As-Built Drawings for a Permit: What Jurisdictions Accept

An as-built, or existing conditions, set shows a building as it stands today. Permit reviewers use it to judge every proposed change: an addition, a wall removal, a tenant improvement or a legalization of work built without a permit. When the existing drawings are wrong, everything drawn on top of them is wrong too.

When you need them

• Alterations and additions, where the reviewer must see existing and proposed side by side.

• Legalizing unpermitted work. Portland, for example, requires the same permits as if the work had not been done, so the work has to be drawn as built.

• Tenant improvements and changes of occupancy, where exits, occupant load and accessibility are checked against the existing space.

• Damage repairs, where the record before demolition defines the scope.

What reviewers look for

• Scale. Portland requires commercial drawings to be to scale where needed to verify code compliance, at least 11 by 17, with text no smaller than 3/32 inch or 12 point.

• Existing versus new. A clear legend separating existing to remain, existing to be removed and new work.

• Consistency. Plans, elevations and sections that agree with each other and with the site plan.

• Site plan. Property lines, setbacks and structures, drawn from the best available record or a survey.

• Ownership of drawings. Portland notes that another professional's drawings cannot be used without that professional's permission.

What gets as-builts rejected

• Sketches not to scale, or dimensions that do not close.

• Missing sheets, such as a plan with no elevations.

• Existing and new work drawn the same way.

• A site plan that does not match the property record.

Measured or reused

Old permit drawings can save time, but they rarely match what was built after years of changes. Reviewers judge the drawings in front of them, so a field measured set is the safer base for any permit that depends on existing conditions.

Common questions

What is the difference between as-built and existing conditions drawings?

They describe the same thing: the building as it stands. As-built is often used after construction, existing conditions before a new project.

Can I use old permit drawings as my existing plans?

Only if they still match the building and you have permission from the professional who prepared them. Most buildings have changed since.

Do as-built drawings need a stamp?

Usually not for documenting existing conditions. Any new structural work shown on the set may need an engineer.

What scale and size should they be?

Portland requires commercial drawings to scale where needed, at least 11 by 17, with text no smaller than 3/32 inch. Check the local submittal standards.

How SASHKOV handles it

• Measures the building in the field and records structure, openings and systems.

• Produces scaled existing plans, elevations and sections in Revit.

• Marks existing to remain, to be removed and new work clearly for the reviewer.

• Uses the record as the base for the permit set and any correction response.

Where a building requires a licensed architect or engineer of record, SASHKOV brings them into the contract.

See Existing Conditions Documentation for the full scope. For permits that started without it, read How to Respond to a Portland Permit Checksheet.

Need the building recorded? Send the address, building size and purpose, and SASHKOV will scope the record and timeline in business days.