History of Special Inspections
In 2008, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has rolled out its first major set of changes to the city's building code in 40 years. The new Construction Codes will ensure that, among other things, qualified technicians perform building inspections.
The current New York City building codes have not gone through a major revision since 1968, and have been pieced together over the years resulting in a code that is "long, cumbersome, and difficult to interpret," according to the DOB website www.nyc.gov/buildings. The revisions have taken over four years and involved "over 400 stakeholders representing architects, engineers, labor, real estate, government, accessibility advocates and others [who] volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours in a consensus-based process to develop the new codes," says Carly Sullivan, a DOB spokesperson.
According to the DOB website, "The Buildings Department intends to mandate, as of July 1, 2008, that all special inspections must be conducted by a Special Inspection Agency. These agencies must be registered with the department as qualified to conduct specified inspections and employ special inspectors."
The 1968 Building Code allowed professional engineers and licensed architects to conduct required inspections during the construction process. These inspections were called controlled inspections and ensured that work was safe and being constructed according to approved plans and specifications. Under the new New York City Construction Codes, controlled inspections have evolved into special inspections, which enhance controlled inspections by clarifying the qualifications and standards regarding proper inspections. The new codes mandate that special inspections be conducted by employees of Special Inspection Agencies, which must be registered with the department as qualified to conduct specified inspections."
Under the new regulations being implemented by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), Special Inspections must be conducted to verify that construction complies with the plans approved by the DOB. Special Inspection Agencies must be hired directly by the building owner rather than the contractor.
JL Drafting, Inc. received accreditation from the International Accreditation Service (IAS) to provide Special Inspections in September 2012 for various categories pertaining to fire protection, foundations, underpinning, excavation, concrete, structural steel, and site storm drainage. (JL Drafting, Inc. is designated as Special Inspection Agency 818.)
In general, a Special Inspection verifies that the construction materials used in a project and the configuration and installation of those materials are in accordance with the plans that were officially approved by the DOB. In addition, the Special Inspection Program implements specific verification tests when required by code. As a firm that been accredited to conduct these Special Inspections, JL Drafting, Inc. will play an integral role in current and future construction projects, which will need to meet the latest New York City Building Codes in order to attain Certificates of Occupancy.