Guides

What Is a Deferred Submittal?

A deferred submittal is a part of a building’s design that the permit allows to be submitted later — usually items designed with the fabricator or supplier, such as guardrails, stairs, and canopies. Here is how the process works in California and what a plan reviewer expects to see.

By Anthony Sutter, P.E. · Licensed Professional Civil Engineer ·

What the code says

Section 107.3.4.1 of the California Building Code defines deferred submittals as the portions of the design that are not submitted with the permit application and are submitted to the building official later. The process has four parts:

  • The building official must agree to defer the items.
  • The architect or engineer in responsible charge lists the deferred items on the permit drawings.
  • The deferred submittal goes to that architect or engineer first. They review it and forward it to the building department with a notation that it is in general conformance with the design of the building.
  • The items cannot be installed until the building department approves the submittal.

Items that are commonly deferred

  • Guardrails and handrails, including glass guards and pool barriers
  • Steel stairs, landings, and ladders
  • Canopies, awnings, and sunshades
  • Prefabricated wood trusses
  • Storefront and curtain-wall systems
  • Rooftop equipment anchorage
  • Automatic gates and fencing

Fire sprinklers and fire alarms are usually handled as separate fire permits rather than as deferred structural submittals.

Which code edition applies

Usually the edition the building permit was issued under, not the newest one. The 2025 California Building Code took effect on January 1, 2026, but buildings permitted before then often stay on the 2022 CBC or earlier, even when the deferred items are submitted years later. Designing to the wrong edition is one of the most common reasons a package comes back, so I confirm the edition with the plan reviewer before starting.

What a complete package contains

  • Design criteria — code edition, risk category, wind speed and exposure, seismic design values, and the live loads used, such as the 50-pound-per-foot and 200-pound guard loads
  • Member and connection checks for every detail, each summarized with its demand-to-capacity ratio
  • Anchors with the manufacturer’s evaluation report cited, and the embedment, edge distance, and concrete thickness checked
  • Welds and bolts, with a weld schedule
  • Special inspection requirements under CBC Chapter 17
  • Stamped details that match the fabricator’s drawings

Where packages get held up

  • The calculations use a different code edition than the permit
  • Guard posts are anchored to a slab edge, a thin topping slab, or wood framing that was never checked
  • Anchors are specified without an evaluation report, or the reported edge distance and embedment aren’t met
  • The architect or engineer of record hasn’t reviewed and noted the package before it reaches the building department
  • The calculations don’t match the members and connections on the fabrication drawings

Planning the schedule

Because the architect or engineer of record reviews the package before the building department does, a deferred submittal has two reviews instead of one. The items can’t be installed until it’s approved, and a late package can hold up inspections and the final. Fabricators who start the calculations when the drawings are ready, rather than when the steel is ready, rarely wait on the permit.

This guide is general information, not engineering advice for a specific site. Requirements vary by city, county, and fire district, so confirm them with the reviewing agency for your project.