Special Inspections

Special inspections shall be conducted on projects that fall within building categories and/or contain elements subject to special inspections as prescribed by revised Section 1704 of the NC Building Code. The City of Raleigh will not require special inspections in excess of the Building Code requirements. However, there is nothing to prevent owners from conducting special inspections on any project they deem appropriate.

The City of Raleigh Inspections Department - Construction Division may require a pre-construction meeting to be held after permits are issued and prior to start of construction for any project that requires a Special Inspection. The conditions set forth in Section 1704.1.3 regarding reports and scheduling of inspections will be addressed at that time. All third party requests and document approval is required at this time.

Please contact Steve Luxton at (919) 516-2183 or Robby Carlson at 919-807-5111 to determine if a pre-construction meeting is required. They will schedule the meeting if it is decided that your project requires it.

Code References:

2012 NC Building Code
1704 Special Inspections
1704.1 General. Where application is made for construction as described in this section, the owner shall employ one or more special inspectors to provide inspections during construction on the types of work listed per Section 1704.1.2. The special inspector shall be a person who shall demonstrate competence, to the satisfaction of the building official, for inspection of the particular type of construction or operation requiring special inspection. These inspections are in addition to the inspections specified in the North Carolina Administrative Code and Policies.

1704.1.1 Building permit requirement. The permit applicant shall submit a statement of special inspections prepared by the registered design professional in responsible charge in accordance with Section 106.1 as a condition for permit issuance. This statement shall include a complete list of materials and work requiring special inspections by this section, the inspections to be performed and a list of the individuals, approved agencies or firms intended to be retained for conducting such inspections.

1704.1.2 Special Inspections requirement.
Special inspections per Section 1704 are required for building, building components or other structures per the following:

1. Buildings or other structures listed in Table 1604.5 in Occupancy Category II if:
   a. Building height exceeds 45 feet or three stories, or
   b. The building is an Underground buildings per 405.1
2. Buildings or other structures listed in table 1604.5 in categories III or IV
3. Piles, piers and special foundations
4. Retaining walls or mechanically stabilized earth walls exceeding 5 feet height with a horizontal distance of 50 feet or less per 1806.2
5. Smoke control and smoke exhaust systems
6. Sprayed fire-resistant materials, or
7. Special case described in 1704.13
8. Retaining or mechanically stabilized earth walls exceeding 5 feet in height on a site require permits and special inspections by the engineer of record and the owner shall reserve funds for same in the project budget or engage an independent firm at their expense

1704.1.3 Report requirement. Special inspectors shall keep records of inspections. The special inspector shall furnish inspection reports to the building official, and to the registered design professional in responsible charge. Reports shall indicate that work inspected was done in conformance to approved construction documents. Discrepancies shall be brought to the immediate attention of the contractor for correction. If the discrepancies 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. A final report documenting required special inspections and correction of any discrepancies noted in the inspections shall be submitted at a point in time agreed upon by the permit applicant and the building official prior to the start of work.

1705 NCSBC
The following are required to be included in the project construction documents:

1. Statement of Special Inspections (SSI)
   The Statement of Special Inspections (SSI) is a form that identifies the scope of special inspection requirements specific to a project and identifies the agencies and/or inspectors responsible for providing those services. The SSI shall be developed primarily by the Structural Engineer of Record although each member of the design team is responsible for identifying required SI scope on the project for inclusion in the SSI. The Prime Designer shall coordinate with all members of the design team to ensure all required SI on the project is identified in the SSI and incorporated into the construction drawings and shall be submitted to the City of Raleigh during plan review.
   
   In addition to information required above, for identified "Special Cases" as outlined in Section 1704.13 of the NCSBC, the Design Professional in Responsible Charge must identify specific qualifications for special inspections.
2. Seismic Quality Assurance Plan
   A Seismic Quality Assurance Plan, if required per NCSBC Section 1705, must be included on the contract drawings. The Structural Engineer of Record shall develop the Quality Assurance Plan and shall submit it to the City of Raleigh during plan review. No specific format is required.
3. Wind Quality Assurance Plan
   A Wind Quality Assurance Plan, if required per NCSBC Section 1706, must be included on the contract drawings. The Structural Engineer of Record shall develop the Quality Assurance Plan and shall submit it to the City of Raleigh during plan review. No specific format is required.
4. Acknowledgement of Contractor's Responsibility Form
   If a Quality Assurance Plan is required (either Seismic or Wind), an "Acknowledgement of Contractor's Responsibility" shall be included in the specifications. This shall be submitted to the City of Raleigh during plan review.
5. Specification Coordination
   It shall be the design team's responsibility to coordinate the specifications with the contract drawings, Statement of Special Inspections, the Wind and/or Seismic Quality Assurance Plan(s) and the requirements of the City of Raleigh Special Inspections Guidelines.
6. Contract Drawing Coordination
   It shall be the design team's responsibility to coordinate the contract drawings with the specifications, Statement of Special Inspections, the Wind and/or Seismic Quality Assurance Plan(s) and the requirements of the City of Raleigh Special Inspections Guidelines.

2009 NC Administrative Code
107.5 Special Inspections. Special inspections required by the building code or the building inspector shall be performed by a NC registered design professional or an inspector under their responsible charge.