InterLinc: Planning: ePlan Submittal Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the most common questions we have heard from you regarding ePlan Submittal.

As much as possible, we have categorized the questions according to the "role" of the person - application contact or review agency - asking the question. Questions that apply to more than one "role" will be duplicated in each category. We have also created a category for general questions about the ePlan Submittal process.

If you have a question about ePlan Submittal that is not answered on this website, please submit it to City-County Planning Department via the Comment Board.

What is ePlan Submittal?

Do I have to use ePlan Submittal?

How is ePlan Submittal different from the Department's current application process?

Which applications does the ePlan Submittal process include?

When did the Planning Department begin using the ePlan Submittal process?

Will all paper copies be eliminated entirely from the application process?

Do I need a computer to use ePlan Submittal?

What software do I need to use ePlan Submittal?

How do I install the ePlan Submittal/ProjectDox components?

What is a "pdf?"

How do I create a "pdf" file?

What resolution should be used in creating "pdf" documents?

Must all documents I submit be in "pdf" format?

When I print a pdf it has a black background. How do I correct this?

What does the project status mean?

Why do "Complete" projects stay on my project list?

Do I still need to come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application?

What paper documents do I need to bring with me when I come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application?

After I have submitted my application form and paid my application fee at the Planning Department, how long do I have to upload my digital files?

How does ePlan Submittal affect the application "cut-off date?"

Am I required to submit a project CAD file for my application to be complete?

What if I have more than one person as my application contact?

Are electronically generated engineers and architects seals acceptable as part of the ePlan Submittal process?

How do I attach an engineers or architects seal to my pdf?

Where can I get the geographic coordinates necessary for my CAD files?

Where can I get the Lincoln Electric System (LES) "easement standards" for use in preparing my site plans?

Why does a review task I completed still show up on my task list?

Can I create my markup in a 3rd party software and import it into ePlan Submittal?

Will I have to complete a review in Permits Plus as well as the new ePlan Submittal?

How can I communicate back to the Project Coordinator without removing the project from my to do list?

I am planning to be out of the office. How do I forward my reviews to someone else during that time?

Is there a way to save partial review comments and come back to finish later?

How do I access my review comments once I have completed my review task?

How can I get to the documents I need to review when I use the link in my email notification?

	What is ePlan Submittal? *ePlan Submittal* is the name for our new computerized system providing for the digital submittal and review of planning applications. This system replaces the paper based approach we have been using over the past 50 years. Return to questions Do I have to use ePlan Submittal? Yes. Effective July 2, 2009, all applications submitted to the Planning Department will be processed - submitted and reviewed using ePlan Submittal. Return to questions How is ePlan Submittal different from the Department's former (paper) application process? *ePlan Submittal* builds off of the current Planning application process. It does not significantly alter the basic steps in the process for either those submitting applications or those reviewing applications. Rather, *ePlan Submittal* employs readily available World Wide Web technology to ease the submittal and review of applications. Return to questions Which applications does the ePlan Submittal process include? All Planning Department applications will be managed through the *ePlan Submittal* system. Return to questions When did the Planning Department begin using the ePlan Submittal process? July 2, 2009, The Planning Department began processing all submitted applications using ePlan Submittal. Return to questions Will all paper copies be eliminated entirely from the application process? The simple answer is "no." There will remain times when traditional paper copies of documents will be necessary to meet current statutory requirements. The two most common instances for paper copies will be: the application form; and certain final submittal materials. In both of these instances, original signatures are required on the forms and, in the case of certain final materials, professional certification stamps are called for. Until such time as digital forms of signatures and professional stamps are allowed by State and local statutes, paper copies will need to be submitted which display ink signatures and the applicable professional certification stamps. Return to questions Do I need a computer to use ePlan Submittal? Your availability to a personal computer with Web access is a vital part of ePlan Submittal. The uploading of application files and communications regarding your application will be handled primarily via email and the Web. If you do not have a personal computer or access to one, all City Library locations have computers you may use for free, although you will need a valid email address. If computer access for ePlan Submittal is a problem for you, call the Planning Department at 441-7491, or visit our office in the County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, Suite 213. Return to questions What software do I need to use ePlan Submittal? ePlan Submittal utilizes a web based application called ProjectDox. You will need to use Internet Explorer web browser (version 5.5 through 7) and a connection to the Internet. You will need to install the ProjectDox components the first time you use ePlan Submittal. Return to questions How do I install the ePlan Submittal/ProjectDox components? Launch your browser and go to the ePlan Submittal website https://pdox.lincoln.ne.gov/ProjectDox/index.aspx?. Turn off any pop up blocker you may have enabled. Click on "Install ProjectDox Components". Choose "Run" on the window that pops up. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. Once logged in to the system, you may be prompted on the Information bar to run a couple additional Active X applications. Select the option to allow these to run. You will only have to complete this process the first time you use the website. Return to questions What is a "pdf?" The term "pdf" stands for Portable Document Format. This format was created by Adobe Systems in the mid-1990's for the exchange of digital files. On July 1, 2008, Adobe Systems officially released the "pdf" format for general non-propriety usage. Return to questions How do I create a "pdf" file? Because of its widespread use, most word-processing, graphic, and spreadsheet software have built-in publishing routines to create pdf's. Both Word© and WordPerfect©, have embedded software which allows the user to easily create a pdf file. This embedded software can be found in the "Save As" command in Word, and in the "File" menu with a specific "Publish to" command in WordPerfect. Return to questions What resolution should be used in creating "pdf" documents? To maintain legibility of uploaded documents, we recommend that resolution not be dropped below 600 dpi on drawings and not below 300 dpi on text documents. Return to questions Must all documents I submit be in "pdf" format? Other than vector (i.e. CAD) files, all documents are to be submitted (a.k.a. uploaded) using the pdf format. This includes letters, reports, plan drawings, images, and all other supporting documentation. Return to questions When I print a pdf it has a black background. How do I correct this? Enable the "Optimize for PDF/Postscript printing" option on the print dialogue window. Select the print icon and check the option to "Optimize for PDF/Postscript printing." Return to questions What does the project status mean? A project that shows an "Active" status is one that is in process, not yet acted on. A project that shows a "Complete" status is one that has been acted on. Return to questions Why do "Complete" projects stay on my project list? Based on feedback and requests from users, completed projects will remain on the system so involved parties can review the information even after the project has been acted on. Return to questions

