The Expedited Building Plan Review program is a premium service that accelerates the building plan review and permit process by holding a single review session with a full team of experienced plan reviewers and the applicant’s design team.
Our Services
- A collaborative setting to problem solve and find the path to solutions
- Certainty of when your plans will be reviewed and a clear understanding of next steps
- Flexibility to make on-the-spot decisions or changes
- Access to reviewers to discuss a project in a review meeting setting
- Preliminary Plan Review - Residential or Commercial
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The Development Services Department offers residential and commercial Preliminary Plan Review (PPR) meetings to allow the owner or owner’s agent(s) to meet with plan reviewers to discuss preliminary design or code issues.
These meetings are designed to identify items that need to be addressed or modified before construction plans are submitted to the City for permit review.
About Preliminary Plan Review Meetings
- Meetings are limited to one to two hours
- The PPR is not a review of building plans and does not guarantee approval of plans
- A meeting agenda is provided by the owner or owner’s agent(s) before the meeting occurs
- The owner or owner’s agent(s) will use the PPR Meeting Minutes document to take notes during the meeting
- Fees apply and will be paid before the meeting is formally scheduled
- PPR Request Form and PPR Meeting Minutes form must be filled out and returned before a meeting date can be set
Fees for Preliminary Plan Review
Preliminary Plan Review fees are located on the Expedited Plan Review Fee Schedule (PDF).
Applications
- Request a Residential Preliminary Plan Review Meeting (PDF)
- Request a Commercial Preliminary Plan Review Meeting (PDF)
Alternative Options
- Free, 20-minute sessions are available for general questions regarding residential permit review processes and procedures or basic development-related questions.
- For a one-hour on-site tree consultation, schedule on Austin Build + Connect.
- Expedited Plan Review - Residential
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HOME Amendment Update: For information about the HOME Amendments and their impact on residential applications, visit austintexas.gov/home-ldc.
The Expedited Residential Plan Review team reviews new construction, additions, interior remodeling, and demolitions of single-family, duplex, or two-family houses and/or accessory buildings on one lot. The team represents every discipline needed (Zoning, Arborist, Building, Fire, and Structure) to perform your plan review in the most efficient manner possible.
Eligibility
Most residential projects are eligible through Expedited; however, projects requiring a drainage review (less than 10 ft. within a driveway) do not qualify.
All projects submitted through Expedited must be sealed. Projects not eligible for an Expedited review may be submitted to standard residential review.
Extended Review Times
Some projects may require analysis or review from a partner City department; those departments operate under different review times. Please note that these types of projects may extend your permit issuance time if submitted through Expedited.
- Projects that require a Tap Permit Review by Austin Water
- Projects that require a hazardous pipeline review by the Austin Fire Department
- Projects that fall within the capital view corridor will require approval from the Land Use Review Division
- Projects that require a floodplain review by the Watershed Protection Department
- Projects that require a historic review from the Historic Preservation Office
Submit An Application
For your convenience, the application submittal process is electronic.
Download the Residential application from the Residential Plan Review section on the Forms and Applications webpage. Email the completed application with supporting documents and plan sets to ExpeditedResidential@austintexas.gov for review. Please limit documents to no more than two attachments.
View the Expedited Plan Review Fees (PDF).
Process and Review Times
Intake- Applicant emails the application with plans and receives an invoice within 24 hours via email, which can be paid online through the AB+C portal.
- A completeness check meeting with the Expedited Residential Reviewers is scheduled within five business days of the paid invoice. An applicant may request a meeting more than five days out if needed.
Completeness Check- A “live” meeting with the applicant, the design team, and the Expedited Reviewers are held to perform the completeness check.
- At the close of the meeting, the Expedited Reviewers will determine if a formal review meeting is required or if the project may be approved administratively.
Formal Review- The Applicant should work to resolve comments issued during the completeness check meeting.
- The Applicant will contact the Expedited team when they are ready to schedule their formal review meeting. Comments should be resolved before the formal review meeting takes place.
- At the close of the meeting, if all issues are resolved, the Expedited Reviewers will approve the project.
Permit Issuance- Within 2 days of the approval of the project, the applicant will receive an e-mail letting them know that the project has been approved.
- Permits may be purchased and plans may be downloaded on the AB+C portal.
Tips for a successful Expedited Meeting
Expedited review meetings are an opportunity for plan reviewers and project design teams to collaborate, find code solutions and make any necessary changes to the project. To improve your chances of achieving a successful outcome after an Expedited review meeting, follow these tips.
