Chapter 300 — Buildings, Article 6 — Permits

Drawings and Specifications Requirements The applicant must provide three paper copies and one electronic copy of specifications and of drawings drawn to scale with sufficient clarity and detail to indicate the nature and character of the work, must accompany the application for a permit. Such drawings and specifications must contain information, in the form of notes or otherwise, as to the quality of materials, where quality is essential to conformity with the construction codes. Such information must be specific, and the construction codes may not be cited as a whole or in part, nor may the term "legal" or its equivalent be used, as a substitute for specific information. All information, drawings, specifications and accompanying data must bear the name and signature of the person responsible for the design.

Site Contamination and Remediation The applicant must provide three paper copies and one electronic copy of materials demonstrating conformance with applicable State or federal laws regarding site contamination and remediation.

Additional Data The Building Official may require details, computations, stress diagrams, and other data necessary to describe the construction or installation and the basis of calculations. All drawings, specifications and accompanying data required by the Building Official to be prepared by an architect or engineer must be affixed with their official seal.

Sec. 306-2. Drawings and Specifications Design Professional The design professional must be an architect or engineer legally registered under the laws of this state regulating the practice of architecture or engineering and must affix their official seal to said drawings, specifications and accompanying data, for the following:

For all other buildings and structures, the submittal must bear the certification of the applicant that some specific State law exception permits its preparation by a person not so registered.

Structural and Fire Resistance Integrity Plans for all buildings must indicate how required structural and fire resistance integrity will be maintained where a penetration of a required fire resistance wall, floor or partition will be made for electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, signal and communication conduits, pipes and systems and also indicate in sufficient detail how the fire integrity will be maintained where required fire resistance floors intersect the exterior walls.

Site Drawings Drawings must show the location of the proposed building or structure and of every existing building or structure on the site or lot. The Building Official may require a boundary line survey prepared by a qualified surveyor.

Hazardous Occupancies The Building Official may require the following:

A general site plan drawn at a legible scale which must include, but not be limited to, the location of all buildings, exterior storage facilities, permanent access ways, evacuation routes, parking lots, internal roads, chemical loading areas, equipment cleaning areas, storm and sanitary sewer accesses, emergency equipment and adjacent property uses. The exterior storage areas must be identified with the hazard classes and the maximum quantities per hazard class of hazardous materials stored.

A building floor plan drawn to a legible scale, which must include, but not be limited to, all hazardous materials storage facilities within the building and must indicate rooms, doorways, corridors, exits, fire rated assemblies with their hourly rating, location of liquid-tight rooms, and evacuation routes.

Sec. 306-3. Sec. 18-273. Examination of Documents Each hazardous materials storage facility must be identified on the plan with the hazard classes and quantity range per hazard class or the hazardous materials stored.

Sec. 18-273. Examination of Documents Plan Review The Building Official must examine or cause to be examined each application for a permit and the accompanying documents, consisting of drawings, specifications, computations, and additional data, and must ascertain by such examinations whether the construction indicated and described is in accordance with the requirements of the construction codes and all other pertinent laws or ordinances.

Issuing Permits Action on Permits.

The Building Official must act upon an application for a permit without unreasonable or unnecessary delay. If the Building Official is satisfied that the work described in an application for a permit and the contract documents filed therewith conform to the requirements of the construction codes and other pertinent laws and ordinances, the Building Official must issue a permit to the applicant.

Refusal to Issue Permits If the application for a permit and the accompanying contract documents describing the work do not conform to the requirements of the construction codes or other pertinent laws or ordinances, the Building Official may not issue a permit, but will return the contract documents to the applicant with their refusal to issue such permit. Such refusal must, when requested, be in writing and must contain the reason for refusal.

Special Foundation Permit When application for permit to erect or enlarge a building has been filed and pending issuance of such permit, the Building Official may, at his discretion, issue a special permit for the foundation only. The holder of such a special permit is proceeding at his own risk and without assurance that a permit for the remainder of the work will be granted or that corrections will not be required in order to meet provisions of the construction codes.

Public Right-of-Way A permit may not be given by the Building Official for the construction or alteration of any building where said building is to be changed and such change will affect the exterior walls, bays, balconies, or other appendages or projections fronting on any street, alley or public lane, or for the placing on any lot or premises of any building or structure removed from another lot or premises, unless the applicant has made application at the office of the director of public works for the right-of-way lines of the public street Sec. 306-5. Contractor Responsibilities on which he/she proposes to build, erect or locate said building. It is the duty of the Building Official to see that the right-of-way lines are not encroached upon except as provided for in City codes.

Contractor Responsibilities It is the duty of every contractor who makes contracts for the installation or repairs of building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical, sprinkler or plumbing systems, for which a permit is required, to comply with State or local rules and regulations concerning licensing which the applicable governing authority may have adopted. In such case that the State requires a contractor to have obtained a State license before they are permitted to perform work, the contractor must supply the local government with their license number before receiving a permit for work to be performed.

Conditions of the permit.

Permit Intent A permit issued will be construed to be a license to proceed with the work and not as authority to violate, cancel, alter, or set aside any of the provisions of the construction codes, nor will issuance of a permit prevent the Building Official from thereafter requiring a correction of errors in plans, construction, or violations of the construction codes. Every permit issued will become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within 6 months after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 6 months after the time the worked is commenced. One or more extensions of time, for periods not more than 90 days each, may be allowed for the permit. The extension must be requested in writing prior to the expiration of the existing permit and justifiable cause must be demonstrated. Extensions that are granted must be in writing by the Building Official.

