7-115 Preparation of Construction Documents and Reports

1. All construction documents or reports, except as provided in (c) below shall be prepared under an architect or engineer in responsible charge. Prior to submittal to the office, the architect or engineer in responsible charge for a project shall sign every sheet of the drawings, and the title sheet, cover sheet or signature sheet of specifications and reports. A notation may be provided on the drawings indicating the architect's or engineer's role in preparing and reviewing the documents. Plans/drawings submitted to the office shall not exceed the size and weight described in Section 7-113(a)(2).

   1. Except as provided in paragraph 2 below, the architect or engineer in responsible charge of the work shall be an architect or structural engineer.
   2. For the purposes of this section, a mechanical, electrical or civil engineer may be the engineer in responsible charge of alteration or repair projects that do not affect architectural or structural conditions, and where the work is predominately of the kind normally performed by mechanical, electrical or civil engineers.
   3. The architect or engineer in responsible charge may delegate the preparation of construction documents and administration of the work of construction for designated portions of the work to other architects and/or engineers as provided in (b) below. Preparation of portions of the work by others shall not be construed as relieving the architect or engineer in responsible charge of his rights, duties and responsibilities under Section 129805 of the Health and Safety Code.

2. Architects or engineers licensed in the appropriate branch of engineering, may be responsible for the preparation of construction documents and administration of the work of construction as permitted by their license, and as provided below. Architects and engineers shall sign and affix their professional stamp to all construction documents or reports that are prepared under their charge. All construction documents shall be signed and stamped prior to issuance of a building permit.

   1. The structural construction documents or reports shall be prepared by a structural engineer.
   2. A mechanical or electrical engineer may prepare construction documents or reports for projects where the work is predominately of the kind normally prepared by mechanical or electrical engineers.
   3. A civil engineer may prepare construction documents or reports for the anchorage and bracing of nonstructural equipment.

3. A licensed specialty contractor may prepare construction documents and may administer the work of construction for health facility construction projects, subject to the following conditions:

   1. The work is performed and supervised by the licensed specialty contractor who prepares the construction documents,
   2. The work is not ordinarily within the standard practice of architecture and engineering,
   3. The project is not a component of a project prepared pursuant to 7-115(a) and (b),
   4. The contractor responsible for the design and installation shall also be the person responsible for the filing of reports, pursuant to Section 7-151,
   5. The contractor shall provide with the application for plan review to the Office a written and signed statement stating that he or she is licensed, the number of the license, and that the license is in full force and effect, and

   6. The work is limited to one of the following types of projects:

      1. Fire protection systems where none of the fire sprinkler system piping exceeds 2¹/₂ inches (63.5 mm) in diameter.
      2. Low voltage systems not in excess of 91 volts. These systems include, but are not limited to, telephone, sound, cable television, closed circuit video, nurse call systems and power limited fire alarm systems.
      3. Roofing contractor performing reroofing where minimum ¹/₄ inch (6.4 mm) on 12 inch (305 mm) roof slopes are existing and any roof mounted equipment needing remounting does not exceed 400 pounds.
      4. Insulation and acoustic media not involving the removal or penetration of fire-rated walls, or ceiling and roof assemblies.

4. The specification and use of preapprovals does not preempt the plan approval and building permit process. Construction documents using preapprovals shall be submitted to the Office for review and approval and issuance of a building permit prior to the start of construction.

   1. The registered design professional, in conjunction with the registered design professional in responsible charge, listed on the plan review application or the building permit application, shall review all qualities, features, and/or properties to ensure code compliance, appropriate integration with other building systems, and proper design for the project-specific conditions and installation. Stamping and signing of construction documents as required in subsection (a) and (b) shall be for this purpose only.
   2. When preapprovals are used, they shall be incorporated into the construction documents. Incorporation by reference only is not permitted. Preapprovals must be incorporated without any modification. This subsection shall not apply if modifications are made to the preapproved details.
   3. Preapprovals submitted after the construction documents have been approved and a building permit has been issued shall be incorporated into the construction documents in accordance with Section 7-153.
   4. The use of preapproved details must strictly comply with all manufacturer's instructions, conditions, special requirements, etc., which are a part of the preapproval.
   5. Conditions not covered by a preapproval shall be substantiated with calculations, drawings, specifications, etc., stamped and signed by the registered design professional and signed by the registered design professional in responsible charge listed on the plan review application or building permit application and must be submitted to the OSHPD for review and approval prior to construction.

Authority: Health and Safety Code Sections 18929 and 129675—130070.

Reference: Health and Safety Code Section 129850.

HISTORY:

1. (OSHPD 2/95) Regular order by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to amend Section 7-115. Filed with the secretary of state on August 14, 1996, becomes effective September 13, 1996. Approved by the California Building Standards Commission on March 19, 1996.