Engineering Review & PE Stamp Services
Review and stamp for drawings you already have: a licensed Professional Engineer checks your plans against the code your jurisdiction enforces and seals them. From $249, typically 48 to 72 hours.
- Licensed PE in your state
- One fixed fee in writing
- Revisions until approved
- Quote usually within the hour
Prefer to talk?(737) 409-9610contact@residentialpe.com
- From $249
- One fixed fee, quoted before work starts
- 48 to 72 hours
- Typical turnaround for simple scopes
- Sealed for your state
- By an engineer licensed where you build
- Revisions included
- Until your permit is approved
Our PE stamp services are for drawings that are already done. You do not need a full engineering package. You need a licensed Professional Engineer to check your drawings against the code your jurisdiction enforces and put a seal and signature on the sheets. That is exactly what this service is: a real engineering review, written comments where something has to change, and a seal your building department will accept.
What our PE stamp services include
- Code review of your drawings against the building code edition in force where you are building
- A check of structural members, spans, connections, loads and details that the plan reviewer will look at
- Written comments where something has to change, with the fix spelled out, not just a rejection
- The PE seal, signature and date on the sheets, by an engineer licensed in your state
- Calculations where the jurisdiction asks for them or the design needs them to be defensible
- A stamped PDF set ready to upload to your permit portal or print for the counter
- Answers to the building department’s comments, and revisions, until the submission is approved
What a PE stamp means
A PE stamp, or seal, is a licensed Professional Engineer’s statement that the design was prepared or reviewed under their responsible charge and meets the applicable code. Each state licensing board sets its own rules for how seals are used, and you can find your state’s board through NCEES. Because the engineer takes responsibility for what is sealed, a proper stamp always comes with a proper review. If you want the background, read our guide: what is a PE stamp and how do you get drawings stamped.
Not sure what your permit needs?Send what you have. An engineer replies with scope and a fixed price, usually within the hour.
Get a free quoteChat with an engineerWhat we need from you
- Your drawings: PDF, DWG, or clear photos of a hand-drawn set
- The project address, or at least the city and county, so we use the right code and the right license
- Anything the building department has already told you, including a rejection letter or a plan review comment sheet
- Photos of the existing structure if the work touches something already built
If your drawings are missing information an engineer needs, we tell you before you pay, and we quote the extra work separately so you are never surprised by the invoice.
Work we stamp every week
- Decks, porches, patio covers, pergolas and carports
- Interior remodels, wall removals, new openings and headers
- Garage conversions, ADUs and basement finishes
- Roof framing changes, solar mounting and re-roofs with new loads
- Foundations, footings, piers and underpinning repairs
- Retaining walls, site walls and small site structures
- Owner-drawn plans for homeowners pulling their own permit
How our PE stamp services work
- Upload your drawings with the project city or county and any comments already received.
- Get a fixed quote with scope, price and delivery date in writing, usually within the hour.
- Engineering review. The engineer checks the set against the enforced code and marks anything that has to change.
- Corrections, if needed. You make the changes, or we make them for an agreed fixed price.
- Seal and deliver. You receive the sealed PDF set, and we stay on to answer plan review comments until approval.
Turnaround and price
Most residential review-and-stamp jobs come back within 48 to 72 hours of us having the full set. Review and stamp of small residential work starts at $249. Larger sets, commercial work and multi-discipline reviews are quoted as one fixed fee before any work begins. There is no hourly billing. See every tier on the pricing page.
Review and stamp, or full design?
Review and stamp fits when the drawings exist and are close to code. If you only have an idea or a rough sketch, or the reviewer has rejected the set more than once, a designed package is usually faster overall. Start with structural engineering, MEP engineering or civil engineering, and the stamp is included.
What happens during a PE review
A review and stamp is not a rubber stamp. When an engineer seals a drawing, the engineer accepts professional responsibility for it under the rules of the state licensing board. That is why the review is a real engineering check. The engineer reads the set the way a plan reviewer would, then goes further and checks the parts a plan reviewer cannot, such as whether the members actually work for the loads.
- Scope check. The engineer confirms what is being built, which code edition applies at the address and which sheets need a seal. Some departments want every sheet sealed, others only the structural or MEP sheets.
- Code compliance. Spans, connections, foundations, egress, fire separation and any discipline the seal covers are checked against the enforced code and local amendments.
- Calculations. Members that fall outside prescriptive tables are calculated. Where the jurisdiction asks for a calculation package, it is prepared and sealed with the drawings.
- Mark-up. Anything that does not work comes back as a clear list with the fix, for example a deeper beam, a hanger, a footing size or a missing detail.
- Seal. Once the drawings are correct, the engineer applies the seal, signature and date, digitally or wet as your department requires.
Drawings we can review and stamp
The fastest projects are drawings that are already close to code. Typical examples are plans from a drafter, a designer or a builder, owner-drawn plans for a simple project, manufacturer drawings that need a state seal, and plans from another engineer who is not licensed in your state. We also review partial sets, for example when only the structural sheets of an architect’s set need a seal.
- Decks, porches, pergolas, carports and patio covers
- Interior wall removals, new openings and beam replacements
- Garage conversions, ADUs and small additions
- Roof changes, solar mounting and rooftop equipment
- Foundation repairs, retaining walls and site structures
- Prefabricated buildings, steel kits and modular units that need a local foundation design
When a set needs more than a stamp
Sometimes the honest answer is that a set needs design work before it can be sealed. That happens when the drawings are missing a foundation plan, when beams are sized by guess, when the lateral bracing does not meet the code, or when the reviewer has already rejected the set more than once. In those cases you get a written list of what is missing and a separate fixed price to complete it. Nothing is sealed until it is right, because a seal on a wrong drawing helps nobody: it fails inspection, delays the job and puts the engineer’s license at risk.
