HomeMy WebLinkAbout07102002 BSC Agenda Item 6 ra
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City of West University Place
*Texas
Memo
To: Jim McDaniel
Chairman Building Standards Commission
From: Dennis Mack, Building Official
Date: July 8, 2002
Re: Foundation plan review process status report
Attached you will find a copy of our permit information packets that are available to all
applicants at our office during normal business hours. These packets explain what
codes the city has adopted and what information is required on a set of construction
plans in order to receive a building permit.
I will be incorporating a statement into this packet that states:
NOTICE: The City checks all construction documents signed and sealed by a
Professional Engineer for compliance with Texas Administrative Code, Title 22
Examining Boards, Part 6 Texas Board Of Professional Engineers, Chapter 131
Practice And Procedure, Subchapter I Professional Conduct And Ethics, Rule
§131.153 Engineers' Actions Shall Be Competent.
(a) Engineers shall practice only in their areas of competence, in a careful and
diligent manner, and in conformance with standards, laws, codes, and rules
and regulations applicable to engineering practice.
(b) The engineer shall not perform any engineering assignment for which the
engineer is not qualified by education or experience to perform adequately and
competently. However, an engineer may accept an assignment which includes
phases outside of the engineer's area of competence if those other phases are
performed by legally qualified consultants, associates, or employees.
(c) The engineer shall not express an engineering opinion in deposition or before a
court, administrative agency, or other public forum which is contrary to
generally accepted scientific and engineering principles without fully disclosing
the basis and rationale for such an opinion. Engineering opinions which are
rendered as expert testimony and contain quantitative values shall be
supported by adequate modeling or analysis of the phenomena described.
Construction plans signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer that appear
to be in violation of the Texas Engineering Practice Act will be forwarded to the
Texas Board of Professional Engineers 1917 IH 35 South Austin, TX 78741
(512)440-7723)for their review.
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In addition to the above under the section for foundations in the Standard Code
Schedule it states:
All foundations for new buildings and foundation repairs shall be designed by a
registered professional engineer ("RPE"), and the work shall be:
a. illustrated in complete plans and specifications signed and sealed by the RPE;
b. based on a soils report from a recognized and reputable firm or agency
(Exception: no soils report is required for a single-story accessory building with
less than 450 sq. ft. of gross floor area); and
c. inspected by an RPE who certifies proper construction, before work proceeds
further.
In order to strengthen the effect of paragraph c I propose we change paragraph c to
require the RPE to certify proper construction on a form composed by the Chief
Building Official. This form will state that the foundation has been designed and
constructed in accordance with all applicable codes and ordinances in effect at the
time of construction.
In addition to providing the form to the City we might want to require the contractor to
have the form recorded with Harris County Property Records.
Paragraph c to read as follows:
c. foundations shall be inspected by the designing RPE who shall certify proper
construction on a form provided by the Chief Building Official, before work
proceeds further. The RPE shall affix his unobscured seal, original signature, and
date of signature to the original certification form.
Additionally I would like to propose that we take a corresponding step and require all
structural framing to be designed and inspected by an RPE as well. We could add a
sub paragraph d to the Standard Code schedule to read as follows:
d. Structural framing for all new buildings and structural framing repairs
supporting more than one floor and a roof, for all existing buildings, shall be
designed by a registered professional engineer("RPE"), and the work shall be:
1. illustrated in complete plans and specifications signed and sealed by the RPE;
2. structural framing shall be inspected by the designinq RPE who shall certify
proper construction on a form provided by the Chief Building Official, before work
proceeds further. The RPE shall affix his unobscured seal, original signature, and
date of signature to the original certification form.
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