Approvals by Jurisdiction · Definition
What Is Expedited or Third-Party Plan Review?
General guidance, not a code determination for any project. Confirm the adopted code and local amendments with the authority having jurisdiction.
Expedited plan review is any arrangement that gets construction documents approved faster than the authority having jurisdiction’s (AHJ’s) standard review, and third-party plan review is the version in which a qualified private reviewer, not the agency’s own staff, checks the documents for code compliance. In New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware the options take four forms: professional self-certification, private review agencies, paid accelerated review and, alongside them, the owner’s own peer review. In every program the AHJ keeps final authority.
No model code creates these options. State law, local rules and agency programs do, so the same fire protection drawings can be eligible for a faster path in one county and not in the next. This article explains what each form is, where the rules sit in each state, how third-party review differs from an owner’s peer review, and when a faster path is worth using.
At a Glance: Expedited or Third-Party Plan Review
- Definition: a review path that shortens or replaces the agency’s own plan examination, either by accepting a design professional’s certification, by delegating the review to a certified private reviewer, or by selling priority review for a fee.
- Governing code and section: no model code section; each program rests on state or local law, for example NYC Administrative Code 28-104.2.1 and Title 1 of the Rules of the City of New York (1 RCNY) 21-01, 3 RCNY 104-02 for Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) fire alarm filings, New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 5:23-4.12 to 4.16, Pennsylvania Code (34 Pa. Code) 401.1 and 403.102(g), and the Prince George’s County Third-Party Plan Review Program.
- Who prepares it or who it applies to: the registered architect or professional engineer who certifies the documents, or a private agency the program authorizes; the owner or applicant files, and in some programs pays the reviewer directly.
- When it’s required: usually optional; mandatory for fire protection shop drawings in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and for residential permits in Pennsylvania municipalities that do not enforce the code themselves.
- Typical output: an approved plan set, letter of acceptance or permit issued on the strength of the certification or third-party approval, subject to the agency’s audit.
- Often confused with: an owner’s peer review, which approves nothing, and an expediter, who files and tracks applications but does not review them.
What Expedited and Third-Party Plan Review Mean
Standard plan review means the agency’s own plan examiner reads the full set and issues approval or objections. Review speed then depends on the agency’s queue and its review clock, which some states fix by law and others leave open; DGA’s guide to fire protection plan review times by state lists those clocks.
An expedited path changes who does the work or how much of it the agency does. The agency can accept the design professional’s certification with less than a full examination, hand the review to a certified private agency, or move a paying applicant to the front of its own queue. Third-party plan review is the delegated form: a private reviewer applies the same code, and the agency relies on that reviewer’s approval to issue the permit.
None of these paths transfers the AHJ’s legal authority. Each program keeps the agency’s power to audit the filing, reject an approval or remove a reviewer, and the field inspection and final sign-off stay with the agency.
The Forms It Takes: Self-Certification, Private Agencies, Paid Expedite and Peer Review
The table sorts the options in the region by who does the review and what the agency still does. Private agencies appear twice, because an agency hired by the municipality and an agency hired by the owner work under different rules.
| Form | Who reviews | What the agency still does | Example in the region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional certification (self-certification) | The registered architect or professional engineer who prepared the documents certifies code compliance | Accepts the filing with less than a full examination and can audit it after acceptance | NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) under Administrative Code 28-104.2.1 and 1 RCNY 21-01; FDNY fire alarm filings under 3 RCNY 104-02 |
| Private agency hired by the government | A certified or authorized private agency acting in place of municipal staff | The municipality contracts with the agency and sets its scope; the state authorizes or certifies the agency | New Jersey private plan review agencies (N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.12 to 4.14); Pennsylvania third-party agencies retained by a municipality (34 Pa. Code 403.102(g)) |
| Private agency hired by the owner | An agency the owner selects from those the program authorizes, and pays directly | Accepts the agency’s approval for the permit, runs quality checks and audits | Prince George’s County Third-Party Plan Review Program; Baltimore City Fire Department third-party plan review; Pennsylvania residential work in opt-out municipalities (403.103(b)) |
| Paid accelerated review | The agency’s own staff, on a shorter published clock | Everything; the fee buys priority, not a different reviewer | Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections accelerated review of fire suppression permits |
| Owner’s peer review | An independent engineer the owner or design team retains | Reviews the full set as usual, unless a rule assigns the peer reviewer a formal role | Voluntary on most projects; New York State alternative compliance cases use an independent design professional (New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, 19 NYCRR 1205.1(b)(5)) |
The first four forms change the agency’s review. Peer review changes the quality of what reaches the agency, which can shorten review by cutting objection rounds, but it does not replace any part of the agency’s examination.
