What Is a Deferred Submittal in Construction?

A deferred submittal is a portion of the design or construction documentation that is not included with the original permit application and is instead submitted to the building authority for review and approval at a later date — after the permit has already been issued. A submittal is the set of project documents, drawings, product data, or specifications submitted for review to confirm that a material, system, or assembly meets the design and code requirements.

The term comes from the building code. Most jurisdictions that follow the International Building Code (IBC) allow certain specialized systems or design components to be deferred as long as the licensed design professional of record acknowledges them in the permit documents and the building official accepts the deferral.

For contractors and project teams, deferred submittals are not optional paperwork. They are a formal part of the permit and inspection process. Work on a deferred system cannot legally begin until the deferred submittal has been reviewed and approved by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). When that approval is not tracked properly, the result is either unauthorized work in the field or a project that stalls waiting on a late submission.

This article explains exactly what a deferred submittal is, which systems typically qualify, how the approval process works, and how to manage deferred submittal tracking without letting it become a compliance gap.

What the Building Code Says About Deferred Submittals

The IBC defines deferred submittals as those portions of the design that are not submitted at the time of the permit application and are to be submitted to the registered design professional in responsible charge at a later specified date.

The code establishes specific requirements for how deferred submittals are handled:

• The registered design professional in responsible charge — typically the architect of record — must identify all deferred submittals on the permit documents
• The architect of record must list the deferred items and confirm that the overall design accounts for the loads and performance requirements those systems must meet
• Each deferred submittal must be submitted by a registered design professional — usually a licensed engineer — who takes responsibility for the design of that system
• The architect of record reviews the deferred submittal for conformance with the overall design before forwarding it to the building official
• The building official must approve the deferred submittal before work on that system can begin

Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements layered on top of the IBC provisions. In some jurisdictions, deferred submittals require a separate plan check fee or a dedicated review cycle that runs parallel to the construction schedule.

Which Systems Are Commonly Deferred

Deferred submittals most often involve specialty engineering systems where the design is dependent on a specific manufacturer, fabricator, or specialty contractor who is selected after the permit is issued. The systems most frequently deferred include:

Structural systems

• Structural steel connection designs — where the steel fabricator’s engineer designs the connections after the fabricator is selected
• Cold-formed metal framing designs — often engineered by the framing contractor’s design team
• Prefabricated wood truss designs — produced by the truss manufacturer after shop drawings are finalized
• Post-installed anchor and embed designs — sometimes deferred when the anchor system is manufacturer-specific

Fire protection systems

• Fire sprinkler system shop drawings — typically deferred because the sprinkler contractor is selected after permit and the layout depends on the final reflected ceiling and MEP coordination
• Fire alarm system shop drawings — similarly deferred when the system design is performed by the installing contractor’s engineer
• Special suppression systems such as clean agent or kitchen hood suppression

Mechanical and electrical systems

• Elevator design and shop drawings — almost always deferred, with a separate review by the local elevator inspection authority
• Generator and switchgear layouts when designed by the equipment supplier
• Custom mechanical equipment configurations requiring manufacturer-specific engineering

Facade and envelope systems

• Curtain wall engineering — often deferred because the curtain wall contractor performs the engineering after selection
• Storefront system engineering when designed by the glazing contractor
• Cladding attachment systems with manufacturer-specific engineering

The common thread across all of these is that the specialty design cannot be fully completed until the contractor or fabricator who will build the system is under contract and has begun their own engineering process.

How the Deferred Submittal Approval Process Works

The deferred submittal process runs on a different track from the standard submittal review cycle. Understanding the sequence helps project teams avoid the most common compliance failures.

1. The architect of record identifies deferred items on the permit drawings. Each deferred submittal is listed by system and includes a placeholder note that the design will be provided under separate cover after permit issuance.
2. The building official reviews the permit package and accepts the listed deferrals. Acceptance is not automatic — the building official has discretion to reject a deferral request if the information provided is insufficient to evaluate the overall structural or life safety design.
3. The permit is issued with the deferred items listed as conditions. The permit documents will typically note that work on the deferred systems cannot begin until the deferred submittals are approved.
4. The specialty contractor or fabricator prepares the deferred submittal. This is usually a stamped engineering package prepared by the specialty contractor’s licensed engineer. For fire sprinklers it is the sprinkler contractor’s fire protection engineer. For structural steel connections it is the fabricator’s structural engineer of record.
5. The specialty engineer submits the package to the architect of record for review. The architect reviews for conformance with the overall design intent — loads, clearances, coordination with other systems — before forwarding to the building official.
6. The building official reviews and approves the deferred submittal. Depending on the jurisdiction and the complexity of the system, this review may take days or several weeks. Some jurisdictions run a parallel plan check process for deferred submittals.
7. Approval is issued and work on the deferred system can begin. The contractor must have the approved deferred submittal available on site for inspection. The inspector will verify that the installed work matches the approved deferred submittal documents.

