ColdEyes — municipal plan check
Cold eyes that never blink — you keep the stamp.
Closed beta: ColdEyes home
ColdEyes is cold-eyes permit review for jurisdictions — cities, counties, and other AHJs: applicants or staff upload a package, ColdEyes drafts citation-backed findings and notifies the right people, and staff take every official action. It never auto-approves, auto-denies, auto-returns, or auto-issues.
(Related plan-reading technology as Estym8 construction takeoff — different product and buyers. Suite map: plan intelligence SKUs.)
Build / UX working doc: ColdEyes perfect workflow (dashboard → queue → package act loop; backlog map).
In this brief
- How it works
- Package status
- Phased and design-build permits
- Who may upload
- Jurisdiction permit systems
- Notifications
- After you sign in
- Clara
- Multiple jurisdictions
- Jurisdiction settings
- Joining a jurisdiction / closed beta
- Improving from misses
- Staff keep the stamp
- What ColdEyes is — and is not
- Who it’s for
- What’s in closed beta vs later
- Working with design partners
How it works
ColdEyes is one product with two human sides on the same package:
| Side | Who | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Submitter | Permit applicant (owner / A/E / GC) or jurisdiction staff when they upload | Upload the package; check status; get notified on changes |
| Jurisdiction staff | Front desk, examiners, building official | Act on notifications; approve, deny, return, add / edit findings; record permit issued |
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Upload | Submitter (or staff) | Package enters ColdEyes — no re-import chore as the default path |
| Draft review | ColdEyes | Completeness + citation-backed draft findings only — never an automatic outcome |
| Notify | ColdEyes | Alerts the right staff (and, when relevant, the applicant) that findings are ready |
| Act | Jurisdiction staff (applicants resubmit when asked) | Humans take the official action |
Typical path
- Someone uploads the package → status Submitted
- ColdEyes runs a cold-eyes draft review
- The right staff are notified
- Staff act — send to review, return incomplete, submit deficiencies, issue, or deny
- The applicant is notified of that decision
Rules that do not bend
| Rule | Meaning |
|---|---|
| No automatic outcomes | ColdEyes only drafts and notifies. Approve, deny, return, issue, and “findings sent to applicant” happen only when a human acts. |
| Upload is intake | Packages enter by signed-in upload (applicant or staff). |
| Staff keep the stamp | ColdEyes shows status after humans act. It never stamps or issues by itself. |
Package status
Statuses are per package and show in the app and audit trail. Reasons attach when denied or returned.
| Status | Meaning | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Package uploaded and received | Upload |
| Draft ready | Draft review finished; staff notified (draft findings are not yet an official return or deny) | ColdEyes (notify only) |
| Returned — incomplete | Returned with reason; applicant notified | Staff |
| In review | Sent to review; reviewer named or unassigned | Staff |
| Findings / corrections | Deficiency findings submitted; applicant notified | Staff |
| Resubmitted | Revised package uploaded | Applicant |
| Permit issued | Issuance recorded (stamp stays with staff) | Staff |
| Denied | Denied with reason | Staff |
Audit trail (in order): draft findings → staff notified → human actions → applicant notified after staff act.
Phased and design-build permits
Many small TI jobs are one package: upload → review → no construction until that permit is issued. Large and design-build jobs often need more than one package on the same project.
| Early package | What may start | While this is still open |
|---|---|---|
| Grading / site | Earthwork, rough utilities, demo (per jurisdiction rules) | Building / shell / MEP plans |
| Foundation-only | Foundations / first pour | Full building set |
| Shell then TI | Core & shell | Tenant improvement packages |
| Rule | Meaning |
|---|---|
| One project, many packages | Completeness, findings, status, and issuance are per package |
| Right checklist per type | A grading package is not scored against a full building checklist |
| Sibling status is visible | You can see grading issued while building is still in review — unless the jurisdiction configures a stricter rule |
| Staff still issue each package | ColdEyes never auto-issues early work |
Who may upload
Upload requires a signed-in submitter tied to a jurisdiction (so the right checklist applies). There is no anonymous dropbox.
