plan submitted for approval

Plans for a structure are submitted to the government when its design or specifications are first submitted to the municipal authority or other government body with legal authority for approval or rejection. This step necessarily precedes the approval status if it is to happen at all.

The receiving body must have authority to approve or reject the plans. Presenting a design to a private audience or holding a public hearing does not by itself establish submission to that body.

Construction approved records the effective approval decision. Submission records the earlier act of seeking it and does not indicate the outcome.