How a Deferred Submittal Differs From a Standard Submittal

Project teams sometimes treat deferred submittals as just another item in the standard submittal log. That is a mistake. The two processes have different approval chains, different legal consequences for non-compliance, and different tracking requirements.

	Standard Submittal	Deferred Submittal
Who approves it	Architect or engineer of record	Building official (AHJ), after architect review
When approval is required	Before material procurement or installation	Before any work begins on that system — legally required
What triggers the review	GC transmittal to A/E per contract schedule	Specialty contractor submittal to architect, then to AHJ
Compliance consequence	Contract non-conformance, potential rework	Code violation, stop work order, failed inspection
Tracked in submittal log?	Yes	Yes — but separately flagged as deferred/permit-required
Stamping requirement	Varies by submittal type	Must be stamped by licensed specialty engineer
On-site documentation	Approved submittal in project files	Approved deferred submittal must be available for inspector

Common Mistakes That Create Compliance Risk With Deferred Submittals

Most deferred submittal problems are not engineering failures. They are tracking and communication failures. These are the most common ones and the consequences they create.

• Allowing work to begin before AHJ approval: This is the most serious mistake and the most common. A sprinkler contractor starts rough-in work before the fire sprinkler deferred submittal has been approved by the building official. The inspector catches it during a rough framing inspection and issues a stop work notice on that scope. The submittal then has to be expedited through the AHJ review, which cannot be rushed in most jurisdictions.

• Tracking deferred submittals in the same log field as standard submittals: When a deferred submittal is logged the same way as a product data submittal, its special status gets lost. The PM sees the item as “submitted” and assumes it is moving through review. In reality it has only been sent to the architect — the AHJ review has not even started.

• Missing the architect’s intermediate review step: The specialty contractor submits the stamped package directly to the building department without going through the architect of record first. The building official rejects it because it was not reviewed by the responsible design professional. The review cycle starts over with an added delay.

• Not confirming AHJ review timelines at project kickoff: A deferred submittal for a complex fire alarm system goes into the building department with a four-week review queue. The project schedule assumed two weeks. The framing work is complete and the MEP rough-in is ready to begin, but the fire alarm rough-in has to wait. The delay ripples into ceiling close-in and subsequent inspections.

• Failing to keep the approved deferred submittal on site: The inspector arrives for the framing or MEP rough-in inspection and asks to see the approved deferred submittal for the curtain wall engineering. The document is in someone’s email. The inspection cannot proceed and must be rescheduled. This is a one-day delay that compounds when inspectors are booked out.

• Not flagging deferred submittals in the schedule: A deferred submittal that has not been tied to a schedule activity can miss its window without anyone noticing. By the time the PM realizes the sprinkler submittal was never sent to the AHJ, the project is two weeks from rough-in inspections.

Best Practices for Managing Deferred Submittals

• Identify all deferred submittals at project kickoff. Pull the list from the permit documents during the pre-construction meeting. Every deferred item should be entered in the submittal log on day one with a flag indicating its deferred status.
• Track deferred submittals separately in the log. Use a dedicated status column or color code that distinguishes deferred submittals from standard submittals. The log should show both the architect review status and the AHJ review status as separate fields.
• Confirm AHJ review timelines early. Contact the building department during preconstruction to understand their current plan check queue for deferred submittals. Build that timeline into the project schedule before the specialty contractors begin their engineering.
• Set a submission deadline for each deferred item that accounts for both the architect review and the AHJ review cycle. Work backward from the date construction must begin on that system.
• Require the specialty contractor to confirm their engineering timeline in writing at the pre-construction meeting. If the fire sprinkler contractor’s engineer needs six weeks to produce the stamped package, that needs to be in the schedule from day one.
• Keep the approved deferred submittal in the site office and in the project management platform. When an inspector asks for it, the answer should never be a search through email.
• Assign one person to own the deferred submittal tracking. This does not need to be the PM. It can be the project engineer, the document controller, or a construction virtual assistant handling document control workflow and support. The key is that one person is accountable for the status of every deferred item.

