Plan-Check Shepherding to permit issued.

Plan-check is the city's review of your submitted drawings, and Seattle DCI typically runs several months on an ADU while Eastside cities run shorter windows. Multiple reviewers, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, energy, and drainage, work the package in parallel and issue corrections your design team must answer. Duration depends on backlog and how many corrections come back.

Almost every Seattle DCI submittal gets at least one round of corrections. Two rounds is common. Three rounds is not unusual on complex projects. Eastside cities tend to fewer rounds because the queues are shorter. The number depends on submittal quality, project complexity, and any city policy changes that happen during the review. Our typical project clears in two rounds because we draw out anticipated corrections from day one.

We notify you immediately and propose options. Sometimes the correction reflects a real code requirement we missed and we adapt. Sometimes the reviewer is wrong and we appeal with a code citation. Sometimes the correction is technically valid but fixing it requires a design choice that changes the project. In that case we walk through the trade-offs with you before responding.

Plan-check correction response is included in our design and permit engagements within typical scope. Corrections that fall outside the scope (for example, a major redesign you decide to make mid-review, or a critical area study the original feasibility did not anticipate) are scoped separately and we agree on the cost before the work begins.

Yes, owner-builders and homeowners can respond to corrections directly. Most homeowners delegate it because correction language is technical and requires CAD revisions. The shepherding service is included in our design and build engagements precisely because the failure mode of unresponded or poorly responded corrections is a stalled permit.