Do the approved plans have to be on site for ADU inspections?

Yes: Los Angeles lists the approved plans (where plan review was required), a copy of the permit and the building card among the items to have on site at inspection. San Diego requires approved plans to be made available to the inspector and may charge a re-inspection fee if they are not. The inspector compares your installed work to those plans, so they need to be there.

What to have ready

• Approved plans. The city-approved set, including any approved revisions. San Diego requires approved construction-change sheets, printed full size, to be kept on site with the original plan set.
• Permit and inspection record. LADBS lists a copy of the permit and the building card. San Diego records approvals on its inspection record card, on the approved plans or on a door hanger card.
• Manufacturer instructions. San Diego lists manufacturer installation instructions among the items to make available, which matters for heat pumps, water heaters and fans.
• Electrical circuit card. San Diego also lists its electrical circuit card form, when applicable.
• Access. LADBS asks for any equipment needed for the inspection, such as a ladder.

Why it matters

• Without the approved plans, the inspector has no approved basis to confirm equipment, locations and sizes.
• San Diego may charge a re-inspection fee when the inspection record card or approved plans are not available.
• A missed inspection can hold up the next stage, since permitted work must be inspected before it is covered.

Practical tips

1. Print the city-approved set, not the file you submitted for plan check. They can differ after corrections.
2. Keep approved revisions with the original set and note which sheets they replace, so nobody builds from an old version.
3. Store the set in a dry plan box or tube on site.
4. Keep Title 24 certificates and equipment manuals with the plans for final.
5. Give each trade the approved MEP sheets for its work.

Common mix-ups

• A trade working from a PDF on a phone that predates the corrections.
• An approved revision left at the office instead of on site.
• Equipment manuals thrown out with the packaging before final.

Los Angeles's homeowner guide notes that plans are stamped approved when the permit is issued and that construction can then begin, so that stamped set is your reference from the first inspection to the last.

What this means for your MEP plans

MEP Plans USA delivers PDFs formatted for 24 x 36 inch printing; after approval, print the version your city approved. See MEP plan delivery format, garage conversion inspections and how it works. On-site requirements vary, so confirm with your building department.

Sources: dbs.lacity.gov, sandiego.gov, sandiego.gov, dbs.lacity.gov.