A permit rejection rarely means your project is impossible — it almost always means a document was missing, unsigned, or built for the wrong county. Here are the five plan-review comments we see most, and how a complete PE-sealed package clears each one before you ever submit.
Most Florida permit rejections are paperwork problems, not design problems. Missing calculations, unsigned drawings, the wrong wind speed, absent product approvals, and incomplete site plans account for the large majority of plan-review comments — and every one of them is preventable up front.
When a plans examiner rejects a submission, they issue a list of comments and send it back. You correct it and resubmit — and that resubmission goes to the back of the queue for a fresh review cycle, often another 5 to 15 business days. Two rejections can add a month to a project that should have taken two weeks. Getting it right the first time is the single biggest lever on your timeline.
Florida requires that structural drawings be backed by wind-load calculations under ASCE 7-22. Submissions that show a drawing but no supporting math — or calculations that don't match the drawing — get rejected immediately. A sealed package includes the calculations and ties them directly to the plans.
In Florida, structural drawings for permitted work must carry the seal and signature of a licensed Professional Engineer. Homeowner sketches, contractor markups, or unsigned CAD files are rejected on sight. This is the fastest rejection there is — and the easiest to avoid.
Design wind speed changes across Florida — 130 MPH inland, up to 185 MPH in Miami-Dade. Drawings calculated for the wrong county, or generic plans pulled from another state, fail review because the structure isn't proven for local loads. County-specific calculations are non-negotiable.
Connectors, fasteners, roof panels, and screen systems must carry a Florida Product Approval — and in Miami-Dade and Broward, a Notice of Acceptance (NOA). Leaving these out is one of the most common comments. A complete package lists the approved products alongside the details that use them.
The county needs to see where the structure sits and that it respects property-line setbacks and easements. A missing or vague site plan stalls the review even when the structural design is perfect. Every submission should show the structure located on the lot with dimensioned setbacks.
A complete engineering package is built to clear plan review on the first pass. It includes the PE-stamped drawings, the wind-load calculations for your specific county, the product approvals, and the details the examiner is looking for — assembled the way each county wants to see them. And if the examiner still has a question, the engineer who sealed the drawings answers it directly.
Get a complete, county-specific, PE-sealed package built to clear plan review the first time. Quoted same day; drawings usually ready in 5–7 business days.
Start Your Project →The most common reasons are missing or unsigned engineering, wind-load calculations for the wrong county, missing product approvals, and an incomplete site plan. Most rejections are documentation problems, not design problems — and they're avoidable with a complete PE-sealed package.
The county issues plan-review comments listing what must be corrected. You revise and resubmit, which starts a new review cycle — typically another 5 to 15 business days. Each rejection adds a full cycle, which is why clearing review on the first pass matters so much.
Yes. Most comments are technical and are best answered by the engineer who sealed the drawings. At Franca Engineering, responding to plan-review comments and re-sealing until the permit is approved is included in the package.