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Foundation and/or Slab/Under-Floor Inspection --> Envelope Certificate and Mechanical Certificate
Frame Inspection --> Envelope Certificate
Insulation Inspection --> Envelope Certificate
Final Mechanical Inspection --> Mechanical Certificate
Final Electrical Inspection --> Lighting Certificate
Certificate of Occupancy
Insprct-and-Occupy ... In many municipalities throughout the country, local building officials are required to inspect all homes, apartments and commercial buildings before anyone new is allowed to move in. If the homes do not pass this inspection, they cannot technically be sold.
Conditional Certificate of Occupancy
It is possible that the buyer may promise the municipality to correct the inspection deficiencies once the sale goes through. if this is acceptable to the municipality, the building then receives a conditional Certificate of Occupancy until all inspection items are corrected. Any deficiencies noted during this inspection that are considered hazardous or serious in nature must be corrected immediately before any type of Certificate of Occupancy can be issued.
A Field Inspection Checklist
based on
U.S. Department of Energy's -- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Building Energy Code Program
ComCheck -- Commercial Code Compliance
Foundation and/or Slab/Under-Floor Inspection
- slab-edge insulation installed
- below-grade wall insulation installed
- under-floor insulation installed
- ducts insulated and sealed / pipes insulated
Frame Inspection
- all joints and penetrations are caulked, gasketed, weatherstripped, or otherwise sealed
- windows, doors and skylights certified as meeting leakage requirements
- window and skylight areas per drawings/specifications
- window and skylight U-factors acceptable
- window shading installed per drawings/specifications
Insulation Inspection
- wall insulation installed
- ceiling/roof insulation installed
- vapor retarders installed -- Exception: some zones/states (generally Zones 2-7) exempted
Final Mechanical Inspection
- Heating and Cooling System Controls
- One setback thermostat w/battery backup and accessible override --
Exceptions for setback requirement:
- residences and hotel/motel guest rooms
- areas that operate continuously
- heat-pump thermostat used with heat pump
- Air economizer on systems greater than 90000 BTU/Hour
Exceptions:- exempted climate zones
- residences, supermarkets, hotel guest rooms
- high-efficiency cooling equipment tradeoff
- One setback thermostat w/battery backup and accessible override --
Exceptions for setback requirement:
- Outdoor Air Ventilation
- Outdoor air provided to each space
- Shutoff dampers in restaurant make-up air systems
- Duct Construction
- Duct Insulation installed
- Duct sealed
- Hydronic Heating System
- Pipe insulation
- 1/2" on heating coil branches
- 1-1/2" on circulation loops
- Part-load efficiency method -- Temperature reset/variable flow
- Pipe insulation
- Other Multiple-Zone Mechanical Requirements
- Water Heating Systems
- Heater traps -- Integral to water heater or field fabricated
- Pipe Insulation on inlet/outlet pipes
- Recirculating systems
- Insulation thickness
- Automatic time -switch
Final Electrical Inspection
- Controls, Switching, and Wiring
- Independent lighting controls -- Switch in each room --
Exceptions :
- security lighting
- building lobby/retail store/mall
- Hotel/Motel guest rooms -- Master Switch at entry
- At least two lighting levels in each space -- Two switches, dimmer, or occupancy sensor in each space
Exceptions:- only one luminaire in space corridor,storage area, rest room, or lobby area
- Exterior Lighting Controls -- Photocell or astronomical time switch on exterior lights
Exceptions:- large covered areas requiring lighting during daylight hours
- One-lamp and three-lamp ballasted luminaries -- Tandem wired ballasts
Exceptions:- electronic high-frequency ballasted luminaries, luminaries not on same switch
- Independent lighting controls -- Switch in each room --
Exceptions :
- Interior Lighting
- Fixtures, Lamps, and Ballats -- match drawings/specifications
- Exterior Lighting
- Power for lighting from electrical service -- exterior lighting circuit
- Exterior lighting source --
- Fluorescent
- Metal Halide
- High Pressure Sodium
- specialized signal, directional, and marker lighting
- lighting highliting exterior features of historic building
- advertizing signage
- safety or security lighting
- low-voltage landscape lighting
- source efficacy greater than 45 lumens per watt
beginning of inspect-and-occupy
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