Plans When the Building Official issues a permit, they must endorse, in writing or by stamp, both sets of plans "Reviewed for Code Compliance." One set of drawings so reviewed must be retained by the Building Official and the other set must be returned to the applicant. The permitted drawings must be kept at the site of work and must be open to inspection by the Building Official or their authorized representative.

Fees Payment of Fees A permit may not be issued until the fees prescribed by the governing body have been paid. Nor may an amendment to a permit be released until the additional fee, if any, due to an increase in the estimated cost of the building, structure, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical or gas systems, etc., has been paid.

Work Commencing Before Permit Issuance Any person who commences any work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing, etc., system before obtaining the necessary permits, will be subject to a penalty of 100% of the usual permit fee in addition to the required permit fees.

Sec. 306-8. Inspections Accounting The Building Official must keep a permanent and accurate accounting of all permit fees and other money collected, and the names of all persons upon whose account the same was paid, along with the date and amount thereof.

Schedule of Permit Fees On all buildings, structures, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas systems or alterations requiring a permit, a fee for each permit must be paid as required at the time of filing application, in accordance with the fee schedules as set by the governing body.

Building Permit Valuations If, in the opinion of the Building Official, the valuation of building, alteration, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems appears to be underestimated on the application, permit will be denied, unless the applicant can show detailed estimates to meet the approval of the Building Official. Permit valuations must include total cost, such as electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing equipment and other systems, including materials and labor.

Inspections Existing Building Inspections Before issuing a permit the Building Official may examine or cause to be examined any building, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems for which an application has been received for a permit to enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, install, or change the occupancy. They must inspect all buildings, structures, electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems, from time to time, during and upon completion of the work for which a permit was issued. They must make a record of every such examination and inspection and of all violations of the construction codes.

Manufacturers and Fabricators When deemed necessary by the Building Official they must make, or cause to be made, an inspection of materials or assemblies at the point of manufacture or fabrication. A record must be made of every such examination and inspection and of all violations of the construction codes.

Inspection Service The Building Official may make, or cause to be made, the inspections required by Sec. 306-8.6. They may accept reports of inspectors of recognized inspection services provided that after investigation he/she is satisfied as to their qualifications and reliability. A certificate called for by any provision of the construction codes may not be based on such reports unless the same are in writing and certified by a responsible officer of such service.

Sec. 306-8. Inspections Inspections Prior to Issuance of Certificate of Occupancy or Completion.

The Building Official must inspect or cause to be inspected at various intervals all construction or work for which a permit is required, and a final inspection must be made of every building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system upon completion, prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy or completion.

Posting of Permit Work requiring a permit may not commence until the permit holder or their agent posts the permit card in a conspicuous place on the premises. The permit must be protected from the weather and located in such position as to permit the Building Official or representative to conveniently make the required entries thereon. This permit card must be maintained in such position by the permit holder until the certificate of occupancy or completion is issued by the Building Official.

Required Inspections The Building Official, upon notification from the permit holder or their agent, must make the following inspections and such other inspections as necessary, and must either release that portion of the construction or notify the permit holder or their agent of any violations which must be corrected in order to comply with the construction codes:

Sec. 306-8. Inspections

Note: See Section 312 of the International Plumbing Code for required tests.

Note: See Section 406 of the International Fuel Gas Code for required tests.

Sec. 306-9. Certificates

Written Release Work may not be done on any part of a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining a written release from the Building Official. Such written release will be given only after an inspection has been made of each successive step in the construction or installation as indicated by each of the foregoing three inspections.

Reinforcing Steel, Structural Frames, Insulation, Plumbing, Mechanical, or Electrical Systems Reinforcing steel, structural frame, insulation, plumbing, work of any part of any building or structure may not be covered or concealed without first obtaining a release from the Building Official.

Plaster Fire Protection In all buildings where plaster is used for fire protection purposes, the permit holder or his agent must notify the Building Official after all lathing and backing is in place. Plaster may not be applied until the release from the Building Official has been received.

Certificates Certificate of Occupancy

Sec. 306-9. Certificates

Service Utilities

Posting Floor Loads Occupancy An existing or new building may not be occupied for any purpose which will cause the floors thereof to be loaded beyond their safe capacity. The Building Official may permit occupancy of a building for mercantile, commercial or industrial purposes by a specific business when he is satisfied that such capacity will not thereby be exceeded.

Storage and Factory-Industrial Occupancies It is the responsibility of the owner, agent, proprietor or occupant of Group S and Group F occupancies, or any occupancy where excessive floor loading is likely to occur, to employ a competent architect or engineer in computing the safe load capacity. All such computations must be accompanied by an affidavit from the architect or engineer stating the safe allowable floor load on each floor in pounds per square foot uniformly distributed. The computations and affidavit must be filed as a permanent record of the building department.

Signs Required In every building or part of a building used for storage, industrial or hazardous purposes, the safe floor loads, as reviewed by the Building Official on the plan, must be marked on plates of approved design which must be supplied and securely affixed by the owner of the building in a conspicuous place in each story to which they relate. Such plates may not be removed or defaced, and if lost, removed or defaced, must be replaced by the owner of the building.

Sec. 307-1. Condition Precedent to Permit Chapter 300. Buildings Article 7. Moving and Demolition of Buildings