# AI plan check software for building departments, cities and counties

> CrossBeam Permits builds AI plan check around each agency’s team and rules: intake screening, plan review, corrections letters, backchecks and applicant pre-check.

CrossBeam Permits is AI plan check software that cities, counties and other permitting agencies set up around their own staff, rules and workflow, covering both the applicant pre-check before submittal and the agency’s own intake screening, building and planning plan review, corrections letters, backchecks and staff questions.

The City of Laguna Beach and the City of Buena Park use it today. CrossBeam Permits is available to every California city and county, and works with agencies anywhere in the country.

[Talk to us about your counter](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/contact) · [Read the AI FactSheet](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-factsheet)

## What does CrossBeam Permits do for a permitting agency?

It reads the documents an applicant submits, checks them against state code and the agency’s own local rules, and drafts the work product your staff would otherwise write by hand: a completeness notice, a corrections letter, a backcheck. Staff review every item and decide what goes out.

The same engine runs on both sides of the counter. Applicants can check their plans before they submit. Staff use the internal tools after submittal. Because both sides use one engine and one set of rules, applicants can fix what staff would flag before it reaches the counter.

| Stage | What CrossBeam Permits drafts | Who decides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Applicant pre-check (optional, agency-offered) | A list of likely corrections, each tied to a sheet and a code section | The applicant decides what to fix; the agency still reviews every submittal |
| Intake screening | What is required, what is present, what is missing, and a draft notice to the applicant | Permit technician or planner |
| Building and planning plan check | Findings tied to the governing code section and the plan sheet | Plan reviewer or planner |
| Corrections letter | A letter on the agency’s letterhead, in the agency’s format and wording | Plan reviewer signs |
| Backcheck | Item-by-item check of the resubmittal against the prior letter, plus changes elsewhere in the set | Plan reviewer |
| Staff and public questions | Answers grounded in state code and local rules | Staff choose where it is offered |

## How does intake screening work?

CrossBeam Permits compares the package against the agency’s own submittal requirements and lists what is required, what is present and what is missing. It then drafts the applicant notice in the agency’s voice, with links to the agency’s own forms. A permit technician reviews and edits the notice before it is sent.

This matters most where state law sets a completeness clock. In California, ADU and post-entitlement housing permits carry a 15-business-day completeness deadline. See [ADU 60-day timeline](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/california/adu-60-day) and [post-entitlement permits](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/california/post-entitlement-permits).

## Does it do real plan review or only a completeness check?

It does plan review. CrossBeam Permits reads the full plan set, sheet by sheet, and checks it against the state building code and the agency’s adopted local amendments, and on the planning side against the zoning code and objective standards. Each finding names the code section it rests on and the sheet where the evidence is. A finding that cannot point to both is flagged for a person to look at instead of being stated as a correction.

Permit types are not limited to one kind of project. Agencies use it for any submittal with an architectural construction-document set, including single-family homes, ADUs, additions and remodels, multi-unit housing and commercial tenant improvements.

## Can the corrections letter go out on our letterhead?

Yes. The draft letter uses the agency’s letterhead, numbering, phrasing and format, so applicants receive the department’s letter, not a software report. Staff can promote, demote, edit or dismiss any item before signing. Nothing reaches an applicant without staff approval.

## How does a backcheck work?

When plans come back, CrossBeam Permits checks the new set against the prior letter item by item and reports which items appear resolved and which do not. It also flags changes elsewhere in the set that were not part of the response, so the reviewer does not start the review over from scratch.

## Can our agency offer applicants a pre-check before they submit?

Yes. An agency can offer a free or paid pre-check, branded as its own program, that runs the same review engine its staff use. The City of Buena Park funds one for every applicant: “Buena Park Plan PreCheck by CrossBeam” is free, voluntary and advisory, and City plan check staff still review every submittal. [How Buena Park set it up](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/agencies#buena-park).

## Can staff ask it questions?

Yes. The CrossBeam Permit Assistant answers code and process questions for staff and, where the agency chooses, for residents. Answers are grounded in state code and the agency’s local rules and include their sources.

## Who makes the decisions?

Agency staff do, on every item. CrossBeam Permits drafts; it does not issue permits, approve plans or make binding determinations. The [AI FactSheet](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-factsheet) explains human oversight, data handling and security in the GovAI Coalition format.

## How does an agency get started with CrossBeam Permits?

Every agency gets its own setup. A typical start looks like this:

1. **Scope.** We agree on the permit types, review lanes (intake, building, planning, backcheck, Q&A), letter format and volume. See [pricing and procurement](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/agencies/pricing-and-procurement).
2. **Load the public rules before day one.** We load the agency’s municipal code, adopted local amendments, submittal checklists, forms and fee schedule on top of the state code.
3. **Add what only staff know.** Staff walk us through their checklists, standard comments and judgment calls. We encode them into the agency’s own setup.
4. **Run on your own plan sets.** Staff run recent real submittals and compare the drafts with the letters they actually sent.
5. **Go live lane by lane.** Staff approve every item. The engineer who works with your staff is the person who changes the system, and fixes ship quickly.
6. **Measure together.** Goals are measured from the agency’s own permit records so the agency can check them independently.

Nothing needs to be installed or migrated. CrossBeam Permits works alongside the agency’s existing permitting system of record.

