Submittal Review Stamps Explained: What 'Approved as Noted' and the Others Mean
A submittal review stamp is the action the design team marks on a submittal to tell the contractor whether the work can proceed. When an architect or engineer finishes reviewing a shop drawing, product data sheet, or sample, they return it stamped with a status — and that status decides whether the contractor orders and fabricates, or fixes something and submits again.
The exact wording varies from firm to firm, but the meanings are consistent. Here is what each of the common submittal stamps means, whether a resubmittal is required, and how the frequently confused ones — like 'approved as noted' versus 'no exceptions taken' — actually differ.
What does 'Approved' or 'No Exceptions Taken' mean?
Approved — often worded 'No Exceptions Taken' — is the clean pass. It means the submittal conforms to the design intent and the contract documents, and the contractor may proceed with ordering, fabrication, and installation as submitted. No resubmittal is required. 'No Exceptions Taken' is common on projects where firms avoid the word 'approved' to keep the review's limited, design-intent purpose clear.
What does 'Approved as Noted' or 'Reviewed as Noted' mean?
'Approved as Noted' (and its close cousin 'Reviewed as Noted' or 'Make Corrections Noted') means the contractor may proceed — as long as it incorporates the corrections the reviewer marked on the submittal. In most cases a separate resubmittal is not required; the contractor simply carries the noted changes into the work. This is the stamp that lets a project keep moving without another full review cycle for a minor fix.
It is the most misread stamp, so the practical rule is worth stating plainly: 'approved as noted' is a green light with conditions, not a rejection. Proceed, but make the marked corrections. If the notes are extensive enough that the reviewer wants to see the corrected version, they will instead mark it 'Revise and Resubmit.'
What does 'Revise and Resubmit' mean?
'Revise and Resubmit' (sometimes 'Amend and Resubmit') means do not proceed. The submittal has issues the reviewer needs to see corrected, so the contractor must revise it and submit it again for another review before ordering or fabricating. Unlike 'approved as noted,' this stamp requires a new trip through the review cycle, which is why a revise-and-resubmit on a long-lead item is the one every scheduler watches for.
What does 'Rejected' mean?
'Rejected' (or 'Not Approved') means the submittal does not conform and cannot be used. The proposed product or drawing fails to meet the specification, and a new, conforming submittal is required. Rejected is stronger than 'revise and resubmit': it usually signals that the submitted item is wrong on the merits, not merely in need of small corrections.
What does 'For Record Only' or 'Not Reviewed' mean?
'For Record Only' (or 'Received — Not Reviewed') means the item has been logged for the project record but was not reviewed for conformance, typically because reviewing it is not the design team's responsibility. It is neither an approval nor a rejection; it simply acknowledges receipt. Contractors should not read it as permission to proceed on the strength of the design team's review, because no such review happened.
Approved as noted vs. no exceptions taken
Both let the contractor proceed, but they are not identical. 'No Exceptions Taken' means the submittal is accepted exactly as submitted — nothing to change. 'Approved as Noted' means the submittal is accepted provided the contractor incorporates the corrections marked on it. In short: no exceptions taken is a clean pass; approved as noted is a pass with a to-do list. Both generally avoid a second review cycle.
Who applies the stamps — and what they don't transfer
The design team of record applies the review stamp. Its review checks for conformance with the design concept and the information in the contract documents — a deliberately limited purpose. Critically, an approval stamp does not transfer responsibility for construction accuracy away from the contractor: the contractor remains responsible for dimensions, quantities, field conditions, and the completeness of what it submitted.
That boundary is why the exact stamp matters so much on site: it tells the contractor whether to proceed, but it never shifts the accuracy of the work onto the reviewer. When in doubt about a marked-up submittal, the safe reading is to make every noted correction and confirm whether a resubmittal is expected.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'approved as noted' mean on a submittal?
It means the contractor may proceed with the work as long as it incorporates the corrections the reviewer marked on the submittal. A separate resubmittal is usually not required — the contractor simply carries the noted changes into the work. It is a conditional green light, not a rejection.
Do you have to resubmit after 'approved as noted'?
Usually no. 'Approved as noted' lets the contractor proceed while incorporating the marked corrections, without another full review cycle. If the reviewer wanted to see the corrected version first, they would instead stamp it 'Revise and Resubmit,' which does require resubmitting.
What is the difference between 'approved as noted' and 'no exceptions taken'?
'No exceptions taken' means the submittal is accepted exactly as submitted, with nothing to change. 'Approved as noted' means it is accepted as long as the contractor makes the corrections the reviewer marked. Both let the work proceed and both typically avoid a second review cycle; the difference is whether there are corrections to carry through.
What does 'reviewed as noted' mean?
'Reviewed as noted' is used interchangeably with 'approved as noted' by firms that prefer not to use the word 'approved.' It means the same thing: proceed with the work, incorporating the corrections marked on the submittal, generally without a resubmittal.
What does 'no exceptions noted' mean?
'No exceptions noted' (more precisely 'No Exceptions Taken') is a clean approval: the submittal conforms as submitted and the contractor may proceed with no changes and no resubmittal required.