Trade Exam · Module 2
Title Blocks and Revision Tracking
The title block tells you what a sheet is, what scale it uses, who designed it and which revision you are holding. This lesson shows you how to read a title block and a revision block, what revision clouds and deltas mean, how addenda differ from revisions, and what the 2025 California Plumbing Code says about approved plans: they are stamped by the building department, cannot be changed without its authorization, and must be kept on the job site.
Key Takeaways
- Read the title block first on every sheet: project, sheet number and title, scale, date, design professional and revision history.
- Revision clouds outline what changed, and a delta (triangle) with a number or letter ties each change to a line in the revision block.
- Addenda change the bid documents before the contract is signed; revisions change drawings that have already been issued. Price every addendum and acknowledge it if the bid form asks you to.
- Before you order or install, confirm with the general contractor or designer that you hold the latest revision.
- Under CPC 104.4.1, plans the building department stamps "APPROVED" may not be changed without its authorization, and work must follow the approved plans.
- CPC 104.4.6 requires one approved set to be kept on the site while the work is in progress.
- Plan approval is not approval of a code violation (CPC 104.4.2). A design professional's stamp does not relieve you of building to code.
Why This Matters
CSLB lists "shop drawings, plans, and specifications" and "coordination of projects" as subjects in Planning and Estimating, about 22 percent of the C-36 trade exam. Document control is where those two meet. Working from an old sheet is one of the most expensive mistakes on a job, because everything you price, order and install from it may have to be redone.
What a Title Block Contains
The title block is the information panel on every sheet, usually along the right edge or in the lower right corner. Layouts vary by office, but most include:
- Project identification: project name, address, owner.
- Design professional: firm name, and the stamp or seal and signature of the licensed architect or engineer responsible.
- Sheet identification: sheet number and sheet title.
- Scale, or a note that scales are shown under each view.
- Dates: issue date and the dates of each revision.
- Revision block: a list of revisions with their number or letter, date and a short description.
- Issue status: for example, issued for bid, issued for permit or issued for construction.
- Drawn-by and checked-by initials, and sometimes the permit or project number.
Sheet Numbers
Sheet numbers usually start with a discipline letter: P for plumbing, M for mechanical, E for electrical, A for architectural, S for structural. The numbers after the letter follow the office's own system. The sheet index on the cover sheet lists every sheet in the set; use it to confirm you have them all.
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