations document the appearance of the building from all sides, showing wall heights, window and door openings, and exterior materials or finishes. Some jurisdictions require interior elevations for kitchen and bathroom projects. Elevations are frequently reviewed by planning or design review departments in addition to the building department.
Building Sections
Sections cut through the building to show vertical relationships between floors, ceiling heights, structural assemblies, and the relationship between the building and the grade. For projects with unusual floor-to-floor heights or complex structural conditions, sections are often the drawings a plan checker studies most carefully.
Construction Details
Details show specific assemblies at a larger scale than the floor plans or sections can convey. Typical details include wall assemblies, foundation connections, stair construction, and waterproofing at penetrations. The details are where compliance with specific code sections gets documented.
Structural Drawings
On projects that require structural calculations, the permit set includes a separate structural package with foundation plans, framing plans, connection details, and a calculation booklet prepared by a licensed structural engineer. The architectural and structural sets have to be coordinated so the dimensions and conditions match.
Title 24 Energy Compliance
California residential and commercial projects require a Title 24 energy compliance package as part of the permit set. The compliance documentation is prepared by a certified energy consultant and submitted alongside the architectural drawings. Plan checkers will not approve a California permit set without it.
Other Supplemental Documentation
Depending on the project type and jurisdiction, a permit set may also include civil drawings for grading and drainage, landscape plans, CalGreen compliance checklists, accessibility compliance documentation, and geotechnical reports.
What Makes a Permit Set Complete
A complete permit set has three qualities that determine whether it clears plan check on the first round.
Jurisdiction research before drafting. Every city and county has a submittal checklist that specifies what they require. A permit set built to the wrong checklist comes back with a list of missing items. The right approach is to pull the applicable checklist at the start of production and build to it.
Coordination between disciplines. Dimensional conflicts between the architectural drawings and the structural drawings, or missing connections between the floor plan and the details, are among the most common sources of plan check corrections. These get caught in review before submittal.
Complete notation and schedules. Plan checkers flag drawings that require them to make assumptions. Dimensions should close, window and door schedules should reference every opening, and code-specific notation should appear on the sheets that require it.
How CADTRI Builds Permit Sets
CADTRI researches the applicable jurisdiction's requirements before production begins, coordinates with structural engineers when calculations are required, and reviews each set before submittal to confirm the package is complete. The goal is a first-round approval, not a correction-response cycle.
If you have a project that needs a permit set, request a proposal and we will confirm the scope, timeline, and what the specific jurisdiction requires.