## What could fewer correction rounds be worth?

Measured in a California customer city’s own permit records (2023 to 2026): about 440 complex building permits a year (new homes, ADUs, additions, major remodels, pools, commercial tenant improvements) needed 2.6 to 2.9 plan submittals each before issuance. That is about 800 re-reviews a year. Six in ten permits needed at least one correction, and about four in ten needed two or more.

| Estimate | Amount | How we got it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Re-review workload today | ~1,600 hrs/yr | About 800 re-reviews at about 2 hours each (our assumption; rechecks vary by project). Close to one full-time plan checker. |
| 10% fewer correction rounds | ~160 hrs · $18–28K | About 80 fewer re-reviews, valued at $110/hr (in-house plan checker with benefits) to $175/hr (contract plan check). |
| 25% fewer correction rounds | ~400 hrs · $44–70K | About 200 fewer re-reviews, same rates. |
| Half the correction rounds | ~800 hrs · $90–140K | About 400 fewer re-reviews, same rates. |

CrossBeam Permits is priced per agency, scoped to permit volume, review lanes and what the team needs. For scale: one plan checker costs about $200–235K a year with benefits for about 1,800 review hours (our estimate from Buena Park’s FY2026-27 budget).

Freed hours show up as shorter queues and faster plan check rounds, and as room for volume peaks without overflow consultants; cash savings arise only where rechecks are billed hourly. This is not new fee revenue: California caps plan check fees at the reasonable cost of the service (Gov. Code 66014), and permit volume follows applicant demand. The reductions are scenarios, not measured results. We report correction rounds and turnaround from each agency’s own permit records.

## Where does CrossBeam Permits work?

CrossBeam Permits works with cities, counties and agencies anywhere in the country.

- **California:** available to every city and county; most already have their local rules loaded.
- **Beyond California:** reviews already run on local code in the Greater Seattle, Las Vegas, Denver and Kansas City areas.
- **Current coverage:** 549 jurisdictions in the rules library.

Coverage describes the rules library. It is not a customer list. Agencies using CrossBeam Permits today are listed on [Agencies using CrossBeam Permits](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/agencies).

## Related pages

- [Why agencies choose CrossBeam Permits](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/why-crossbeam): Six reasons cities and counties choose CrossBeam Permits, each with a public source.
- [Agencies using CrossBeam Permits](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/agencies): How the City of Laguna Beach and the City of Buena Park use CrossBeam Permits, from their own public records.
- [Pricing and procurement](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/agencies/pricing-and-procurement): How agencies scope, buy and fund AI plan check, with answers to common security and data questions.
- [AI plan review buyer’s guide](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-plan-review-buyers-guide): Questions to ask before buying, and a sourced comparison of AI plan review vendors.
- [CrossBeam Permits vs CivCheck](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/compare/civcheck): How CrossBeam Permits and CivCheck compare for city and county plan review, from each vendor’s own materials and public agency pages.
- [Is AI plan review legal?](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/is-ai-plan-review-legal): How the AI drafts and the building official and staff decide, and what to ask your counsel.
- [AI plan check corrections letters](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-plan-check-corrections-letters): How CrossBeam Permits drafts corrections letters on the agency’s letterhead, and who decides what they say.
- [California ADU 60-day timeline](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/california/adu-60-day): What Gov. Code 66317 requires of agencies reviewing ADU permits.
- [California post-entitlement permits (AB 2234)](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/california/post-entitlement-permits): What Gov. Code 65913.3 requires for building permits on housing.
- [Washington SB 5290 timelines](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/washington/sb-5290): RCW 36.70B.080 decision deadlines and permit fee refunds.
- [Florida HB 803 permit timelines](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/florida/hb-803): What Fla. Stat. 553.792 requires: 5 business days for completeness and for small single-family permits that use the local government’s plans reviewer, and fee reductions for late days.
- [AI FactSheet](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-factsheet): AI use, data handling and human oversight in the GovAI Coalition format.

## Sources

Facts and sources checked 2026-10-30.

1. [City of Buena Park, “Buena Park Plan PreCheck” program page](https://www.buenapark.com/city_departments/community_development/building_division/building_permits/plan_pre-check.php) (accessed 2026-10-30)
2. [City of Buena Park news release, “Buena Park Launches Plan PreCheck, Offering Every Applicant a Free AI-Powered Plan Check Before They Submit,” October 5, 2026](https://www.buenapark.com/_T2_R554.php) (accessed 2026-10-30)
3. [City of Laguna Beach, City Council Meeting Recap (minutes), August 4, 2026, Item 17](https://lagunabeachcity.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument/1956) (accessed 2026-10-30)
4. [CrossBeam Permits AI FactSheet v1.1, sections 7, 8, 11 and 14](https://www.crossbeam-permits.com/ai-factsheet) (accessed 2026-10-30)
5. [Cal. Gov. Code §66317(a)(2)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=66317) (accessed 2026-10-30)
6. [Cal. Gov. Code §65913.3(b)(1)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=65913.3) (accessed 2026-10-30)
7. [Cal. Gov. Code §66014](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=66014) (accessed 2026-10-30)

*CrossBeam Permits is operated by Onboard Dot AI LLC, Huntington Beach, California. Not affiliated with Crossbeam, the partner-ecosystem software company at crossbeam.com.*

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