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction staff | Invite-only for that jurisdiction |
| Applicants / firms | Jurisdiction rules decide — owner, architect, engineer, design firm, GC, or expeditor |
| Closed beta | Everyone is gated: request access → approval → invite |
Who may upload depends on the jurisdiction and permit type — ColdEyes follows the AHJ’s rules, not a single national default.
Jurisdiction permit systems
ColdEyes speeds the review layer. It does not replace Accela, Tyler, or another system of record. Over time, status and issuance can sync or deep-link; for closed beta, staff can record permit issued in ColdEyes first.
Notifications
| When | Who is notified |
|---|---|
| Draft findings are ready | The right staff |
| Staff approve, deny, return, or issue | The applicant (and other parties the jurisdiction configures) |
Email and in-app for closed beta. Notifications open the relevant package when you sign in.
After you sign in
Everyone lands on a dashboard — not a blank chat.
| Role | Dashboard focus |
|---|---|
| Submitter | Your packages, status, upload / resubmit, notifications |
| Jurisdiction staff | Packages that need action for your jurisdiction; draft-ready queue; act on findings |
| Jurisdiction admin | Staff tools plus Settings → Jurisdiction |
Clara is always available as help. She is never the home screen.
Clara
Clara is ColdEyes’s assistant.
| Where | What she does |
|---|---|
| Public site | Explains ColdEyes, access, and the review workflow; points you to request access, this brief, or contact |
| Signed in | Helps you find and understand your packages, status, and findings |
Clara never approves, denies, returns, or issues. Staff keep those actions.
Multiple jurisdictions
One account can be approved for more than one jurisdiction. Each package belongs to exactly one jurisdiction. Staff only see jurisdictions they belong to; firms that serve several AHJs pick the jurisdiction when uploading.
Jurisdiction settings
In the app: Settings → Jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction configures how ColdEyes behaves, including:
- Who may submit (by role and/or permit type)
- Completeness checklist
- Adopted codes, local amendments, and local restrictions
- Who gets notified when drafts are ready
- Which permit types are in the pilot
Draft findings cite against that jurisdiction’s configured pack. Staff still confirm or dismiss every finding.
Joining a jurisdiction / closed beta
Closed beta is invite-gated for jurisdictions (cities, counties, and other AHJs) and authorized firms.
What to expect
- Request access — you get a confirmation right away
- We review jurisdiction / firm fit with design partners
- When a batch opens, you receive an invite
- The jurisdiction finishes minimum setup (who may submit, checklist, codes, notifications) before real packages
- Staff are invited; applicants / firms are approved per jurisdiction rules
A kickoff conversation is common for first pilots so checklist and codes are right — it is not a forever requirement for every jurisdiction.
Improving from misses
When staff add a finding the draft missed, that can improve future drafts for that jurisdiction — only after a jurisdiction admin (or ColdEyes with the AHJ’s approval) reviews and promotes the change. There is no silent learning into live jurisdiction rules, and one AHJ’s misses do not rewrite another’s codes.
Staff keep the stamp
| We say | We never say |
|---|---|
| Assist staff; catch incompletes sooner | “AI replaces plan check” |
| Clearer drafts and citations so humans spend time on judgment | “Automate approvals” / “cut headcount” / “approve in hours” |
| Consistency, audit trail, back-check | “No human needed” |
| Reviewers stay accountable; packs improve only when humans promote changes | “AI stamps the permit” / “the system learns by itself” |
ColdEyes is capacity and quality for the people already doing the work — not workforce reduction.
What ColdEyes is — and is not
| ColdEyes does | ColdEyes does not |
|---|---|
| Direct upload by applicant or staff | Make staff re-import sets as the default path |
| Draft review + notify the right person | Auto-approve, auto-deny, auto-return, or auto-issue |
| Humans take every outcome action | Replace Accela / Tyler as the system of record |
| Dual-sided status + notify (applicant and staff) | Staff-only screening with no applicant-facing loop |
| Human-gated pack improvements after misses | Silent learning that rewrites live jurisdiction rules |
| Fewer incomplete cycles + clearer drafts | Miracle “hours to approve” guarantees |
| Status lookup (including permit issued) | Produce a construction BOM or bid estimate |
| Citation-backed draft findings | Invent violations without drawing or code evidence |
| In-app PDF review with finding overlays for staff (same family as Estym8 drawing verification) | Leave reviewers with a comment list and no way to see issues on the sheets |
| Native Revit / BIM alongside PDF over time | Claim full model QA before it is proven on real packages |
| Review workflow (Clara is assist only) | A zoning/code chatbot as the product |
One line: Upload a package. ColdEyes drafts findings and notifies the right people. Humans approve, deny, return, or issue. Staff keep the stamp.
