Catch permit problems before the county does

PlanScan reads your plan set PDF and flags likely code issues, each with its citation, before you submit. Starting with Fairfax County, Virginia.

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Sample floor plan, sheet A-101: two bedrooms, two baths, laundry, living room, kitchen, garage, rear deck and front porch, with three review flags marked in red.
Flag 1, Bedroom 1 window. Go to comment 1
Flag 2, Front porch guard. Go to comment 2
Flag 3, Deck ledger at the rear wall. Go to comment 3
Sample review, synthetic plan set
Sheet A-101
Fairfax County, VA

Why plan sets come back

Four comments a Fairfax reviewer can write on a residential set. PlanScan checks for each one.

  1. Bedroom egress window may be undersized

    A sleeping room's emergency escape opening must have at least 5.7 square feet of net clear area when not at or below grade.

    Citation: R310.2.12021 VRC

  2. Guard height or opening size out of range

    Open-sided walking surfaces more than 30 inches above grade must have guards of minimum height with limited openings.

    Citation: R312.1.22021 VRC

  3. Deck ledger fasteners not specified

    A deck ledger must be attached to the house with approved fasteners at a specified spacing.

    Citation: R507.9.1.32021 VRC

  4. Code year is not stated on the plans

    Fairfax requires every submission to say which code year the design follows.

    Citation: 109.12021 VCC

How it works

  1. Upload the PDF you'd submit.

    The same plan set you'd send to the county. Vector or scanned.

  2. PlanScan reads every sheet.

    Sheets, scale, schedules, title block and notes. Scanned pages too.

  3. Get a report with receipts.

    Each flag shows the code section, the sheet, a crop of the drawing and a confidence level. Anything it can't judge is listed as needing your review or not checked yet.

SampleReport, sheet A-101Synthetic plan set
  • R310.2.1Bedroom egress window may be undersizedFlag · Sheet A-101 · Confidence high
  • R312.1.2Guard height or opening size out of rangeFlag · Sheet A-101 · Confidence medium
  • R507.9.1.3Deck ledger fasteners not specifiedFlag · Sheet A-101 · Confidence medium
  • R311.7.5.1Stair riser height is in a detail PlanScan could not readNeeds your review · Sheet A-301
  • 109.2Setbacks to lot lines: no site plan sheet in this setNot checked yet
Sample report from a synthetic plan set. Flags, citations and confidence shown for illustration.

Why PlanScan

  • Local depth

    Built around Fairfax County requirements and comment templates, not generic national checks.

  • Works from the PDF

    No BIM or Revit plugin. It reads the plan set you already submit.

  • Every flag is cited

    Each issue points to the code section and the exact spot on the sheet, so you can check it, not just trust it.

Illustration: a white two-story modern house alone on a grassy hill under a clear sky, its front door painted red.

Fix it before they find it.

Where we are

PlanScan is in an invite-only pilot for residential plan sets in Fairfax County, Virginia. The rules are drafts under review, and accuracy on real plan sets is still being measured. It is a pre-review aid. It does not replace the county's review or a licensed professional.

How to read a PlanScan report

Revision cloud
A flagged issue on the drawing.
Numbered bubble
The comment that explains the flag.
Leader line
Links a comment to its exact spot on the sheet.
Check stamp
Checked and passes.
Dashed ring
Needs your review.
Dashed box
Not checked yet.

Your next set, reviewed first.

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