- If you are the applicant, a permit expeditor, registered architect, registered engineer, consultant, general contractor, owner, or signatory representative, make plans to attend the meeting.
- Bring laptops and be prepared for a working session; this will allow the design team to change or correct plans during the Expedited meeting.
- Provide a USB drive with all new stamped drawings and documentation. All plan sheets must be saved into individual sheets, and not saved as a package.
- Provide responses to the initial completeness check comments and expect to receive additional comments from plan reviewers. A completeness check is only a one-hour overview to verify documents are in place and to ensure the project is ready for a review meeting. The full review of plans takes place during the in-person meeting.
- Manage expectations—There is no guarantee an approval will be issued at the end of a review meeting. However, be assured that the plan reviewers will work to arrive at a solution for your project.
- Expedited Plan Review - Commercial
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The Commercial Plan Review Division reviews and approves commercial and multi-family plans for new construction, remodels, and revisions to approved permits, change of uses, and certificate of occupancy/compliance.
The team represents every discipline needed (Building, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Structure, Fire, Health, and Industrial Waste) to perform your plan review in the most efficient manner possible.
Eligibility
The Expedited Commercial Review Team services the majority of commercial projects. Commercial projects that are either 75,000+ square feet or $7.5 million or greater in construction value may be subject to participating in the Better Builder Program.
For questions on the Better Builder Program, contact: Andrea Nicholls, Better Builder Director
Submit An Application
For your convenience, the application submittal process is electronic.
Download the Commercial Building application from the Forms and Applications webpage.. Email the completed application to ExpeditedReview@austintexas.gov and wait for instructions on how to name and upload your plans.
View the Expedited Plan Review Fees (PDF).
Alternative Options
In addition to Expedited Commercial Review, you have additional options for Commercial plan review.
Visit Commercial Plan Review to learn more about these offerings.
Process and Review Times
Intake- Applicant must have an AB+C portal account established.
- Applicant emails completed Commercial building application to ExpeditedReview@austintexas.gov.
- After the Commercial building application is processed, the applicant will receive an email with a link to upload the construction documents and pay the completeness check invoice online through the AB+C portal.
- Expedited staff will conduct an “Intake Check” to verify all required documentation and documents have been uploaded.
Completeness Check- If the intake check passes, reviewers will have six business days to perform a pre-requisite review of the project, which is also known as a completeness check.
- A formal review meeting will be scheduled the day the project passes the intake check.
- After the six-day prerequisite review ends, the applicant receives prerequisite (completeness check) review comments and a plan review invoice.
- The prerequisite review is not a full review of plans. It is limited to a cursory, one-hour overview of the project. Additional comments may, and often do occur during the formal review meeting.
- The plan review invoice must be paid prior to the scheduled meeting.
- The applicant will address all prerequisite review comments prior to the formal meeting.
Formal Review- A full review of plans for the project is performed with the Expedited team and the project design team.
- At the close of the meeting, a summary sheet will be provided to the applicant indicating whether the project is approved, rejected, or left open to resolve minor issues.
- If the project is rejected, all updates must be submitted through the official update process and additional fees will apply.
- The type of meeting which is required (in-person or administrative) depends on the number of overall rejections, the complexity of the project, and total review time required to resolve the issues.
Permit IssuanceWithin 24 hours from the approval of the project, the applicant will receive an e-mail letting them know that the project has been approved. Permits may be purchased and plans may be downloaded on the AB+C portal.
Tips for a Successful Expedited Meeting
Expedited review meetings are an opportunity for plan reviewers and project design teams to collaborate, find code solutions and make any necessary changes to the project. To improve your chances of achieving a successful outcome after an Expedited review meeting, follow these tips.
- If you are the applicant, a permit expeditor, registered architect, registered engineer, consultant, general contractor, owner, or signatory representative, make plans to attend the meeting.
- Be prepared to revise and upload plans during the meeting; this will allow the COA review team to review corrected plans during the Expedited Virtual meeting. Plan sheets must be saved and uploaded as individual files.
- Upload responses to the initial Completeness Check comments prior to live meeting and expect to receive additional comments during virtual meeting from plan reviewers. A completeness check is only a one-hour overview to verify documents are in place and to ensure the project is ready for a review meeting.
- Manage expectations—There is no guarantee an approval will be issued at the end of a review meeting. However, be assured that the plan reviewers will work to arrive at a solution for your project.
- Applicant must have an AB+C portal account established.