Where I come from, you’re supposed to get building plans approved *before* you start construction, regardless. The building inspector keeps a copy on file and inspects to the drawings on file.
Even my sainted Milton Friedman approve of zoning codes, since poorly constructed or sited buildings certainly have a “neighborhood effect”.
I grew up in Queens, and I went to school with a guy whose house was too close to sea level for building in the 1960’s, but was grandfathered in because it was constructed under the older building codes. Some developer put in a whole slew of new homes on his block that did not meet the newer code. As a result the City of New York filled in all the two story homes on his block up to the top of the first floor, except for his, and raised the grade on the road in front of his home about 10 feet. Basically, looking out the first floor of his house you faced a ten foot pile of dirt in every direction and a steep set of stairs leading up to street level. All the homes on the other three sides were buried by about ten feet of dirt, as was the street, so his home was in the bottom of dirt pit. This is the hamfisted way NYC officials dealt the situation.
This was back in the 60’s and the family had just moved from SC up to MI.
I don’t think they thought much of it, seems where they moved from there was no such thing as building codes out in the country. The house was approved, they had a building permit but I don’t think they ever submitted a site-plan.
Back then perhaps that wasn’t needed like today.