Can You Use a Scanned Floor Plan for a Permit Application?

Thinking about submitting a scanned floor plan for your next permit? In many US cities, it’s possible, but only if you meet two key requirements. Your plan must follow your local building department’s rules for content and scale, no matter how you created it. And, crucially, your project must be eligible for unsealed plans, a rule that changes from city to city. While most building departments don’t mention app-generated plans at all, Portland stands out: it talks about scanned plans and requires only that they be high resolution.

This guide explains what building departments need in a floor plan, where owner or contractor-made plans are accepted, how to finish a Polycam scan for submission, and when you should hire a drafter. Since requirements differ by location, use these examples for reference and always check your local department’s checklist before submitting.

Key Takeaways

• Departments want plans that are to scale, have measurements, are easy to read, and clearly show what’s existing and what’s new. Portland, Austin, and New York City require a specific scale, while Phoenix suggests using ¼ inch equals one foot.
• Portland, Chicago, and California and Washington accept owner- and contractor-prepared plans for simple residential work.
• New York City won’t accept drawing sets without a seal. Austin and Phoenix may require a design professional for some projects. So, the rules depend on your local department.
• A Polycam export gives you the existing plan with scale, measurements, and labels. You’ll need to add the proposed changes and clearly show what’s existing versus what’s new.

What Building Departments Require of a Floor Plan

The model codes don't say "drawn to scale." IRC R106.1.1 and IBC 107.2.1, as adopted, require construction documents that are "dimensioned and drawn upon suitable material" and "of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and extent of the work proposed," and they allow electronic submittal "when approved by the building official." The scale rule comes from the local department:

Every checklist includes these four things: scale, measurements, room labels with door and window sizes, and a clear way to show what’s existing and what’s changing. None of them ask how you measured the dimensions.

Where Unsealed Plans Are Accepted

The second condition is the stamp. Whether a licensed architect or engineer has to seal the drawings depends on state law and the department's policy:

• Portland: "Anyone can draw residential plans," as long as they have "straight lines and precise measurements."
• Chicago: "You do not need to hire an architect or engineer for simple home improvement projects." Where plans are required, they must come from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer.
• California: State law exempts single-family wood-frame homes of two stories or fewer, and "nonstructural or nonseismic" interior alterations, from the architect requirement. Los Angeles applies the same exemptions.
• Washington: State law exempts design work on residential buildings of up to four units.
• Austin and Phoenix: Unsealed plans are accepted, and both reserve the right to require a design professional for unusual structural work.
• New York City: The department will reject a drawing set submitted without a seal.

From a Scan to a Submittable Plan

A Polycam scan gives you the existing plan with most of the details checklists require. You’ll still need to add the proposed plan and show the difference between existing and new.

What You'll Need

• An iPhone Pro or iPad Pro
• A Polycam Business plan for floor plans, the Floor Plan Editor, and DXF and PDF export
• Your building department's residential submittal checklist
• Scan the entire floor. Even for small projects, most departments, including Portland, want to see the full floor layout. At Polycam, we suggest using Space mode to scan every room. Make sure to capture each doorway from both sides to capture the door swings.
• Correct and label your plan. Use the Floor Plan Editor to fix any walls or openings that aren’t accurate, and label each room by its use. Double-check door and window openings against the actual house, since checklists require their sizes and types.
• Check one dimension by hand. In our testing against a laser distance meter, standard interior captures came within about ½ inch, with a larger variance of up to two inches on larger-scale captures. Measure one long wall with a tape and compare, so the "precise measurements" line on the checklist is one you can stand behind.
• Export the existing plan. The PDF export includes a scale bar, north arrow, measurements, and room labels. Export at high resolution, and use black and white if your department asks for it.
• Make the proposed plan. Two routes. Duplicate the capture and edit the walls and openings in the Floor Plan Editor to show the new layout, then export it as a second sheet. Or export the DXF, open it in CAD, and draw the proposed layout and demolition on it, which is the route for anything that needs notes, schedules, or a drafter's finish.
• Label your sheets as “Existing Floor Plan” and “Proposed Floor Plan.” Include the scale, address, and project scope on each. In Austin, you also need to show which items are being demolished and which are new.
• Check your checklist again before uploading. Some departments require window types, ceiling heights, and a site plan, which aren’t included in the scan.

When to Hand It to a Drafter or Architect

A scanned plan works for showing the existing conditions of a non-structural interior project. It’s not enough when:

• The work is structural. Removing a bearing wall, adding a beam, or changing the roof brings the "unusual structural design" language on Phoenix's and Austin's checklists into play, and in most states, the engineer's seal.
• The jurisdiction requires a seal regardless. New York City is the clearest example.
• The department wants a full set. Sections, elevations, electrical and plumbing plans, and a site plan are drawing work, not scan output.
• The job is an ADU or an addition. Both usually need a site plan and often a design professional.

Even then, a scan can save your drafter time. Give them the DXF and the Spatial Report, and the existing-conditions sheet will be ready before they begin.