How Virtual Construction Assistants (VCA) Supports Deferred Submittal Tracking

Deferred submittals require more active management than standard submittals because they move through two sequential approval chains — the architect and then the building official — and because the consequences of missing a step are code compliance issues rather than just contract disputes.

Once the deferred submittal list is identified and the tracking system is set up, a construction virtual assistant from Virtual Construction Assistants (VCA) can manage the day-to-day coordination and documentation work that keeps the process on track.

What a construction VA handles for deferred submittal management:

• Setting up a dedicated deferred submittal tracking log with separate status fields for the architect review and the AHJ review stages
• Logging each deferred submittal at project kickoff with the required submission date, the specialty contractor responsible, and the target approval date based on confirmed AHJ review timelines
• Sending submission deadline reminders to specialty contractors so their engineering packages arrive with enough lead time for the full review cycle
• Tracking the architect’s intermediate review and confirming when the package has been forwarded to the building official
• Monitoring AHJ review status and flagging items that are approaching construction start dates without confirmed approval
• Coordinating with the specialty contractor to confirm the approved deferred submittal has been received, filed in the project management platform, and made available in the site office
• Updating the project schedule tracker when each deferred submittal receives AHJ approval so the superintendent and PM know that scope can proceed
• Supporting closeout by confirming that all deferred submittals have received final approval and that the approved documents are included in the closeout package

Virtual Construction Assistants (VCA) works within the document management and project tracking systems the team already uses — whether that is Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, or a shared drive. The construction VA tracks the status, surfaces the issues, and makes sure nothing moves into the field before the approval is confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of a deferred submittal?

A deferred submittal allows construction to proceed on a project before the full engineering design of certain specialty systems is complete. It is used when the final design of a system depends on a contractor or fabricator who is selected after the permit is issued. The deferral is formal — it is listed on the permit documents and accepted by the building official — and the approved deferred submittal must be in place before work on that system begins.

Who is responsible for tracking deferred submittals?

The general contractor is typically responsible for coordinating the deferred submittal process from the construction side. The architect of record has the design responsibility and must review the stamped package before it goes to the building official. In practice, the tracking work is handled by the project engineer, document control administrator, or a construction virtual assistant assigned to document control support.

Can work start on a deferred submittal system before AHJ approval?

No. Work on a deferred system cannot legally begin until the building official has approved the deferred submittal. Starting work before approval is a code violation and can result in a stop work order, a failed inspection, or a requirement to expose completed work for inspection. The risk is not worth the schedule gain.

How long does AHJ review of a deferred submittal take?

Review timelines vary significantly by jurisdiction and by the complexity of the system. Simple systems in smaller jurisdictions may be reviewed in one to two weeks. Complex structural or fire protection systems in busy urban jurisdictions can take four to six weeks or longer. Confirming the AHJ’s current review queue at project kickoff is the only reliable way to know the actual timeline.

Does a deferred submittal need to be stamped by an engineer?

Yes. Deferred submittals must be prepared and stamped by a licensed design professional — typically a structural engineer, fire protection engineer, or MEP engineer depending on the system. The stamp confirms that the specialty engineer has taken responsibility for the design of that system. An unstamped deferred submittal will be rejected by the building official.

How should deferred submittals be tracked in the submittal log?

Deferred submittals should be tracked in the main submittal log but clearly flagged with their deferred status. The log should capture two separate review stages: the architect’s intermediate review and the AHJ review. Each stage should have its own date fields, status, and notes column. Mixing deferred submittals into the general log without distinguishing their special status is one of the most common tracking failures on construction projects.

Keeping Deferred Submittals on Track Before They Become a Compliance Problem

Deferred submittals are one of the most overlooked tracking gaps on construction projects. By the time a missed approval shows up, it is usually just before an inspection or a scheduled construction start — when the pressure to resolve it quickly is highest.

Contact Virtual Construction Assistants (VCA) to learn how our construction VAs support deferred submittal tracking, document control, and permit compliance coordination for general contractors and construction management teams.