For new projects with only an idea or a sketch, a full design package is usually faster overall than drafting first and reviewing later. The engineer designs the structure from the start, and the stamp is part of the package.
Digital seals, wet seals and multiple states
Most building departments now accept digitally signed and sealed PDFs uploaded through an online portal. The digital signature is tied to the engineer and shows if the file is changed after signing, which is why departments trust it. A few departments and some lenders still ask for wet-signed paper sets. Tell us where the drawings are going and we confirm the format before delivery.
Each state licenses its own engineers, so a seal is only valid in the state where the engineer holds a license. Builders and franchise owners with projects in several states can send all of them to one team, and each set is sealed by an engineer licensed in the state where that project is built. The license number appears on the seal, so the plan reviewer can verify it with the state board in a minute.
How long a review and stamp takes
For a complete residential set that is close to code, the review and seal are usually finished in 48 to 72 hours. Larger sets, commercial projects and drawings that need corrections take longer, and the engineer gives you a firm date with the quote. What speeds things up most is sending everything at once: the full set, the project address, photos of existing conditions and any comment letter you already received.
How to prepare your drawings for a fast review
A review goes quickest when the engineer can see the whole project without chasing information. Before you upload, check that the set has the basics a reviewer will expect. You do not need professional software, but the drawings do need to be clear, to scale or fully dimensioned, and complete enough that someone who has never seen the site understands what is being built.
- A site plan showing the property lines, the existing buildings and where the new work goes
- Floor plans with room names, dimensions, wall locations and door and window sizes
- A framing or structural plan showing joists, rafters, beams and posts, even if the sizes are only proposed
- A section through the building showing how the roof, walls and floor connect to the foundation
- Elevations if the project changes the outside of the building
- Notes on materials: lumber grade, concrete, roofing and any manufactured products
Photos help more than most people expect. A few pictures of the attic, the crawlspace or basement, the wall being removed and the outside of the house often answer questions that would otherwise take an email or two. If the building department has already reviewed the plans, include the comment letter so the engineer can resolve every item in one pass.
What the seal means for you after approval
Once the permit is issued, the sealed drawings become the documents the contractor builds from and the inspector checks against. If the contractor needs to change something during construction, such as a different beam size because of material availability, the change should go back to the engineer for a quick revision or a field letter. That keeps the permit valid and avoids a failed inspection.
Keep the sealed PDF with your property records. It shows a future buyer, appraiser or insurer that the work was designed and permitted properly, and it makes later projects easier because the next engineer can see exactly what was built and why.
Review and stamp for designers and drafters
Designers and drafters often prepare excellent drawings but need an engineer’s seal for the structural portion or for a jurisdiction that requires engineering. We review your sheets, coordinate any changes with you directly, and seal them for the state where the project is built. Your title block and drawing style stay yours, and the engineer’s seal is added where the department expects it. For regular work, we keep your standard details on file so each review is faster.
Engineers who are licensed in one state but have a project in another can use the same service: our engineer licensed in the project state reviews the design and takes responsibility for it under that state’s rules, so the drawings can be submitted with a valid local seal.
Questions before you upload? Message the engineer by chat or email. A quick look at a few sheets is often enough to tell you whether the set can be stamped as is or needs changes first.
Sample sheets from recent permit sets
References: ICC building codes · NCEES state licensing boards
Review and stamp: common questions
Can you stamp drawings somebody else prepared?
Yes. That is the point of this service. The engineer reviews the work, takes responsibility for what is sealed, and asks for changes where the drawings do not meet code.
What if the drawings will not pass as drawn?
You get a written list of what needs to change and a fixed price to make those changes. Nothing gets sealed until it is correct, and nothing gets billed without your approval first.
Do PE stamp services include calculations?
Yes, where the jurisdiction asks for them or where the design needs them to be defensible. Calculation packages are included in the quote.
Do you offer wet stamps or only digital seals?
Most departments now accept digitally signed and sealed PDFs. Where a wet-signed paper set is required, tell us and we will confirm what your department accepts before delivery.
Can you trust an online engineering service? Here is how to check us.
Everything below can be verified before you pay anything. Ask us about any of it on chat.
Check the engineer’s license yourself
Every set is sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state where you build. The name and license number on the seal can be looked up on your state licensing board’s website.
Know the price before anything starts
You get the scope, one fixed fee and the delivery date in writing. No hourly billing and no surprise invoices.
Covered until your permit is approved
If plan review sends comments, the engineer answers them and revises the drawings at no extra charge.
Talk to the team directly
Live chat, phone or email, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You reach the people working on your project, not a call center.
Your plans and payments stay private
Your files are used only for your project. Payments go through PCI-DSS compliant processors, so card details never reach our servers.
A registered US company
Residential PE is operated by Site Planers LLC, a US-registered company. Our terms and privacy policy are published in full.
Or reach us directly:(737) 409-9610contact@residentialpe.com
Get a fixed price for your review and stamp.
Send plans, photos, a survey or a sketch. A licensed engineer replies with scope, price and a delivery date, usually within the hour, seven days a week.
Request your free quote
- Free quote, no obligation
- One fixed fee in writing before any work starts
- Your drawings stay confidential
Other engineering we handle for permits
Structural engineering
Beams, framing, foundations and lateral design, calculated and sealed.
MEP engineering
HVAC, electrical and plumbing plans with load calculations.
Civil and site engineering
Grading, drainage, stormwater and site plans to local standards.
Load bearing wall removal
Beam, post and footing design with the letter your inspector wants.
Site plans for permits
Scaled plot plans with setbacks, coverage and easements.
Retaining wall engineering
Wall design with stability calculations and drainage details.