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 Inspector Tool (PDF Scout) will analyze incoming files to ensure they can be accepted into e-planREVIEW (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 | Is Active | Is Configurable | Configurations | Default Behavior | Default Result | Solution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACCESSIBLE | Y | N | N/A | Checks if the file is invalid (such as a PDF Portfolio), corrupt, or password protected. | REJECTION | Check if PDF can be opened by Adobe Reader and confirm it is not a PDF Portfolio. If the PDF cannot be opened, create a new PDF from the source program. Remove password protection, if applicable. |
FILENAME | Y | Y | Filename Special Characters | Checks if filename contains: !, *, \, (, ), ;, :, @, &, =, +, $, , (comma), /, ?, %, #, [, ], " , <, >, | characters. Characters cannot be edited. | REJECTION | Remove these characters from the filename and re-upload the file. |
SIZE | Y | Y | Minimum/Maximum PDF size in bytes | Documents must not exceed 400 MB (419430400 bytes). Recommended maximum size is 2 GB. | 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. |
PAGE COUNT | Y | Y | Maximum page count | Checks the PDF page count based on the configured maximum page count. The default is set to 1200 pages. | REJECTION | Split large files into smaller subsets and submit files separately or the Agency can choose to increase the maximum page count. |
TEXT CONTENT | N | Y | N/A | Checks whether PDF text and fonts are present and legible. | N/A | Properly embed or substitute missing font. Using true type fonts is recommended. |
VERSION | Y | N | N/A | Checks PDF version. If PDF version older than 1.4 is detected, the file will be rejected. (Version 1.4 was released prior to 2001.) | Warning | None required but it is recommended to update the PDF to a newer version. |
PAGE ACCESS | Y | Y | N/A | 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. |
ANNOTATION | Y | Y | N/A | 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.) |
METADATA | Y | Y | N/A | Check hidden content and unexpected metadata like embedded Flash, other PDFs, etc. | Warning | Remove hidden content by following the instructions listed in the EPR Wiki document “How To Remove Metadata from PDF”. |
SIGNATURE | Y | Y | N/A | Checks for the presence of a digital signature in the PDF. | Warning | Validates that the signature exists but cannot confirm source authenticity. |
ATTACHMENT | Y | Y | N/A | Checks if any attachments exist in the PDF. | REJECTION | Recreate the PDF without any attachments or reprint PDF as new to remove attachments. |
RESOLUTION | Y | Y | Minimum/Maximum pixel count | Checks pages for low resolution (in pixels) based on page dimensions. | Warning | Create a new PDF from the source. |
ROTATION | Y | Y | N/A | Checks if a document has mixed page orientations based on the first page orientation. Scout does not look at page content so, it cannot determine if pages are upside-down, for example. | Warning | None required. Manually checking that pages are not upside-down or sideways is recommended. Page rotation can now be corrected within EPR. |
SUBMITTING CORRECTED PLANS AND REVISIONS
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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