Figure 1: Agency Review vs Third-Party Review
- The agency’s plan examiner reviews the full set
- Speed depends on the agency queue and any review clock in law
- Agency permit fee only
- Objections come from the agency
- Agency inspects, tests and signs off
- An authorized private reviewer checks the set against the same code
- Speed depends on the reviewer the program allows
- Reviewer’s fee on top of the agency permit fee where the owner pays
- Agency accepts the approval, audits and can recall the project
- Agency still inspects, tests and signs off
Where Each State’s Rules Allow Expedited or Third-Party Review
The options differ more between jurisdictions than between project types. The figure summarizes each jurisdiction’s option and its legal basis as of November 2026, and the paragraphs below explain the limits.
Figure 2: Expedited and Third-Party Options by Jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Option | Legal basis | Who qualifies | What it shortens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, DOB | Professional certification | Administrative Code 28-104.2.1; 1 RCNY 21-01 | The registered design professional who files the application | Full plan examination; DOB can audit after acceptance |
| New York City, FDNY | Professional certification of fire alarm design and installation | 3 RCNY 104-02 | Registered architect or professional engineer; building core components excluded | Plan examination of the certified portions |
| New York State (outside NYC) | No statewide program | 19 NYCRR Part 1203 (local programs) | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| New Jersey | Private plan review agency acting for the municipality | N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.12 to 4.14 | Department of Community Affairs authorized agency with licensed staff, under contract with the municipality | Municipal staff review is replaced; the owner cannot hire one for plan review |
| Pennsylvania | Certified third-party agency; design professional certification on residential work; Philadelphia accelerated review | 34 Pa. Code 401.1, 403.102(g), 403.103(b), 403.63(a); Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections permit page | Agency certified by the Department of Labor and Industry; licensed design professional | Residential clock from 15 to 5 business days; Philadelphia suppression review from 20 to 5 business days for new construction with plans |
| Maryland, Prince George’s County | Mandatory third-party plan review of fire protection systems | DPIE Third-Party Plan Review Program manual (November 2025) | Agency whose professional-in-charge is a Maryland professional engineer or National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) Level IV technician with 5 years in responsible charge of fire protection system review | County staff review of the system drawings |
| Maryland, Baltimore City | Third-party plan review for small scopes, on request | Baltimore City Fire Department program | Department-approved Maryland registered fire protection engineer or NICET Level IV technician | Department staff review; the Fire Department keeps final approval |
| Delaware | No published expedited or third-party program | 1 DE Admin. Code 701, section 1.5.1.2 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
New York City: Administrative Code 28-104.2.1 lets the DOB commissioner accept construction documents with less than full examination, based on the professional certification of an applicant who is a registered design professional, and DOB can audit those filings after acceptance. The program rule is 1 RCNY 21-01, and 1 RCNY 21-02 lets DOB exclude an architect or engineer from the program. FDNY runs its own version for fire alarms under 3 RCNY 104-02; DGA’s article on NYC professional certification and its risks covers what happens when an audit finds a problem.
New York State outside New York City: The rules for local code enforcement programs, 19 NYCRR Part 1203, place permit review with the city, town or village program and set no statewide review deadline. No statewide third-party or paid expedite program exists in those rules, so any faster track is a local practice.
New Jersey: The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) authorizes private on-site inspection and plan review agencies under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.12, and those agencies contract with a municipality to act in place of its subcode officials, with staff licensed under subchapter 5 of the same chapter. Under 5:23-4.14 the agency may not collect fees from the owner, so an owner cannot buy a private plan review. Supplemental agencies under 5:23-4.16 perform inspections only, and an owner may hire one directly only with the enforcing agency’s written authorization or when the enforcing agency cannot perform a requested inspection.
