104.2 Building Department Personnel Duties and Responsibilities

Municipal, township, or county building departments certified by the board shall have personnel qualified to perform the enforcement duties and responsibilities described in this section.

The building official is responsible for the enforcement of the rules of the board and of Chapters 3781. and 3791. of the Revised Code relating to the construction, arrangement, and the erection of buildings or parts thereof. All building officials shall conduct themselves in a professional, courteous, impartial, responsive, and cooperative manner. The building official shall render interpretations of this code and to adopt policies and procedures in order to clarify the application of its provisions. Such interpretations, policies, and procedures shall be in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code. Building officials shall be responsible to assure that a system is in place to track and audit all projects, to assure that all building department personnel perform their duties in accordance with this section, and for the overall administration of a building department as follows:

The building official shall receive applications, require or cause the submitted construction documents to be examined, ascertain by such examinations whether the construction indicated and described is in accordance with the requirements of this code, and shall issue plan approvals for the construction, erection, alteration, demolition, and moving of buildings and structures.

The building official shall issue all orders in accordance with Section 109 to ensure compliance with this code.

If the plans for the erection, construction, repair, alteration, relocating, or equipment of a building are subject to inspection by the building official, under Section 108, the building official shall cause to be made such inspections, investigations, and determinations as are necessary to determine whether or not the work which has been performed and the installations which have been made are in conformity with the approved construction documents.

Exception: Special inspections required under Section 1704.

The building official shall keep official records of applications received, certificates of plan approval issued, notices and orders issued, certificates of occupancy, and other such records required by the rules of the board of building standards. Such information shall be retained in the official permanent record for each project. One set of approved construction documents shall be retained by the building official for a period of not less than one hundred eighty days from date of completion of the permitted work, or as required by document retention regulations.

The building official shall be responsible for the submission of reports and any requested special information to the board of building standards as required in paragraph (F) of rule 4101:7-2-01 of the Administrative Code. Failure to submit these reports as required by rule or by special request or inquiry of the board of building standards may be grounds for board action as described in paragraph (F)(7) of rule 4101:7-3-01 of the Administrative Code.

A plans examiner is responsible for the examination of construction documents in accordance with Section 107, within the limits of their certification, to determine compliance with the rules of the board. All plan examiners shall effectively communicate the results of their plan review as designated by the building official. A plans examiner shall conduct themselves in a professional, courteous, impartial, responsive, and cooperative manner.

A master plans examiner is responsible for the examination of all types of construction documents to determine compliance with the rules of the board, except when the building official examines the construction documents pursuant to Section 104.2.1.1.1.

An electrical plans examiner is responsible for the examination of construction documents related to electrical systems to determine compliance with the rules of the board.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding the electrical plans examiner certification, then the examination of the construction documents for compliance with the electrical provisions of the code shall be done by the master plans examiner.

A plumbing plans examiner is responsible for the examination of construction documents related to plumbing systems to determine compliance with the rules of the board.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding the plumbing plans examiner certification, then the examination of the construction documents for compliance with the plumbing provisions of the code shall be done by the master plans examiner.

A mechanical plans examiner is responsible for the examination of construction documents related to heating, ventilating, and air conditioning ("HVAC") systems and the associated refrigeration, fuel gas, and heating piping to determine compliance with the rules of the board.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding the mechanical plans examiner certification, then the examination of the construction documents for compliance with the mechanical provisions of the code shall be done by the master plans examiner.

An inspector is responsible for performing inspections and determining that work, for which they are certified to make inspections, is performed in compliance with the approved construction documents. All inspectors shall inspect the work to the extent of the approval given when construction documents were approved by the building official and for which the inspection was requested. All inspectors shall effectively communicate the results of their inspections as required by Section 108, and shall conduct themselves in a professional, courteous, impartial, responsive, and cooperative manner.

A building inspector is responsible to determine compliance with the approved construction documents in accordance with Section 108.

A building inspector trainee is designated to determine compliance with approved construction documents, in accordance with Section 108, under the direct supervision of an individual holding a building inspector certification.

A plumbing inspector is responsible to determine plumbing system compliance with approved construction documents in accordance with Section 108.

A plumbing inspector trainee is designated to determine plumbing system compliance with approved construction documents, in accordance with Section 108, under the direct supervision of an individual holding a plumbing inspector certification.

An electrical safety inspector is responsible to determine electrical systems compliance with approved construction documents in accordance with Section 108.

An electrical safety inspector trainee is designated to determine electrical systems compliance with approved construction documents, in accordance with Section 108, under the direct supervision of an individual holding an electrical safety inspector certification.

Building departments may elect to employ inspectors designated as responsible for determining that work, for which they are certified, to make inspections is performed in compliance with approved construction documents.

A mechanical inspector is responsible to determine compliance with the approved construction documents for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and the associated refrigeration, fuel gas, and heating piping systems in accordance with Section 108.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding the mechanical inspector certification, then the enforcement of the mechanical provisions shall be done by the building inspector;

A mechanical inspector trainee is designated to determine compliance with the approved construction documents for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and the associated refrigeration, fuel gas, and heating piping systems, in accordance with Section 108, under the direct supervision of an individual holding a mechanical inspector certification.

A fire protection inspector is responsible to determine compliance with approved construction documents for fire protection systems (automatic sprinkler systems, alternative automatic fire-extinguishing systems, standpipe systems, fire alarm and detection systems, and fire pump) in accordance with Section 108.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding the fire protection inspector certification, then the enforcement of the fire protection provisions shall be done by the building inspector.

A medical gas piping inspector is responsible to determine compliance with approved construction documents for non-flammable medical gas, medical oxygen, and medical vacuum systems in accordance with Section 108.

If the department does not have in its employ or under contract persons holding a medical gas piping inspector certification, then all enforcement of medical gas piping systems shall be deferred to either of the following: the local health district when that district requests to enforce those piping systems and the district has employed or hired under contract a person holding the medical gas piping inspector certification; or the superintendent of the division of industrial compliance in the department of commerce.

Liability of certified building department personnel for any tortious act will be determined by Ohio courts to the applicable provisions of Chapter 2744. of the Revised Code.