What is a deferred submittal, and how can it delay my build?

Some parts of a home, like roof trusses, solar panels, and fire-sprinkler systems, are designed by a specialty manufacturer or subcontractor who is not even hired until after the permit is pulled. The building code has a name for the process that lets those pieces come in later: a deferred submittal, a portion of the design the building official agrees, in advance, can be turned in for review after the main building permit is issued, instead of with the first plan set. The catch is in the code. Under IBC Section 107.3.4.1, "the deferred submittal items shall not be installed until the deferred submittal documents have been approved by the building official." So if a deferred package is submitted late or sits in review, the work that depends on it cannot start, and that can stall framing, the roof, or your final inspection.

What a deferred submittal is

A deferred submittal is a planned exception to the rule that all your plans come in at once. Normally you submit a full set of construction documents for the permit. The city reviews and approves them before work starts. But some parts of a home are designed by specialists you do not hire until after permitting. Their shop drawings do not exist yet. The deferred submittal process lets those few items be formally deferred so the rest of the permit can move ahead.

The rule comes from IBC Section 107.3.4.1. It defines deferred submittals as "those portions of the design that are not submitted at the time of the application and that are to be submitted to the building official within a specified period." The deferral is not automatic. The same section says "deferral of any submittal items shall have the prior approval of the building official." The registered design professional in responsible charge, usually your architect or engineer, must list the deferred items on the plans.

Maricopa County's policy, directive DD-2018-05, says the same. Shop drawings "are often required for such things as fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems, trusses, joists and girders, special equipment," and these can be deferred with the building official's approval. So deferral is a tool to keep a project moving. It is not a way to skip review. The deferred item still gets reviewed, just on a later clock.

What gets deferred on a custom home

On an Arizona custom home, a handful of engineered or specialty systems are the usual deferred submittals because they are designed by the supplier or trade after permitting. The common ones are:

• Roof and floor trusses. Pre-engineered wood trusses come with shop drawings and load calculations stamped by the truss manufacturer's engineer. These are a classic deferred submittal.
• Solar photovoltaic systems. Rooftop solar is typically designed and permitted by the solar contractor after the home permit, so the panel layout and electrical design are deferred.
• Fire-sprinkler systems. Where a home needs fire sprinklers, the sprinkler contractor's hydraulic shop drawings are deferred, and in Phoenix and Maricopa County these also route through fire review. Phoenix notes that fire-system shop drawings "shall be approved prior to the start of system installation."
• Other engineered specialties. Items like prefabricated stairs, specialty glazing, or special equipment can also be deferred when their design depends on a chosen supplier.

What ties these together is that none of them can be designed by the architect alone up front, and all of them are structural or life-safety items the building official still needs to review. So they are deferred, not skipped.

It is worth knowing the difference between a deferred submittal and a separate permit, because cities treat them differently. A deferred submittal is part of your existing building permit. It just comes in later under that same permit. A separate permit is a whole new application, often pulled by a specialty trade, such as a fire-sprinkler "F" permit in Phoenix. The two can look alike to an owner, but they route differently and have different deadlines. If you are not sure which one applies to your trusses, solar, or sprinklers, ask your design professional or the building department early, so nothing gets stuck waiting on the wrong process.

How the deferred-submittal process works

The deferred-submittal process runs through your design professional in responsible charge. It does not go straight from the subcontractor to the city. Under IBC Section 107.3.4.1, the deferred documents first go to that registered design professional. They review the documents and forward them to the building official "with a notation indicating that the deferred submittal documents have been reviewed and found to be in general conformance to the design of the building." Only then does the building official review and approve them.

Each jurisdiction adds its own steps. City of Phoenix requires the cover or code sheet of the plans to carry a single list of the deferred submittals, with the responsible firms' contact information. Maricopa County requires the design professional to send a letter on letterhead asking for the deferral. By default the letter is due at least 60 days before final inspection, and the building official approves it before the main plans are approved. The county also adds a required inspection for the deferred items. That inspection "must be passed prior to drywall inspections."

The thread through all of it is one rule: approval before installation. The same code section that allows the deferral also bars installing the item until the deferred documents are approved. That single rule is where the schedule risk lives.

How a deferred submittal can delay your build

A deferred submittal delays your build when the deferred item is approved late. The dependent work cannot legally start without that approval. IBC Section 107.3.4.1 is blunt. Deferred items "shall not be installed until the deferred submittal documents have been approved by the building official." That turns a paperwork timeline into a construction timeline.

Picture the common cases:

• Trusses. If your truss package is slow to submit or review, the roof framing cannot proceed. The whole job waits under an open sky until the trusses are approved.
• Fire sprinklers. If the sprinkler shop drawings are still in review, the system cannot be installed. In Maricopa County that deferred inspection has to pass before drywall, so closing up your walls is blocked too.
• Solar. Deferred solar may not stop the structure, but it can hold up your final approval if it is part of the permitted scope.

The fix is to treat deferred submittals as early-schedule items, not afterthoughts. Choose the truss supplier, sprinkler contractor, and solar installer early. Get their shop drawings to your design professional fast. Submit to the city well ahead of when the dependent work is due. A deferred package approved before the crew needs it costs you nothing. One still in review when framing arrives can cost you weeks. The contractor sits idle, the loan interest keeps running, and the move-in date slips.

Because each jurisdiction sets its own deferral deadlines and review times, confirm your city or county's deferred-submittal procedure and timelines at permitting, before you build the schedule around them. Ask two questions up front: which of my items are being deferred, and what is the deadline to submit each one. The answers let your builder sequence the trades so nothing waits on a package still in review. For how the underlying inspections line up, see what inspections are required when building a house in Arizona.

The Jematell Homes approach

We handle jurisdiction, submittals, and inspections as part of every build. Every project is different, so we will confirm the specifics for your parcel and budget with you directly.

Sources

• 2021 IBC Section 107.3.4.1 Deferred submittals (ICC Digital Codes)
• City of Phoenix: Deferred Submittal Requirements and Procedure (PDD)
• Maricopa County: Deferred Submittals (DD-2018-05)
• 2021 IBC Section 107.3.4 Design professional in responsible charge (ICC Digital Codes)