Pennsylvania: A third-party agency is a person or firm certified by the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) to review plans or inspect under the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (34 Pa. Code 401.1). A municipality may enforce through one (403.102(g)), and in an opt-out municipality a residential applicant must hire one (403.103(b)); DGA’s guide to who reviews fire protection plans in Pennsylvania sets out which applies. Residential review drops from 15 to 5 business days when a licensed design professional prepares the drawings and certifies compliance (403.63(a)).
Philadelphia: The City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections offers accelerated review of a Fire Suppression Systems Permit for new construction with plans in 5 business days, against 20 business days on the standard track. The fee is $1,050 as of November 2026, with $350 paid at filing and not credited.
Maryland: Prince George’s County DPIE requires owners to retain a third-party plan review agency for fire protection systems, including fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe and special hazard systems, and the owner, not DPIE, pays the agency. The Baltimore City Fire Department allows third-party review, on request and at the applicant’s cost, for adding or relocating up to 20 fire alarm devices or 50 sprinkler heads on existing approved systems, for kitchen suppression and for Fire and Life Safety Design Evaluations. Where the Office of the State Fire Marshal reviews, its Engineering Services Section fire protection engineers do the work.
Delaware: The State Fire Marshal reviews all plans before construction, except in political subdivisions whose fire marshal holds exclusive jurisdiction under 16 Del. Code 6612(c) (Regulation 701, section 1.5.1.2). The State Fire Marshal’s plan review pages publish no expedited track, no third-party program and no review time, and submittals are made on paper at the three county offices.
| Jurisdiction | Adopted code (as of November 2026) | Plan review AHJ | Filing or permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 2022 NYC Construction Codes and 2022 NYC Fire Code | DOB for sprinkler and standpipe; FDNY for fire alarm | DOB NOW: Build sprinkler and standpipe work types; FDNY TM-1 through FDNY Business |
| New York State | 2025 Uniform Code (2024 I-Codes), in effect since December 31, 2025 | City, town or village code enforcement official; the county or Department of State where a locality opted out | Building permit under 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a) |
| New Jersey | UCC on the 2024 I-Codes since August 17, 2026; Uniform Fire Code on the 2018 International Fire Code | Municipal fire protection subcode official, or DCA’s Bureau of Construction Project Review | F100 permit application with the F140 fire protection technical section |
| Pennsylvania | UCC on the 2021 I-Codes since January 1, 2026 | Municipal code office or its third-party agency; L&I in opt-out municipalities and for state-owned buildings | Building permit with fire protection shop drawings; Fire Suppression Systems Permit in eCLIPSE in Philadelphia |
| Maryland | Building Performance Standards (2021 International Building Code); State Fire Prevention Code, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1 and NFPA 101 (2024) | County permit office with a local fire official or the Office of the State Fire Marshal | County building permit with the Fire Marshal Plan Review form |
| Delaware | State Fire Prevention Regulations (2026), NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (2024); International Building Code by county | State Fire Marshal, or a city fire marshal such as Wilmington’s | Building and system plan applications at the county State Fire Marshal office |
DGA provides third-party and peer review of fire protection designs and prepares submittals for agency, third-party and professionally certified filings across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Project briefs get confirmation and preliminary code feedback within one business day. See where DGA works →
How Third-Party Review Differs From an Owner’s Peer Review
Third-party plan review is part of the approval. The private reviewer works under the AHJ’s program, and the agency issues the permit on the strength of that approval. A peer review is advice to the owner or design team: an independent engineer reads the design before submittal and reports problems, and the agency then reviews the set in full as if the peer review had not happened.
| Question | Third-party plan review | Owner’s peer review |
|---|---|---|
| Who hires the reviewer | The agency, or the owner from a list the agency authorizes | The owner, lender, insurer or design team |
| Legal effect | The agency relies on the approval to issue the permit | None; the agency still reviews the full set |
| Rules that govern it | State regulation or the agency’s program manual | The contract between the owner and the reviewer |
| Reviewer qualifications | Set by the program, for example L&I certification or a Maryland professional engineer license | Set by the owner |
| Effect on schedule | Replaces the agency’s examination time with the reviewer’s | Adds time before submittal and can cut objection rounds afterward |
One exception gives a peer reviewer a formal role. In New York State, alternative compliance cases under 19 NYCRR Part 1205 use peer review by an independent design professional, defined in 1205.1(b)(5) as a New York State licensed professional independent of the original designer. Even there, the Department of State decides the case under 1205.5(b), not the peer reviewer.
