Electronic plan review software (sometimes called EPR or ePlan review) is a specialized digital platform that allows government agencies, architects, and engineers to securely submit, evaluate, mark-up, and approve construction blueprints and technical documents in a digital format. Planning and development processes are a consistent source of business and resident complaints to elected officials, so solutions that can streamline and simplify these processes at reasonable costs are highly desired by local government officials. Instead of requiring contractors to physically print and haul heavy, expensive stacks of paper blueprints to City Hall, this software moves the entire architectural and code-compliance screening into a collaborative, cloud-based web browser.

Unlike a basic PDF viewer, EPR software is custom-built to handle complex computer-aided design (CAD) blueprints and geometric datasets. The most comprehensive EPR software solutions include several key capabilities:

• Simultaneous Review: Multiple municipal departments (e.g., Zoning, Fire Safety, and Structural Engineering) can open, review, and annotate the exact same blueprint file at the same time.
• Advanced Markup & Stamping: Reviewers utilize specialized digital tools to add code-correction annotations, take exact scale measurements, and overlay official, secure approval stamps directly onto the drawings.
• Strict Version Control & Overlay: When an applicant uploads an edited blueprint, the software automatically stacks the old version on top of the new one. It highlights changes in different colors so reviewers see exactly what was modified.
• Built-in Code Libraries: Platforms integrate localized municipal and building code catalogs so reviewers can quickly paste precise legal compliance requirements into their correction notes.
• Automated Correction Logs: The platform compiles all fragmented department notes into a single, comprehensive correction report that is automatically emailed back to the applicant.
• Native Integration to Land Management, Licensing, and Permitting Software Systems: The EPR is integrated at the native code level to the other government systems that will need to be informed of or take action on the submitted plans, increasing efficiency and smoothing cross-division collaboration.

MaintStar’s proprietary EPR includes all the premium features of the best electronic plan review solutions, is priced very competitively and highly configurable at no additional cost, and is seamlessly integrated with MaintStar’s Community Development Suite. It is also sold as an enterprise software license, supporting agency growth and evolution and providing predictable budgeting.