How AI Is Changing the Game for Plan Reviews

Building departments are under increasing pressure to quickly process more complex plan submissions with limited staff while maintaining compliance accuracy and accelerating approvals.

Many departments still rely on traditional manual markup tools that were never designed for true compliance automation. These tools require reviewers to point, click, measure, and manually document findings. Manual review processes and tools not built for the task create a host of issues, including:

• Manual, time-intensive compliance reviews
• Fragmented interdepartmental review cycles and comments
• Frustrating and manual plan version comparisons
• Plan submitters lack early visibility into plan viability
• Slow review cycles impede responsible and safe economic development and community growth

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a new opportunity to provide powerful, automated decision-support tools to assist qualified reviewers while preserving their professional authority and legal compliance determinations.

Introducing CodeComply’s AI-Powered Plan Reviews

CodeComply is an AI-powered plan review software solution that accelerates plan compliance checks, delivers intelligent plan version comparisons, and centralizes reviewer comments. Here’s how it’s transforming the plan review process:

Accelerates accurate compliance reviews with AI-powered compliance assessments

CodeComply uses AI to review floor plans against codes and standards, significantly accelerating the review and permitting process to decrease the time between planning, construction, and occupancy. It automatically evaluates plans against IBC, IMC, IPC, IRC, ADA, FHA, UFC, State Amended Building Codes, and NFPA 101, 70, 72, 13, 14, while quickly identifying occupant load, egress capacity, and other measurable compliance elements. This empowers plan reviewers to focus more on strategic decisions, and less on painstaking, error-prone details.

Enhances collaboration and expedites issue resolution with centralized comment management

CodeComply also centralizes feedback into one intelligent comment management system, eliminating scattered notes and disconnected communication.

Automatically tracks and highlights differences between plan revisions with built-in concurrent collaboration tools

CodeComply removes the frustration and risk of manual plan comparisons by automatically tracking and highlighting differences between plan revisions, aligning plan versions, and detecting added or removed pages. Plan reviewers receive instant clarity on updates, so they can focus on verifying corrections rather than searching for them.

Improves plan compliance before the formal process begins with pre-check assessments

CodeComply helps ensure plans are review-ready. Instantly analyze designs, detect missing elements, and flag compliance issues upfront so you can address them before the review even begins.

Increases approval speed and drives economic growth with AI-powered plan analysis and code compliance checks

CodeComply accelerates permitting timelines by reducing repetitive review cycles and eliminating unnecessary delays. Faster plan reviews mean more permits processed, fewer stalled projects, and greater resident and developer satisfaction.

Legal Disclaimer: Automated compliance checks are informational and do not replace professional review or constitute legal advice. Final compliance determinations remain the responsibility of qualified reviewers.

CodeComply in the Civic Impact Platform

CodeComply transforms plan reviews when used alone but is even more powerful when used with other CivicPlus® tools.

• CodeComply seamlessly complements CivicPlus Community Development by modernizing what happens after a plan is submitted. While CivicPlus Community Development streamlines permit applications, intake, workflow routing, and tracking, CodeComply accelerates the most time-intensive step in the process: plan review. Together, the solutions create a streamlined end-to-end permitting experience.
• While CivicPlus Municode Codification makes ordinances easy to publish and maintain, CodeComply helps building departments apply those standards more efficiently and consistently during compliance review. Together, they create a powerful compliance ecosystem.

Why It Matters

As permit volumes rise and staffing remains constrained, manual markup processes limit scalability, slow economic development, and strain both plan reviewers and submitters.

Working as an assistant and not a replacement for human review, CodeComply helps reviewers focus more deeply on strategic review that supports code compliance and positive safety outcomes.

By helping departments move plans through review more efficiently, CodeComply supports faster approvals, fewer resubmittals, and more predictable project timelines for the communities they serve. As always, all life-safety determinations require verification by qualified personnel.

Tips to Get the Most Out of CodeComply

Tip 1: Start with Pre-Check Assessments
Utilize CodeComply Readiness™ Reports before formal submission begins to reduce preventable review cycles and improve first-pass quality.

Tip 2: Standardize Comment Libraries
Build a centralized library of commonly used comments to promote consistency, save time, and streamline communication across departments.

Tip 3: Customize Your Assessments
Select from pre-built checks or create your own to match your unique requirements.

Ready to Modernize Your Plan Review Process?

AI-powered compliance analysis can help your department move faster, while maintaining plan review quality. Connect with a CivicPlus expert to learn how CodeComply can transform your permitting workflow and support sustainable community growth.