When Expedited or Third-Party Review Is Worth Using, and When It Is Not Available
A faster path pays off when the schedule cost of the standard queue is larger than the added fee and risk. Typical cases are tenant fit-outs with a fixed opening date, small changes to existing approved systems that fit a program’s scope, and new construction in Philadelphia where the 5-business-day accelerated track replaces a 20-business-day review. The Fire Protection Project Timeline Estimator helps compare the standard path with the alternatives before deciding.
The added cost is real. Philadelphia’s accelerated review fee is not credited against the permit, and Prince George’s County does not refund its permit fee when a third-party agency reviews. Professional certification shifts the review risk to the design professional and the owner, because DOB can audit certified filings after acceptance, when work may already be under way.
Some projects have no faster path at all. New Jersey owners cannot hire a private plan reviewer, Delaware publishes no expedited or third-party option, New York State outside New York City has no statewide program, and FDNY does not accept professional certification of fire alarm core components such as the fire alarm control unit, elevator recall devices and stair manual pull stations. On those projects, a complete first submittal is the main lever on review time.
Key Takeaway: Expedited and third-party plan review are legal shortcuts set by each jurisdiction, not by the model codes: professional certification in New York City, private agencies acting for the government in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, owner-paid third-party review in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City, and paid accelerated review in Philadelphia. In each one the AHJ keeps final authority, the inspections and the power to audit, and New Jersey, Delaware and New York State outside New York City publish no statewide faster path that an owner can choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can plan review be paid to go faster?
Conditional: only where the agency offers a paid track or an owner-paid reviewer. Philadelphia offers accelerated review of fire suppression permits for new construction with plans in 5 business days for a $1,050 fee as of November 2026, and Prince George’s County owners pay a third-party agency directly. New Jersey private plan review agencies may not collect fees from the owner.
Is NYC professional certification a third-party review?
No. Professional certification lets the applicant’s own registered design professional certify that the documents comply, and DOB accepts them with less than full examination under Administrative Code 28-104.2.1 and 1 RCNY 21-01. No independent reviewer is involved, and DOB can audit the filing after acceptance.
Does a third-party reviewer replace the AHJ?
No. The reviewer works under the AHJ’s program, and the AHJ keeps final authority and the inspections. Prince George’s County keeps quality checks, audits and the power to remove an agency, and the Baltimore City Fire Department keeps final approval of the work its third-party reviewers check.
Can fire alarm filings be self-certified in NYC?
Conditional: yes, except for building core components. Under 3 RCNY 104-02 a registered architect or professional engineer may professionally certify fire alarm design and installation, and FDNY issues a Letter of Acceptance for a certified design. The fire alarm control unit, elevator recall devices, stair manual pull stations and other core components cannot be professionally certified.
More in Approvals by Jurisdiction
- How Does AHJ Review Work in NYC, NJ and Philadelphia?
- How Do Pittsburgh Fire Protection Approvals Work?
- How Do Federal Agencies Review Leased-Space Fire Protection?
- What Is Maryland’s Sprinkler Law for New Homes?
- Does the Pennsylvania Fire and Panic Act Still Apply?
- What Does NYC Require for Construction Site Fire Safety?
This article is general information, not a code determination for any project. Expedited and third-party programs change with agency policy; confirm eligibility, fees and scope with the authority having jurisdiction before relying on one.
Weighing a Faster Review Path?
Send the address, the scope and the target dates. DGA checks which review paths the jurisdiction allows, provides independent review of the fire protection design and prepares the submittal for the path chosen. Project briefs get confirmation and preliminary code feedback within one business day.