Top 5 Reasons Projects Get Stuck in Plan Check (and How to Avoid Them)

ASK:

We finally got through entitlements, but now we’re stuck in plan check. What’s causing the holdup?

ANSWER:

Plan check is where great projects go to stall. It’s the technical review after approvals, where every sheet, code, and calculation gets dissected by multiple departments.

At I&D Consulting, we see developers lose months here. Not because the project is bad, but because the process wasn’t managed.

Top 5 Reasons Projects Get Stuck in Plan Check

Incomplete Submittals
Missing sheets, signatures, or reports trigger automatic rejections. Always verify every submittal requirement before uploading.
Conflicting Comments Between Departments
Fire might require one thing; engineering wants the opposite. If no one coordinates, you’re the one stuck in the middle.
Unresolved Conditions of Approval
Conditions from planning hearings often need to be addressed in construction drawings. If they’re ignored, you’ll loop back for revisions.
Outdated Technical Studies
Stormwater, traffic, and soil reports have shelf lives. Expired studies can invalidate approvals and force resubmittals.
Lack of Follow-Up
Cities process hundreds of plans. If your project sits unmonitored, it moves to the bottom of the pile.

How We Prevent It

At I&D, we manage plan check like a project within the project:

Submittal Readiness Reviews: We audit plans against jurisdiction checklists before uploading.
Department Coordination: We facilitate cross-department meetings to resolve conflicting comments.
Weekly Tracking: We follow up consistently, keeping your project top-of-mind with reviewers.

The Big Picture

Plan check is your last gate before breaking ground. Treating it as an active process, not a passive wait, gets your shovel in the ground much faster.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Incomplete submittals and missed follow-ups cause most delays.
Coordinate across departments to avoid conflicting comments.
Active management keeps plan check from becoming a bottleneck.