This article provides information to successfully submit a project application and documents for electronic plan review to a back office Permitting agency, Plan Review Consulting firm or AEC Design review firm.
Prior to uploading your plan review documents, select the 'DOCUMENT SUBMITTAL RECOMMENDATIONS' link and carefully review the requirements.
Failure to follow the document submittal recommendations will delay the acceptance of your project. |
During the document upload process, the PDF Scout Inspection Tool will analyze incoming files to ensure they can be accepted into EPR using the criteria outlined below:
If documents fail the inspection, then no green cloud with check mark symbol is displayed and you must resolve the issues noted before continuing with the project application. (These rules do not apply for supporting attachments submitted in PDF format.)
Below is a list of commonly known issues:
Issue | Description | Result | Solution |
---|---|---|---|
File Size | Documents must not exceed 400 MB. | REJECTION | Return to the source document and create PDF files that are below the file size limitation or break up PDF into smaller files. Follow the instructions in the DOCUMENT SUBMITTAL RECOMMENDATIONS as shown above. |
Paper Size | Checks for paper sizes smaller than 8.5" x 11" or larger than 36" x 48"and will trigger a warning if detected. | Warning | None required. These suggestions are in place because most printers cannot print wider than 36 inches. |
PDF Version | Checks PDF version. If PDF version older than 1.3 is detected, the file will be rejected. (Version 1.3 was released prior to 2001.) | REJECTION | Update the PDF to a newer version. |
Password protection | The inspector checks for password security that prevent opening the PDF. If the PDF cannot be opened, the file will be rejected. | REJECTION | Remove the password protection to allow PDF access. |
Page Access | The inspector tries to read each page in the document. If a page is not readable, the file will be rejected. | REJECTION | Adobe Reader may report these pages as damaged or in need of repair. Recreate the PDF from the source document using Adobe Pro or Nitro Pro. |
Annotations/SHX Text | Checks for annotations that appear in the pdf Reader ‘Comment’ panel, such as SHX Text generated by AutoCAD. | Warning | None required. Note that SHX text annotations will be removed from pdf 'Comment' panel when printing deliverable files so they do not interfere with review comments. (No other annotations will be removed.) |
Filename Special Characters | Checks if filename contains any of the following characters: ! * – \ ; : @ & = + $ , / ? % # [ ] ' “ < > | | REJECTION | Remove these characters from the filename and re-upload file. |
Page Orientation | Checks if document has mixed page orientations. | Warning | None required. Manually checking that pages are not upside down or sideways is recommended. |
PDF Portfolios | Portfolio PDFs or PDFs with attachments will be rejected as they are a serious security issue. (see PDF Portfolios) | REJECTION | A PDF Portfolio contains multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio can be in a wide range of file types created in different applications. For example, a PDF Portfolio can include scrips, macros, text documents, e-mail messages, spreadsheets, CAD drawings, and PowerPoint presentations. |
Some requirements for submitting corrected plans will vary depending on whether the agency's best practices and related settings allow either require applicants to resubmit full plans or allow the resubmit partial plan sets. Please review the differences below.
When an agency requires applicants to resubmit full plans sets, applicants must also follow these rules:
Why is page order important for agencies that do not use slipsheeting?
Resubmitting plans with pages in the original order ensures that the plan review comments and sketches are properly carried forward to the newer submittal/version by the electronic plan review software. This allows for more accurate, expedited reviews.
When an agency allows applicants to resubmit partial plans sets, applicants submittal guidelines will be different, as follows:
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