Who it’s for
| Role | Need |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction manager / innovation lead | Faster, more consistent permitting without giving up the stamp |
| Building official / plan-check staff | Notified of draft findings; review the set in-app with findings on the sheets; clear path to act |
| Applicant / A/E / GC | Upload once; notified when the jurisdiction acts; status you can trust |
Buyer = municipality or shared-services plan-check (AHJ). Users = submitters and jurisdiction staff.
ColdEyes reuses plan-set reading technology from the same family as Estym8. It does not turn Estym8 into municipal software — separate product, access, and roadmap.
Municipal AI plan review is an active category (completeness screens, sheet-linked flags, “AI flags / humans decide” are table stakes). ColdEyes differentiates on the full dual-sided review loop: applicants and staff on the same package, draft + notify only, citation-backed findings with overlays, resubmittal back-check, and human-gated pack improvements — with humans keeping the stamp. We do not sell miracle hour SLAs or silent learning into live codes.
What’s in the initial deliverable vs later
Initial closed-beta deliverable
The pilot ships a full review loop for jurisdictions — not a thin “draft only” slice:
- Dashboard for submitters and staff
- Multi-jurisdiction membership (approved per AHJ)
- Jurisdiction settings — who may submit, completeness checklist, codes / amendments / restrictions, notification defaults, pilot permit types, jurisdiction standard comment library
- Signed-in upload; status starts at Submitted
- Cold-eyes draft review + notify staff (drafts align with the jurisdiction’s checklist and comment library where configured)
- In-app PDF viewer with finding overlays — staff review plans with draft and staff findings on the sheets (pins / markup), not only in a list. Same family as Estym8’s drawing-overlay path; ColdEyes shows issues and citations, not device counts
- Comment typing — Deficiency / Missing info / Clarification / Recommendation (jurisdiction-configurable labels OK)
- Parallel discipline queues (e.g. building, fire, civil / zoning) — not one generic inbox forever
- Staff actions: approve, deny, return, edit findings, send to review, record issued; override / waiver reason in the audit when staff edit or dismiss a draft finding
- Consolidated applicant response — one staff-submitted deficiency package (not fragmented per-discipline emails as the default)
- Resubmittal back-check — original + comments + revised set, with per-finding resolution (open / addressed / disputed / waived)
- Review-cycle versioning and code-edition lock per package
- Audit trail (system draft vs human decisions)
- Deficiency package export (PDF / Markdown)
- Email + in-app notifications
- Clara for product help (public) and workspace help (signed in)
- Phased / multi-package project model (grading / foundation / building as separate packages)
Later (after the first pilot is live)
Platform and scale work that is not required to prove the jurisdiction review loop:
- Applicant pre-submittal self-check (lighter / volume-reducer tier)
- Deferred-submittal lanes (e.g. fire alarm / suppression on a separate track)
- Cycle-time, bottleneck, and flagship / SLA management reporting
- SMS and richer in-app messaging threads
- Deeper Accela / Tyler (or jurisdiction SoR) write-back / sync
- Human-gated learn-from-misses promotion into jurisdiction packs
- Native Revit / BIM depth beyond PDF + overlay review
Do not market later platform items as live until they ship.
Working with design partners
Closed beta is a design-partner path. Together we usually clarify:
- Completeness checklist and first pilot permit type(s)
- Whether you issue phased / early-work permits
- Who may upload for those types
- System of record (Accela / Tyler / other) and how you want status recorded
- Sample packages (including approved sets and, when useful, incompletes) for evaluation — handled privately, not republished
- Success criteria for the first 90 days
Request access or contact us to start that conversation.