	Do I still need to come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application? Yes - at least for the time being. The long term plan would allow applications to be filed on-line, thus eliminating the need for an applicant to come into our office. Before direct on-line application filing can occur, there will need to be advances in the software and a web-based mechanism put in place for the payment of application fees. Return to questions What paper documents do I need to bring with me when I come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application? Documents to bring to the Planning Department include: Completed Application form Fee Payment Certificate of Title or Ownership Opinion(required on Final Plats only) Return to questions After I have submitted my application form and paid my application fee at the Planning Department, how long do I have to upload my digital files? You will have until 8:00 a.m. the following business day to upload your files onto the ePlan Submittal* website.* Return to questions How does ePlan Submittal affect the application "cut-off date?" The cut off date for application filings will remain 4:00 p.m. every other Wednesday. The digital files supporting your application must be uploaded onto the ePlan Submittal system by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday (i.e., next business day) in order to meet the deadline requirements. Return to questions Am I required to submit a project CAD file for my application to be complete? The submission of CAD files is not a mandated requirement of the Planning Department's ePlan Submittal application process. However, it is strongly recommended georeferenced vector formatted files be included as part of your application. This will facilitate staff's review of your application and potentially offer the ability to return updated or corrected vector files to you for your use in responding to staff comments. Return to questions What if I have more than one person as my application contact? If you have more than one person requiring notification of events on your application, provide the additional names and email addresses to be added to the project by the Project Coordinator. It is important to note that, in cases of application resubmittal, each person identified as an application contact will be required to submit the eForm to the Project Coordinator - whether that contact uploads revised files or not. Return to questions Are electronically generated engineers and architects seals acceptable as part of the ePlan Submittal process? For plans and documents not in a final form, the answer is typically "yes" they are acceptable. The Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects has ruled that such seals "may be generated electronically" within certain provisions. The City's Public Works and Utilities Department has posted their understanding of the Board's rules and regulations on their website. Return to questions How do I attach an engineers or architects seal to my pdf? The City's Public Works and Utilities Department has prepared a set of instructions on how to attach such seals using Adobe Acrobat Professional. Return to questions Where can I get the geographic coordinates necessary for my CAD files? The Lancaster County Engineer's Office and City Information Services Division have created a website that allows anyone who creates a "MyInterLinc" account to download the geographic coordinates needed for the CAD files. There is no charge for this service. "MyInterLinc" is merely a means the City Information Services Division applies to monitor access to certain portions of InterLinc. Please refer to the Fact Sheet for Lancaster County Control Points for additional information. Return to questions Where can I get the Lincoln Electric System (LES) "easement standards" for use in preparing my site plans? Easements for various public utilities are a basic element on many planning applications. To assist you in laying out the easement locations for your application, review the "Easement Acquisition Guidelines" used by LES. LES and the other utility companies will still be reviewing your plans for easement locations, but having them correctly displayed on your initial submittal will speed the review process. Return to questions

