PURPOSE
All projects constructed on private property (not including routine maintenance and upkeep) and outside of the public right-of-way, for which a building permit has been issued, require inspection and sign-off by the Department of Building & Safety Inspectors to certify that work is in compliance with current Building Code requirements. As a result, public works projects such as libraries, fire stations, police stations and treatment plants require sign-off by DBS. In addition, on most municipal facility construction projects, the Fire Department's final approval is also required as an additional sign-off. However, other public work projects, such as streets, sewers, storm drains, street lighting, dams and drainage structures are exempted from such inspections as specified in the California Building Code. The purpose of this procedure is to document the process for obtaining Department of Building & Safety inspection, sign-off and a Certificate of Occupancy (Attachment 22.2-1), when required.
REFERENCES
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RESPONSIBILITIES
Department of Building & Safety (DBS): DBS conducts called inspections of construction activities for which a DBS permit has been issued and is governed by the Building Code or pertain to life, health, and safety. The DBS Inspector will note all deficiencies in the work on a DBS Correction Notice. All deficiencies noted by the DBS Inspector shall be corrected prior to payment for that portion of the work and prior to calling for Final Inspection. The DBS Inspector will not sign-off the building permit or issue a Certificate of Occupancy until all deficiencies are corrected.
Lead Inspector (LI): The LI is responsible to ensure that all deficiencies noted by the DBS Inspector are corrected prior to payment for that portion of work and before the call for Final Inspection.
Construction Manager (CM): The CM must assist the LI in ensuring that all deficiencies noted by the DBS Inspector are corrected by the Contractor. In some instances, design deficiencies may be responsible for the Correction Notice. It is important to note that the Contractor is responsible for constructing the project per Code but is not responsible for designing the project per Code. In these instances, the CM should proceed with obtaining a waiver from DBS or issuing the necessary change order(s) to correct the design deficiency. It is recommended that at the beginning of the project the CM arrange a meeting with the DBS Inspector, LI and Contractor, so that the Designer of Record can communicate the stages of construction which he/she should witness to satisfy the structural observation requirements.
Contractor: It is the responsibility of the Contractor to call for DBS inspection, maintain the Permit Card at the job site, and obtain sign-off of the project’s building permit. It is recommended that the Contractor request a preliminary inspection when the project approaches completion. The Contractor shall notify the LI of any deficiencies noted by DBS and provide him/her with a copy of the Correction Notice. The Contractor shall notify the CM of any deficient items it believes are due to design flaws, rather than deficiencies in the material, installation or construction.
PROCEDURE
The Contractor notifies the LI in writing when the contract work is complete and requests final inspection of the contract work items. If the LI and CM agree that the contract work is complete, the Contractor would then call DBS for final inspection. The DBS Inspector(s) conducts an inspection of the following items of construction, as applicable, for which DBS permits were issued:
Building
Electrical
Grading
Plumbing
Heat-Refrigeration
Boilers
Elevators
Others
The LI, Contractor, and CM may be present during the DBS inspections. If required by Code, the Fire Department and an inspector for the Americans with Disabilities Act will also conduct a final inspection. After the final inspection is conducted and the work is approved, the DBS Inspector(s), and other inspectors including those for the Fire Department and Disabled Access, will sign-off on the DBS Inspection Record (Attachment 22.2-2). After receipt and approval of the final inspection report, DBS will issue a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) for the building. The TCO allows occupancy of the building but the TCO documents the required corrections that shall be done prior to a re-inspection and issuance of a complete CO.
In case of deficiencies in the work, a DBS Correction Notice (Attachment 22.2-3) is issued to the Contractor. The Contractor shall comply with the Correction Notice and schedule a re-inspection with DBS until all deficiencies have been corrected and are accepted by DBS.
RELATED PROCEDURES
LINKS / ATTACHMENTS
Links
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