Jurisdictional Inspections vs. Special Inspections

The best place to start this discussion is to appropriately define and understand what “jurisdictional” means. The International Building Code (IBC) defines jurisdiction as “the governmental unit that has adopted this code” (meaning the IBC code). In this case, a “governmental unit” means a town, township, county, or state with the authority under state statutes to adopt a building code. To drill deeper, let’s address the acronym “AHJ” (authority having jurisdiction). AHJ means the organization, agency, or individual responsible for enforcing codes, standards, and regulations related to building construction, fire prevention, and life safety. The AHJ will most often be an individual person responsible for enforcing the building code. That person is usually a building official, and they and their agents (building inspectors) primarily provide jurisdictional inspections.

Jurisdictional inspection occurs in almost all types of structures regardless of the type of construction. It focuses on life safety and relatively basic structural concerns. The more complex or critical aspects of a structure’s building system – the ones associated with structural integrity – require special inspections, not just the general jurisdictional types of inspection provided by local building officials. The AHJ, federal government, state government, county, city, or some special government agency issues the permits required for a specific project. Numerous permits may be issued for any project covering various items such as stormwater discharge, air quality, and the building itself.

Let’s focus on the building permit and assume that this permit covers all aspects of the building construction. The responsible building inspector (official) will occasionally visit a complex commercial building project to ensure the approved contract documents are on site and the work appears to be progressing according to the contract documents and applicable building codes. However, the building official does not provide special inspections; jurisdictional inspections are often performed during these visits, and the official will attempt to verify that the project special inspector is properly providing the applicable special inspections.

How does the building official know what special inspections must be provided on the project? All required special inspections are listed on a document called the “Statement of Special Inspections (SSI).” In accordance with IBC Section 1704.2.3, the building official’s office approves this document before the construction phases and the issuance of a building permit. The SSI is generally prepared by the Structural Engineer-of-Record (SER) per IBC requirements and should list all the required special inspections and the names of the individuals or firms providing the special inspections according to the code.

Jurisdictional inspections are addressed in Section 110.1 of the IBC Code:

110.1 General. Construction of work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the building official and such construction or work shall remain visible and able to be accessed for inspection purposes until approved.

The inspection function is one of the more important aspects of a jurisdiction’s building department operations. This code section authorizes the building official to inspect the work for which the permit was issued and requires that the work to be inspected remains accessible to the building official until inspections are completed and the work is approved.

Almost every structure that receives a permit will require jurisdictional inspections, including both residential and commercial construction. Residential and specific categories of light-frame-construction commercial structures receive jurisdictional inspections only. Larger, more complex buildings will require both jurisdictional and special inspections. On commercial projects, it is not uncommon for jurisdictional inspections and special inspections to overlap; the contractor needs to know that both types of inspection will occur and that no further work should happen until the jurisdictional and special inspections are completed and the contractor

has been given approval to proceed to the next construction phase. On commercial work, the jurisdictional inspections will generally cover soils work, some degree of reinforcing steel work, electrical work, plumbing work, etc. The project special inspections will typically address structural elements, including compacted soil beneath the building, deep foundations, concrete elements, masonry elements, structural steel, cold- formed steel, sprayed fire-resistant materials (SFRM), etc.

Inspections related to residential construction are generally jurisdictional inspections in nature and are provided by the jurisdiction’s building inspectors. The rare times that consulting engineering testing agencies’ special inspectors are involved in residential construction is when the owners request consulting services regarding particular construction problems OR when acting as third-party inspectors for the local jurisdictions. This third-party jurisdictional inspection provided by testing agencies’ special inspectors occurs upon request from the local jurisdiction, which usually transpires due to a lack of staffing at the jurisdictional level or a lack of specific expertise for certain types of construction.

As mentioned earlier, code-required project special inspections are intended to be identified and detailed in the project “Statement of Special Inspections.” Another critical factor in establishing specific project special inspections and their frequency is the risk category to which a building is assigned. IBC Chapter 16, Table 1604.5, “Risk Category of Buildings and Other Structures,” contains four building and structure categories.

Risk Category I primarily includes agricultural buildings. No special inspections are required or provided on these projects.

Risk Category II, often called the “standard risk category,” is a practical classification. This is because most buildings and structures not placed in CAT I, CAT III, or CAT 4 are put into Risk Category II by default – a straightforward rule to remember.

Risk Category III buildings include structures with high occupant loads because of their size. The actual occupant load is one important defining criterion for this building class, along with the ability of the occupants to respond to an emergency, such as in jails and nursing homes.

Risk Category IV buildings or structures are those considered essential in that their continuous use is needed, particularly in response to disasters. Risk Category IV buildings include fire stations, police stations, and hospitals.

A building with a high risk to life safety will require more special inspections and tests. As the building design moves from Risk Category II to Risk Categories III and IV, its structural elements become more complicated; they evolve into heavier construction, with increased use of reinforced concrete and load- bearing masonry.

While the lion’s share of inspections on Risk Category buildings II, III, and IV are designated as special inspections, these buildings will also require some jurisdictional inspections. The importance of good communication between the jurisdiction’s building inspectors and the project special inspectors cannot be overstated; their services overlap, and it is paramount that approved inspections and discrepancies are known to all of the inspectors and the entire project team.

The interaction between jurisdictional inspections and project special inspections occurs in almost every project construction discipline. Both provide critical oversight of earthwork operations, shallow footing construction, and concrete construction, especially slab-on-grade work. Both jurisdictional and special inspectors provide inspections and observations on masonry work, structural steel, and SFRM materials. Both parties are usually involved in the project inspection and verification procedures related to wind resistance and seismic force-resisting elements. When the building inspector visits a job site, they are likely to do a very general inspection that is more random than a special inspector, whose responsibility is to provide a more detailed inspection of various types of work. This is all the more reason for good communication between the two inspection parties and the project team.

“1704.2.4 Report Requirement. Approved Agencies shall keep records of special inspections and tests. The approved agency shall submit reports of special inspections and tests to the building official and to the registered design professional in responsible charge. Reports shall indicate that work inspected or tested was or was not completed in conformance to approved construction documents. Discrepancies shall be brought to the immediate attention of the contractor for correction. If they are not corrected the discrepancies shall be brought to the attention of the building official and to the registered design professional in responsible charge prior to the completion of that phase of the work. …”

Trouble Deciphering the Code? Call the Experts at F&R! Alan S. Tuck, Director of Code Compliance & Training

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