	Why does a review task I completed still show up on my task list? In order to complete your review and remove the task from your task list, you must click on the "My Review Complete" button on the eForm. Return to questions Can I create my markup in a 3rd party software and import it into ePlan Submittal? ePlan Submittal does not currently support 3rd party markups. All markups must be created within the viewer that opens the pdf file. Return to questions *Will I have to complete a review in Permits Plus as well as the new ePlan Submittal?* ePlan Submittal will replace the Permits Plus Workflow for applications received on or after July 2, 2009. If you have a pending Permits Plus Workflow, you will need to utilize it to submit your review comments. All applications received in Planning on or after July 2, 2009 will be utilizing the ePlan Submittal review process and tools. Return to questions How can I communicate back to the Project Coordinator without removing the project from my to do list? If you need to request additional information or communicate with the Project Coordinator in order to complete your review, go ahead and add your comment or request on the "blue" review comment eForm and click the "Save and Close" button instead of the "My Review Complete" button. This will save your comment or information to the eForm and keep the item on your to do list so that you may come back later and complete your review comments on the eForm. In addition, the system will send an email to the Project Coordinator to let them know that you have looked at the project. When he or she checks the project, they will see the comment or request you have added. You may also use the Email tool within ProjectDox to communicate with the Project Coordinator about the project. Return to questions I am planning to be out of the office. How do I forward my reviews to someone else during that time? There is no way to forward your reviews to someone else. We suggest setting up a rule to forward review task notifications to your backup. That person would then need to contact the Project Coordinator to be added to the project. For more information see the ePlan Submittal Tips & Tricks page. Return to questions Is there a way to save partial review comments and come back to finish later? The "Save and Close" button on the eForm allows you to save your work and finish it later. You can also save your markups on the pdf files and return later to edit or add to them. For more information see the ePlan Submittal Tips & Tricks page. Return to questions How do I access my review comments once I have completed my review task? Once you have entered the project, click on "Task List." Next click on the "Permit Review Requests" link under the "Knowledge View Reports" heading. If the comments scroll down past the comment area shown on the screen, select the text in the box (drag the mouse down to select to the end of the text) then copy and paste that into a word processing software package, to view the entire comment. You may also print the eForm. Use the "Print" button located at the bottom of the eForm so the printed document will format correctly. Return to questions How can I get to the documents I need to review when I use the link in my email notification? The link in the email notification takes you to the review comments eForm. To access the application documents, find the application number for which you are completing a review in the upper portion (project list) of the Projects window. Click on the appropriate application number to enter the project, view the documents by accessing the folders listed on the left side of the screen. Return to questions

Below are some of the most common questions we have heard from you regarding *ePlan Submittal. As much as possible, we have categorized the questions according to the "role" of the person - application contact or review agency - asking the question. Questions that apply to more than one "role" will be duplicated in each category. We have also created a category for general questions about the ePlan Submittal* process. If you have a question about *ePlan Submittal* that is not answered on this website, please submit it to City-County Planning Department via the Comment Board.

	What is *ePlan Submittal? Do I have to use ePlan Submittal? How is ePlan Submittal* different from the Department's current application process? Which applications does the *ePlan Submittal* process include? When did the Planning Department begin using the *ePlan Submittal* process? Will all paper copies be eliminated entirely from the application process? Do I need a computer to use *ePlan Submittal? What software do I need to use ePlan Submittal? How do I install the ePlan Submittal*/ProjectDox components? What is a "pdf?" How do I create a "pdf" file? What resolution should be used in creating "pdf" documents? Must all documents I submit be in "pdf" format? When I print a pdf it has a black background. How do I correct this? What does the project status mean? Why do "Complete" projects stay on my project list?

	Do I still need to come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application? What paper documents do I need to bring with me when I come to the Planning Department Offices to file an application? After I have submitted my application form and paid my application fee at the Planning Department, how long do I have to upload my digital files? How does *ePlan Submittal* affect the application "cut-off date?" Am I required to submit a project CAD file for my application to be complete? What if I have more than one person as my application contact? Are electronically generated engineers and architects seals acceptable as part of the *ePlan Submittal* process? How do I attach an engineers or architects seal to my pdf? Where can I get the geographic coordinates necessary for my CAD files? Where can I get the Lincoln Electric System (LES) "easement standards" for use in preparing my site plans?

	Why does a review task I completed still show up on my task list? Can I create my markup in a 3rd party software and import it into *ePlan Submittal? Will I have to complete a review in Permits Plus as well as the new ePlan Submittal*? How can I communicate back to the Project Coordinator without removing the project from my to do list? I am planning to be out of the office. How do I forward my reviews to someone else during that time? Is there a way to save partial review comments and come back to finish later? How do I access my review comments once I have completed my review task? How can I get to the documents I need to review when I use the link in my email notification?