Confirm the NDS edition the adopted building code references and the design basis in the structural notes, then trace species and grade, member sizes, engineered products, connectors, and fasteners through the framing plans, schedules, details, and product data. AI can flag conflicts; the engineer of record and the building official decide compliance.
What is the NDS?
The National Design Specification for Wood Construction is the American Wood Council’s design standard for wood structures. AWC states that the 2024 NDS was developed by its Wood Design Standards Committee and approved as an American National Standard on October 16, 2023.
AWC’s 2024 NDS page states that the 2024 NDS is referenced in the 2024 International Building Code. Checked October 6, 2026. A jurisdiction on an earlier building code references an earlier NDS edition; record the one the adopted code names. Design loads come from a separate standard; see the ASCE 7 guide.
Houses within the residential code often use its prescriptive framing provisions rather than an engineered design; see the IRC guide. Commercial wood buildings follow the IBC guide for the construction type and rated assemblies, and IBC Chapter 7 for fire resistance.
Gather the framing set and the product documents
Collect the structural general notes with the design basis, species and grade, and moisture conditions, the foundation and framing plans, the header, beam, and post schedules, the shear wall and holdown schedules, connection and nailing details, the truss and engineered lumber layouts or delegated design submittals, connector and fastener product data, and the wood framing specification sections.
Engineered products are often delegated designs. Upload the submittals so their members and loads can be compared with the plans.
Trace the wood design through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Design basis | Structural general notes, specifications, code analysis | Confirm the NDS edition, design method, species, and grades are stated and agree. |
| Members | Framing plans, header and beam schedules, sections | Match member sizes and grades between plans, schedules, and sections. |
| Shear walls and holdowns | Shear wall schedule, framing plans, holdown details | Find wall segments, holdowns, or nailing that differ between plan symbols and schedules. |
| Connections | Connection details, connector product data, schedules | Check connectors and fasteners named in details match the schedule and product data. |
| Engineered products | Truss and engineered lumber layouts, delegated design submittals, plans | Reconcile member locations, bearing points, and loads between submittals and plans. |
| Conditions of use | General notes, exposure and treatment notes, details | Identify wet, exposed, or treated conditions the notes describe but details omit. |
Use the structural checklist as the working log, and the IBC Chapter 7 guide where wood framing forms part of a rated assembly.
Example: header and holdowns that differ between plan and detail
Published finding. In Groundbook’s published home escape openings and alarms review, the framing plan specified a shallower header than the referenced portal-frame detail, and plan symbols specified different holdowns from the braced-wall schedule.
Header sizes conflict: the framing plan specifies a shallower header than the referenced portal-frame detail. Coordinate the header size and detail, and the holdown types across plans and schedules.
The designer confirms the intended header and holdowns and corrects the plan or the detail. Both findings came from comparing documents that should agree, not from a calculation.
Review wood structural drawings with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the NDS edition the adopted building code references, from a copy you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading it, along with the adopted building code and amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the structural general notes with the framing plans, header, beam, and post schedules, shear wall and holdown schedules, connection details, truss and engineered lumber submittals, connector product data, and specifications. Flag a missing or conflicting design basis, members and grades that differ between sources, and connectors or holdowns that differ between plans, schedules, and details. Use the supplied NDS edition and the adopted building code and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and submittals involved.
Document review does not size wood members or connections, calculate loads, or replace the engineer of record or the building official.