Peer review — formally reviewing another engineer's plans before submission to the agency — is one of the most effective ways to reduce plan check comments and catch errors before they become expensive. But a peer review is only as good as the reviewer's method. Looking at the plans casually and saying "looks good" is not a review. A systematic approach that checks specific items in a defined sequence catches the issues that matter.

The Review Sequence

Start with the big picture and work down to the details. The following sequence covers the critical items for a site civil plan set:

1. Overall Site — Does the Layout Work?

• Does the site plan match the tentative map or approved entitlement? Are the building footprints, parking counts, and access points consistent with the conditions of approval?
• Are the setbacks correct? Check front, side, and rear setbacks against the zoning code.
• Does the parking count meet code? Count the stalls, check the sizes (standard, compact, accessible), and verify the ratio.
• Is there adequate turning radius for the design vehicle? Garbage trucks and fire apparatus need specific turning radii (typically 25- to 28-foot inside radius for fire apparatus). Check every dead-end and every tight corner.

2. Drainage — Where Does the Water Go?

• Trace the drainage from every high point to its outlet. Every square foot of the site should drain to a defined collection point.
• Check for low points without inlets. If a proposed contour creates a low point, there must be an inlet or a drainage path out.
• Verify that the building pad has positive drainage away from the foundation. 2% minimum for the first 10 feet.
• Check that storm drain pipe sizes and slopes are adequate for the contributing drainage area. Run a quick rational method check on the critical pipe runs.
• Verify that the stormwater treatment facility (bioretention, etc.) is properly sized and has an overflow path.

3. Accessibility — Does the ADA Route Work?

• Trace the accessible route from every accessible parking space to the building entrance it serves. Check running slope (5% max) and cross-slope (2% max) at every segment.
• Check every driveway crossing. The sidewalk cross-slope at the driveway must not exceed 2%.
• Verify curb ramp geometry: landing size (48"x48" min), ramp slope (8.33% max), flare slopes (10% max), truncated dome placement.
• Check accessible parking stall dimensions, slopes (2% max in any direction), and signage.

4. Fire Access — Will the Fire Marshal Approve?

• Fire access road width: 20 feet minimum (26 feet where aerial apparatus access is required).
• Fire access road within 150 feet of all portions of the building exterior (or per local code).
• Dead-end fire lanes: turnaround required (hammerhead, cul-de-sac, or approved alternative).
• Hydrant spacing and fire flow per the applicable appendix.
• Knox Box and FDC locations shown and accessible from the fire lane.

5. Utilities — Do the Connections Work?

• Sewer lateral: adequate slope (2% min), adequate depth to connect to the main, no conflicts with other utilities at the crossing points.
• Water service: adequate size for domestic and fire demands, backflow prevention device located per the water district standards.
• Storm drain: pipe slopes, inlet rim elevations, and outfall elevation all consistent.
• Joint trench: conduit sizes, separations, and vault locations per the utility company standards.

6. Details — Are They Complete and Correct?

• Do all sections and details referenced on the plan sheets actually exist in the detail sheets?
• Are the standard details the correct version for the jurisdiction? (Using a city's 2015 standard detail when the 2023 version has been adopted is a common error.)
• Are the notes complete? Grading notes, utility notes, pavement notes, erosion control notes — check that all required notes are present.
• Do the plan and profile match? Verify that the plan view pipe alignments and elevations are consistent with the profile view.

What a Peer Review Is Not

A peer review is not a stamp review (signing and sealing someone else's plans without independently verifying the design). It is not a code check (verifying every code requirement — that is the plan checker's job). And it is not a replacement for QA/QC within the design firm. The peer review catches the issues that the design team is too close to the project to see.

A thorough peer review of a typical commercial site plan takes 4 to 8 hours. It adds a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to the project cost. It saves weeks of plan check re-review time and prevents construction-phase corrections that cost orders of magnitude more.