A clear, 100% online process from intake to permit set
You know the site, so you send the information. We review it, confirm the geometry with you and draft the full set. Here’s exactly what happens and what to send.
Five steps
Check your state and choose a package
Tell us the address and project type on the intake form. Projects outside California, Texas and Florida go to the waitlist.
Send your input
Upload as-builts or sketches, photos and measurements using our free Measurement Kit. Phone-scan exports (PDF/DXF) are welcome, with a few tape-measured check dimensions.
Verify and pay
You confirm your measurements are accurate and e-sign. Within 1 business day we confirm your jurisdiction and email a secure Stripe payment link.
Approve the existing-conditions draft
Within 1 business day we send an existing floor plan. You reply YES, and we lock the geometry and draft the full set in Revit.
Get your permit set
We deliver PDFs ready for you or your contractor to submit (CAD/Revit files on request). Your first plan-check comment letter on the same scope is answered at no charge.
When the clock starts: once your intake is complete, your dimensions are verified and payment is received. The clock pauses while we wait on you (for example, your YES on the geometry draft). Turnaround never includes building department review time.
Detached garage & shed plans
Same idea, shorter path: intake → validate → geometry confirm → full set + QA → deliver. Turnaround is 5 to 7 business days after validation. See garage & shed details.
What to send
Renovations
- As-builts or a sketch of the existing space
- Photos of every wall in the work area
- Key measurements (see the Measurement Kit)
- Your changes marked in red (guide below)
- A short summary of the project in your own words
Garages & sheds
- Project address and structure use
- Kit/manufacturer spec sheet, or clear dimensions or a usable sketch
- Foundation type
- Any uploads that help confirm the geometry
Please don’t upload IDs, bank documents or other personal papers that aren’t needed for the drawings.
How to mark up your as-builts
It takes a few minutes, and the clearer your markup, the fewer questions we need to ask before we start.
The red markup convention
- Red for every change. Circle, cross out or draw the new item.
- A short text note next to each mark, e.g. “Remove this wall” or “New door here, 3 ft wide”.
- Number each change (1, 2, 3) and start its note with the same number.
- Keep dimensions visible. Don’t draw over existing sizes; write the size of anything new.
- Mark only changes. Leave everything that stays the same unmarked.
- One idea per mark. Several small numbered marks beat one big scribble.
Not sure about something? Write “Not sure, please ask me” next to it. We confirm anything unclear before we draw.
Free tools (no account needed)
- PDFs: Sejda web PDF editor. Upload, click Annotate, use Draw (red), Shapes and Text. Delete the placeholder words “Type your text” if they appear. Click Apply changes, then Download.
- PDFs: Drawboard PDF (free web version). On the sign-in popup, click “Or use app without cloud syncing”. Use Free-form > Pen (red), Review > Text or Callout, and Shape > Cloud. Download from the left sidebar.
- Photos: your phone or computer’s built-in Markup or Edit tool. Save a marked copy; keep your original.
Already use Bluebeam or another tool? That works too, as long as you follow the red convention.
Keep files under 10 MB
Scan at standard resolution (about 150 to 200 dpi), send only the pages with changes, and choose “Medium” or “Large” when your phone asks the photo size.
File still too large?
Paste a share link in the form’s “Large-file link” field (Google Drive, Dropbox or similar, set to “anyone with the link can view”), or email info@aicadservices.com.
These tools are separate services with their own privacy policies and free limits, which can change; check each tool’s site. We don’t control them. Marking up your drawings helps us draft accurately but doesn’t guarantee approval.
Plan check and revisions
- You or your contractor submit the set to the building department. We don’t file or expedite permits.
- Renovation sets: your first comment letter on the same scope is answered at no charge (3 to 5 business days). Send it within 90 days of delivery, or 30 days after you receive it, whichever is later, up to 180 days.
- Later rounds are a flat price per comment letter, and you approve the written price before we start.
- Garage & shed plans: one revision included for in-scope plan comments.
- AICAD drafting mistakes on renovation sets are fixed at no charge, every time.
See the standard, then start your project
Review our fictional sample set, then submit your intake. We’ll confirm your jurisdiction within 1 business day.