Review comments

Review comments, also called corrections or deficiencies, are the reviewer's written list of what stands between your submittal and an approval. They arrive as a numbered letter or as a list in the permitting portal, usually grouped by discipline.

Reading them properly

Each comment normally cites a code section. That citation is the useful part: it tells you exactly what rule the reviewer applied, which lets you either fix the design or explain why the rule does not apply as read. Comments without a citation are worth asking about, politely, before rebuilding a design around them.

Comments fall into rough groups:

• Missing information. The drawings do not show something the reviewer must verify. Fixed by adding a note, detail, or schedule.
• Code compliance. The design as drawn does not meet a requirement. Fixed by changing the design.
• Inconsistency. Two sheets disagree, or the drawings disagree with the application. Fixed by correcting one of them.
• Administrative. A form is unsigned, a seal is missing, a fee is unpaid.

Responding

Most departments expect a written response to every comment, item by item, alongside the revised drawings. A response that says where the change was made, for example "see revised sheet A-3, detail 4", is reviewed far faster than one that says "revised". Leaving a comment unanswered generally guarantees another cycle even if you did fix the underlying issue.