Department of Safety and Professional Services Adds Public Lookup Tool for Status of Building Plan Submissions

Madison, Wis. –  The Department of Safety and Professional Services is introducing an improved public lookup tool for developers, builders, architects, property owners, or other interested parties to check the status of a plan submission, including any outstanding documents required to advance the plan for review. The new tool will launch the week of January 16.

The new self-service tool will make submission dates and requirements available to interested parties so that they can independently monitor projects. Users will not need a login for eSLA, the submission system, but they will need the DIS (Division of Industry Services) number associated with the plan. Typically, the entity submitting a plan, often the architect, will receive the DIS number when they enter the plan into eSLA. Property owners, contractors, or others associated with the project should obtain the DIS number from the individual or entity responsible for submission with the department.

“We believe this plan lookup tool will provide more transparency into the process and a timeline for reviews,” said DSPS Secretary-designee Dan Hereth. “We have heard that developers would like to be able to better monitor a plan submission, and we believe this tool will provide the detailed information they need to track progress and identify omissions, errors, or questions.”

The tool will display the project submittal date, the review date, status of the review, and whether the review progress is delayed due to errors or omissions in the original or subsequent submittals. This information should help developers, property owners, architects, contractors, subcontractors, and others manage schedules and more quickly address any questions or issues that arise.

“This tool will be very useful to architects in keeping their clients and project teams informed of the progress of plan review. It will also help greatly in forecasting construction timelines and labor which is so critical in today’s economy,” said Robert Wheat, a senior project architect at OPN Architects in Madison and the 2023 president of the American Institute of Architects in Wisconsin.

Secretary Hereth says that echoes what he hears from others in the industry. “We meet regularly with stakeholders, and we have heard that access to this information would be valuable to the construction industry,” Hereth said. “We are pleased to offer this tool that will help them manage projects and timelines.”

The eSLA Plan Lookup Tool can be found here:  https://esla.wi.gov/publiclookup. To access a plan, individuals will need to enter the nine-digit DIS number. Again, a plan submitter may provide the number to anyone who is interested in the status of their plan.

About DSPS: The Department of Safety and Professional Services issues more than 240 unique licenses, administers dozens of boards and councils that regulate professions, enforces state building codes, runs the state fire prevention program, and maintains the award-winning Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which is a key tool in the multi-faceted public health campaign to stem excessive opioid prescribing. A fee-based agency, the Department of Safety and Professional Services is self-sustaining and receives no general fund tax dollars for its day-to-day operations. With five offices and 250 employees throughout Wisconsin, DSPS collaborates with constituents and stakeholders across a wide range of industries to promote safety and advance the economy.