TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. For architects, that means a dated, checkable record of the exact drawings you lodged with a planning or permit authority, and of what was later approved.
A planning or building permit set goes through several hands after you press submit. The authority may ask for revisions, the portal may show only the latest upload, and the decision may approve a list of drawing numbers that nobody has compared with the working folder for months. When a condition, an enforcement query or a client dispute arrives, the question is often simple: which drawings were actually lodged, and which were approved?
This guide sets out what the UK and the US texts say about the submission and approval of drawings, and a short routine for keeping a dated record of each version. Planning and permit systems differ by country, region and council, and in much of Europe they are set locally. We did not find a single primary source we could cite for Europe as a whole, so for EU projects follow your authority’s procedure and apply the same record-keeping habit. This is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
- UK (England): what an application must include
- Where this sits in the RIBA Plan of Work
- US: the model building code on submittal and approved documents
- Where planning and permit records go wrong
- What to record at each point
- A routine for each lodgement
- How a TimeBind fits, and what it does not show
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources checked
UK (England): what an application must include
For England, article 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 says an application for planning permission must be made in writing on the published form and, with specified exceptions, be accompanied by “a plan which identifies the land to which the application relates” and “any other plans, drawings and information necessary to describe the development which is the subject of the application”. Wales and the other UK nations have their own rules.
After permission is granted, changes follow separate routes. Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 deals with applications to develop land without complying with conditions of an earlier permission, where the authority considers only the question of conditions. Section 96A lets a local planning authority change a permission if it is satisfied the change “is not material”, and in deciding that it “must have regard to the effect of the change, together with any previous changes made under this section, on the planning permission … as originally granted”.
The point for your records: the approved drawings are the reference every later change is measured against, so you want an exact, dated copy of what was lodged and what was approved.
Where this sits in the RIBA Plan of Work
The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview says that at the end of Stage 3, “once the client has signed off a Stage Report that captures all the design development work undertaken during the stage, a Planning Application can be submitted”. It adds that when an application is made earlier, in the middle of Stage 3, it is important to set a mid-stage gateway so that the information threshold for the application is met. Among the Stage 4 planning tasks it lists negotiating and preparing “non-material or minor material amendments” and submitting “a new Planning Application if material amendments are required”.
So the planning set is usually a stage deliverable, and it ties back to what the client signed off. See client approval of drawings: record which revision was signed off for the sign-off side.
US: the model building code on submittal and approved documents
In the US the details are set by each state and city, which adopt and amend model codes. For the model International Building Code, Section 107 (ICC), the provisions most relevant to your records read as follows. States and cities adopt and amend the code, and we could not confirm which edition the page we read reproduces, so check your jurisdiction.
- 107.1: submittal documents, including construction documents, “shall be submitted in two or more sets with each permit application”.
- 107.2.1: “Electronic media documents are permitted to be submitted where approved by the building official”.
- 107.3.1: when the building official issues a permit, the construction documents “shall be approved, in writing or by stamp, as ‘Reviewed for Code Compliance'”. One reviewed set is retained by the building official, and the other “shall be returned to the applicant, shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection”.
- 107.4: work shall be installed in accordance with the approved construction documents, and changes that do not comply “shall be resubmitted for approval as an amended set of construction documents”.
- 107.5: the building official retains one set of approved construction documents “for a period of not less than 180 days from date of completion of the permitted work, or as required by state or local laws”.
The authority’s retention period is limited and local law varies, so do not rely on it as your only copy of what was approved.
Where planning and permit records go wrong
- The portal shows only the latest upload. Earlier versions that were assessed or commented on are no longer visible.
- Amendments during review. The set that was assessed differs from the set first lodged.
- The decision lists drawing numbers. Your working folder has later revisions with the same numbers.
- The stamped set is not the file you hold. The approved paper or PDF may carry stamps and notes.
- Ten years later. The authority’s website, the portal login and the project team have all moved on.
What to record at each point
| Point | What to keep |
|---|---|
| Before lodging | The exact files you will upload or print, the application form, the fee receipt |
| At lodging | The portal confirmation, reference number and date, plus the authority’s copy if the portal lets you download it |
| During review | Every request for information and each revised set you send, with its date |
| At decision | The decision notice or permit, its list of approved drawings or conditions, and the stamped set |
| After decision | Each amendment, discharge or resubmission and the set that went with it |
A routine for each lodgement
- Freeze the submission set. Name files with the drawing number and revision. Do not edit the exact files after this point.
- Create a TimeBind of the set in the TimeBinder app before you upload it. Your browser makes the fingerprint and the files stay on your device. Up to 10 files per TimeBind, or a single zip.
- Lodge, and save the receipt with the certificate in the same folder.
- Repeat for each revised set you send during review and after the decision.
- When you receive the decision, save the notice and the stamped or approved set, and create a TimeBind of those too.
- Keep a one-page index that maps each decision drawing number to the revision and the certificate date.
For Australian development applications, see planning or DA submission drawings. For the other time-limited submission that architects face, see tender and bid timestamping.
How a TimeBind fits, and what it does not show
The authority’s records, the decision notice and the stamped documents are the official record of what was lodged and approved. A TimeBind adds an independent record, kept by you, of the exact files you prepared and sent at each step. That helps if the portal copy is gone, if two sets share a drawing number, or if someone says the lodged set was different.
A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. TimeBinder makes the fingerprint in your browser and the file stays on your device. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, or that anyone agreed to it. It does not show that the authority received or approved anything, or that the drawings comply with any code or policy. It complements your contract, the RIBA or AIA documents you use, and legal advice; it does not replace them. This is general information, not legal advice.
If AI helped prepare a planning or permit set, or a review tool will receive the drawings, see also the free AI planning drawing checklist. It cannot decide an application, and it cannot show that a drawing is accurate.
Frequently asked questions
Does a TimeBind show what the authority approved?
No. The decision notice and stamped documents do that. A TimeBind shows that the exact files you hold existed no later than the recorded time and still match, so you can tie your own copies to the dates you lodged them.
Which files should I fingerprint for a planning submission?
The exact PDFs or drawings you upload, the application form if it is a file, and any supporting documents. Zip them if there are more than 10, and fingerprint the zip.
Do I need this if the portal keeps copies?
The portal copy is useful, but access and retention vary. Your own dated copy of what you sent and what was approved does not depend on the portal staying available.
Does this apply to EU building permits?
The same habit applies, but procedures are national, regional or municipal. Follow your authority’s requirements and keep the same kind of dated record.
What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, Pooled TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15 when the date must be recorded straight away. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general information about records. Planning and permit law varies, so check your local rules or take advice.
Sources checked
Checked on 10 November 2026. We quote only what these documents say and mark where a point depends on your own contract or local law.
- Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, article 7 (legislation.gov.uk): contents of an application for planning permission
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990, sections 73 and 96A (legislation.gov.uk): conditions applications; non-material changes
- RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview: planning application timing at Stage 3; Stage 4 planning amendment tasks
- International Building Code, Section 107 (as reproduced on UpCodes): 107.1, 107.2.1, 107.3.1, 107.4, 107.5. Secondary source; ICC’s own site blocked our fetch and the edition is unconfirmed; states and cities adopt and amend the code
Date the set before you lodge it
Make the fingerprint in your browser, keep the files on your device, and save the certificate with your lodgement receipt. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, Pooled TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. Prices checked 10 November 2026. See plans and pricing. Open TimeBinder
