A permit set is the package of architectural drawings, calculations, and code references a building department reviews before issuing a building permit. It is the foundation of every construction project that touches an inspector — and it is also the single thing most likely to slow your job down if it is wrong.
We get asked "what is in a permit set?" by general contractors, owners, and investors weekly. The answer is more practical than most people expect. Here is what we draw, and what we do not.
What every permit set includes
- A cover sheet with the project address, owner, designer of record, and a drawing index.
- A code analysis sheet — occupancy classification (per IBC chapter 3), construction type, allowable area calculation, occupant load, egress, and accessibility summary.
- A site plan showing the building footprint, setbacks, parking, and any zoning-relevant geometry the AHJ needs.
- Floor plans (existing + proposed when the work is interior remodel or TI).
- Reflected ceiling plan with lighting, MEP, and fire-rating callouts.
- Exterior elevations — every face of the building that is changing.
- Building sections through the meaningful conditions (one section every ~30 feet, more on complex buildings).
- Wall, floor, and ceiling assembly schedules — usually with UL listings called out for fire-rated assemblies.
- Door and window schedules with sizes, ratings, and hardware groups.
- Detail sheets for the conditions plan-check actually cares about: stair / handrail compliance, fire separation, accessibility clearances, vapor barriers in cold-climate states.
- Code references on every sheet, citing the section number for each requirement met.
What a permit set does NOT include
- Stamped structural calculations (those come from a licensed structural engineer of record).
- Stamped MEP design (those come from licensed M, E, and P engineers; we coordinate with them but do not stamp).
- Geotechnical reports, surveys, and existing-condition documents — those are the owner / GC scope.
- Specifications book (CSI MasterFormat) — that is a separate construction-document deliverable, not part of permit submittal.
- Bid pricing, schedules, or anything other than what the building department needs to verify code compliance.
Why "permit-ready" matters more than "complete"
A drawing set can be technically complete and still fail plan check. The reason is format, not content. Every AHJ has a preferred submittal format — cover sheet content, sheet numbering, the order of code-analysis tables, where reviewer comments will be marked up. A set that follows the format the AHJ already wants to see is a permit-ready set. A set that is technically complete but ignores the format is just a drawing set; plan check will return it on the first pass.
The shortest path between a sketch and an issued permit is a drawing set built to the format the AHJ already wants to see. The actual sheet content is the easy part — getting the format right is what closes the gap from 90-day permits to 14-day permits.
When you hire a drafting firm — us or anyone else — the question worth asking up front is: "Have you filed in this AHJ before, and do you have their format checklist?" If the answer is yes, you are looking at a 14- to 25-day permit timeline. If the answer is no, expect twice that.