County of Santa Cruz Planning Department 701 Ocean Street, Suite 410, Santa Cruz, Ca 95060 (831) 454-2580 Fax: (831) 454-2131 Tdd: (831) 454-2123 alvin james, Director

BUILDING INSPECTION PROCEDURES

The procedures below are in effect as of 9/17/02 and will remain in effect until Building Inspectors return to work.

Call for inspection (831-454-2077) a minimum of 24 hours in advance. If you are not contacted by 10:00 A.M. to confirm an inspection you may elect to proceed as follows:

For insulation, sheetrock, stucco lath, scratch coat, roof sheathing, and roof tearoff inspections:

· Document the inspection with as many signed and dated pictures as are necessary to allow the inspector to verify that the work was completed in accordance with the codes and the approved plans, if any, after the strike.

· When the strike is over, the building inspector will review the pictures and inspect the site.

· Any deficiencies found either by examining the pictures or the site must be corrected.

· The building inspector may require additional destructive or non-destructive testing.

For all inspections other than those listed above:

• If the structural plans were prepared by a licensed engineer or architect, that licensed professional must inspect the structural work
• If the electrical, plumbing, or mechanical plans were prepared by a licensed engineer or architect, that licensed professional must inspect the structural work
• A licensed general contractor other than the contractor doing the work may inspect any portions of the work where plans were not prepared by a licensed engineer or architect
• A specialty contractor other than the contractor doing the work (electrical, plumbing, or mechanical) may inspect portions of the work within the scope of his or her license when the plans were not prepared by a licensed engineer or architect
• A qualified private inspector may inspect any portions of the work where plans were not prepared by a licensed engineer or architect. A qualified private inspector is defined as a person who can demonstrate that he or she has performed at least 50 escrow or litigation private inspections.

Any person doing the inspections above must follow these procedures:

• Prepare and have available for the building inspector after the strike a signed statement as follows: "I have inspected the (TYPE OF WORK) at (ADDRESS) authorized by (BULDING PERMIT NUMBER) and verify that the work has been performed in accordance with the currently adopted codes and with the approved plans."
• Document the inspection with as many signed and dated pictures as are necessary to allow the inspector to verify that the work was completed in accordance with the codes and the approved plans.
• Be prepared to document your qualifications to the building inspector after the strike.

Please be aware of the following:

• Covering up work and proceeding on the basis of the above procedures is permitted, ENTIRELY AT THE OWNER'S OWN RISK.
• Department management staff will continue to perform a limited number of inspections, and you have the option of waiting for such inspections or waiting until the end of the strike for inspection.
• These are optional, temporary, emergency procedures similar to those used after the earthquake when timely inspection services could not be delivered. We encourage you to wait until inspections are again being performed if possible.
• When the strike is over, the building inspector will review the above documents and inspect the site. Only the building inspector is authorized to sign off inspections on the building permit.
• Vague or ambiguous phrases added to the documents described above, such as "to the best of my knowledge" "appears to..." ""seems to..." or disclaimers that deny responsibility will NOT be accepted.
• Inspection performed by persons not meeting the minimum qualifications above will not be accepted. Contractors license information can be obtained at the State Contractors License Board web site at http://www.cslb.ca.gov/ (800) 321-CSLB (2752).
• Any deficiencies found either by examining the pictures or the site must be corrected.
• The building inspector may require additional destructive or non-destructive testing.
• Violations of zoning or environmental regulations such as riparian, setback, height or lot coverage requirements will be required to be corrected.
• Be sure to read and understand any red stamps or notations put on your plans during the review process. These may indicate the need for additional documentation. For instance, when a soils report has been performed, a red stamp will indicate that a representative of the soils firm must observe the excavation prior to pouring concrete.
• If you have questions about these procedures, call the Planning Department at 831-454-2580. Due to a high volume of calls you may experience a delay before your call is returned.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this difficult time.