Permit revision

A revision is how you change a permit that has already been issued. The approved plans are the legal description of what you may build, so a change to the design is a change to the permit, not something to be settled with the inspector on site.

When one is required

• The scope changes, for example an extra bedroom added mid-project
• Structural elements change, including beam sizes, footings, and openings
• Systems change in ways that affect load or layout
• A field condition forces a departure from the approved drawings

Minor field adjustments that do not affect code compliance are often accepted as a field change noted on the plans. Where the line falls is a jurisdiction question, and asking before building is much cheaper than asking after.

How it goes

A revision is submitted as revised sheets plus a description of what changed, and it goes through review like a smaller version of the original submittal. It carries its own fee and its own review time, which is the reason mid-project scope changes cost schedule as well as money.

Deferred submittals

Some elements are approved after the main permit by design rather than by accident. Roof trusses are the standard example: the permit is issued, the truss package is engineered later, and it is filed as a deferred submittal before that work is inspected.