Shop Drawings and Submittals: What They Are and How the Review Works

By Erik Tishenko, Modern Northwest · Published November 4, 2026

Shop drawings are detailed drawings made by a subcontractor, fabricator or manufacturer that show exactly how one part of the building will be made and installed. They are one kind of submittal, the documents a contractor sends to the architect or engineer for review before that work is built. The others are product data and samples. Here is what each type covers, what the review stamps mean, how long review takes, and how Portland handles the pieces designed after the permit is issued.

Categories from UFGS 01 33 00, the federal submittal procedures guide specification (SD-02 shop drawings, SD-03 product data, SD-04 samples).

Planning a build-out? Modern Northwest is a commercial general contractor licensed in Oregon (CCB #198582) and registered in Washington (L&I MODERNI888R7). Call (360) 326-2747 or see our commercial construction services.

Shop drawings vs construction drawings

The architect's and engineers' drawings show what the building has to be: sizes, locations, materials, performance. They usually do not show how a particular fabricator will cut, weld, assemble or fasten a piece. Shop drawings fill that gap. The federal specification describes three kinds: drawings and schedules made to illustrate a portion of the work, a manufacturer's or fabricator's own drawings for making the product and fitting it in, and coordination drawings that show how several trades will share the same space.

Coordination drawings matter most on interior build-outs, where ductwork, sprinkler pipe, plumbing and electrical all compete for the space above the ceiling. Sorting that out on paper is cheaper than sorting it out in the field. Clinics are a good example: the 5,618 square foot Orenco Family Medicine office we built in Hillsboro is a medical tenant improvement, the kind of space where mechanical, plumbing and electrical work all share the same ceiling.

How the review works

1. The subcontractor prepares it and sends it to the general contractor.
2. The general contractor checks it against the drawings, specifications and the other trades, then sends it on.
3. The architect or engineer reviews it for conformance with the design, marks it up and returns it with a stamp.
4. The work goes ahead only on the items the stamp allows.

Once approved, shop drawings also feed the closeout set: the federal closeout specification tells the contractor to fold all shop and fabrication drawings into the as-built drawings.

What the review stamps mean

• Approved or accepted: go ahead with the work.
• Approved as noted: go ahead, as long as the marked corrections are made. No resubmittal needed.
• Revise and resubmit, or not approved: the submittal is incomplete or does not meet the contract. Fix it and send it again, and do not build that item until the new version is approved.
• Not reviewed: sent back without review, for example because it was not required or the contractor had not checked it first.
• Receipt acknowledged: for information-only submittals that do not need approval.

One rule surprises owners: approval is not a full check. The federal specification says approval only means the general method, materials and detailing look satisfactory, and it does not relieve the contractor of meeting the contract. If a reviewer's comment would change the contract drawings, it has to go through as a change, the same way a change order does.

How long submittal review takes

The time is set in the specifications, so it belongs in the schedule from day one. The federal guide specification allows at least 15 working days when the contractor's quality control manager approves, at least 20 when the contracting officer approves, and 30 when a government fire protection engineer has to review. Its notes suggest 30 working days on projects expected to take 180 calendar days or more. A rejected submittal has to go through review again, which is why a complete first submittal saves time. Long-lead items such as rooftop units and storefront systems are the ones to submit first.

Deferred submittals in Portland

Some parts of a building are designed by the supplier after the main permit is issued. Portland calls these deferred submittals and lists common examples: roof trusses, floor trusses, I-joists, manufactured guardrail systems and specialized stairways. The rules come from the Oregon Structural Specialty Code:

• Plan for them at permit. Deferred items need prior approval from the building official and must be listed on the main permit's construction documents (OSSC 107.3.4.1).
• Match the approved design. If the design or layout changes, the main permit needs a revision first, and the city approves that before the deferred submittal.
• Review stamp first. The engineer or architect of record reviews and stamps the deferred submittal before it goes to the city.
• Seals. Pages are sealed by an Oregon-registered design professional, but shop drawings only need a seal if they are the only construction drawings given for review.

This is one more reason the general contractor and design team should talk during preconstruction: what gets deferred, and who designs it, affects the permit schedule.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Shop drawings show how a piece will actually be made and installed; product data and samples show what is being bought and what it should look like. All of them go through the contractor to the design team, come back with a stamp, and set what can be built. Build the review time into the schedule, submit long-lead items first, and in Portland list any deferred submittals on the permit set.

Modern Northwest has built commercial projects across Portland and Southwest Washington since 2005. More construction terms are in our commercial construction glossary. Tell us about your project.