I'm very involved in self-certification in Phoenix, AZ. Some surrounding jurisdictions allow it as well, many times basing their requirements on Phoenix's program guidelines.
Have well over 300 submittals since 2014, commercial & residential. It's pretty much eats up our time such that I don't take on much architectural work these days, if any.
- Family Dollar and similar retail (8,000sf+)
- Medical marijuana TIs
- Medical family practice TIs
- Fuel canopies & kiosks
- Bars/Restaurants TIs & new builds
- Residential (remodels and new construction, some over 10,000sf)
- Residential townhomes & duplexes
- Model homes (aka standard plans)
The program does require me to retain 3rd party reviewers certified by the City to handle structural and electrical over 400 amps.
Approximately 10%-15% of our projects are randomly audited by the City, by way of them performing an actual plan review on projects we've already reviewed and which are already permitted and/or are under construction. Except for our very first project back in 2014, no audits have come back with a "fail" status, though the City has caught a few items here and there that I missed.
I will say that the time savings factor is a huge plus for projects to start construction sooner than later.
As I'm sure most of you are aware there are cities around the country (Chicago, New York, Phoenix, etc.) that are allowing Architects to go through training and then certify that their plans are code compliant. Have you been involved with a municipality that has an initiative like this? If so please advise how you were involved with that municipality, and share your experiences.