Document checklist generator
Build the submittal list for your scope so your application is not returned at intake.
What this tool does and does not do. It reasons over general US building-code practice and routes you to your own jurisdiction's official page. It does not know your local exemption thresholds, fee amounts or review times, and it does not invent them. The office with jurisdiction is the only authority on those.
Why applications get rejected at intake
Intake staff are not assessing your project. They are checking a list, and a package missing one item is returned rather than queued. This is the single most avoidable delay in permitting, and it is entirely within your control.
The scope of work is the item that matters most
A vague scope is the most common intake rejection, and it causes damage downstream too: the scope determines which permit type applies, which reviews are triggered and what the inspector checks. A wrong permit type usually surfaces at inspection, which is the most expensive point to discover it.
Drawings that get accepted
They do not need to be beautiful. They need to be legible, dimensioned and to a stated scale. Show existing and proposed as separate views rather than one annotated hybrid, because reviewers need to see the difference. Label rooms by use, mark egress windows and doors, and dimension anything a setback or clearance depends on.
Always use the jurisdiction's current form
Forms are revised regularly and offices reject superseded versions. Download it the day you submit rather than reusing one from a previous project, and never use a copy found on a third-party site. That is exactly why this site links to each jurisdiction's forms page instead of hosting the forms — a cached form is a liability, not a convenience.
Our submittal guide breaks down what each scope adds.