Building Permit Supplemental Instructions

PERMIT:

The enclosed 8 ½" x 11" card is the Building Permit for the construction project indicated on the card. This Building Permit will become invalid unless the work authorized by the permit is commenced within six months after its issuance, or if the work authorized by the permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of six months after the time the work commenced. 

Posting: Work shall not commence until the permit holder posts the permit card in a conspicuous place on the premises or in the job trailer. The Building Permit including the Subcontractor List and Inspection Log shall be protected from the weather and located in such a position as to allow the inspectors to conveniently make the required entries. The permit card shall be maintained in such position by the permit holder until the Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion is issued by the Building Code Administrator.  

Documents: The permitted set of construction documents has been stamped "Reviewed for Code Compliance" and transmitted with the permit. The permitted construction documents shall be kept at the site of work and shall be available for review by the inspectors. Deviations from the permitted documents shall be approved in writing by the Architect/Engineer of record and this office. Equipment installation instructions shall be kept on site for review by the inspectors. 

Codes: The list of Applicable Codes and Standards is included in these supplemental instructions. 

Licensing: It is the responsibility of the permit holder to ensure that all contractors performing the work comply with applicable licensing requirements. In general, all contractors must be licensed for their respective work by the State of Florida through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. 

Access: By application for this permit, the permit holder grants right of entry to the building, structure, or premises to inspect the same or perform any duty imposed upon the Building Code Administrator or his representative by the building codes. 

Stop Work Order: Upon notice from the Building Code Administrator, work on any building, structure, electrical, mechanical or plumbing system that is being done contrary to the provisions of the codes or in a dangerous or unsafe manner, shall immediately cease. Such notice shall be in writing and shall be given to the permit holder, his agent, or the person doing the work, and shall state the conditions under which work may be resumed. Where an emergency exists, the Building Code Administrator shall not be required to give a written notice prior to stopping the work. 

Revocation: The Building Code Administrator may revoke a Building Permit or approval, if there has been a false statement or misrepresentation as to the material fact in the application or plans on which the permit or approval was based. 

The Building Code Administrator may revoke a permit for the project or a portion of the work upon determination by the Building Code Administrator that the construction, erection, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, installation or replacement of the building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system for which the permit was issued is in violation of, or not in conformity with, the provisions of the codes. 

INSPECTION REQUESTS: 

All projects will require detailed code compliance inspections during the construction phase. The disciplines normally include, but are not limited to, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and general building. The permit holder shall make all permits, drawings, specifications and change documents affecting codes available to the inspectors. Inspection personnel will be provided by the University or their designee. The State Fire Marshal’s office is responsible for enforcing the Uniform Fire Safety Standards and must be contacted according to their requirements. 

Permit holder/contractor shall request various inspections as required by the Florida Building Code.  Please contact us if you are unsure about whether you need a certain item inspected.  The inspector’s function is to inspect the work for code compliance and document the results. The inspector is not responsible for scheduling, directing, or managing the construction work or for making a punch list or correction lists.  Any code related deviations from the permitted documents shall be approved by the Architect/Engineer of Record and EH&S prior to inspection. 

To request an inspection for your project you need to have access to the UF EH&S web based customer portal. http://www.citizenserve.com/universityofflorida 

Once your specific customer portal has been set up by our office, you can log in and select your active permit number and then select type of inspection along with date/time desired.  Please read and pay attention to the notes and instructions on your portal. Please include your contact info/phone number (you type this into the comments box), and the area and items you need to have inspected.  If your company is not currently set up with a customer portal please contact our EH&S Building Code office and we will get you activated with log-in and password.  As an option, the permit holder may complete the Inspection Request/Report Form located on the UNF website , located at (http://www.unf.edu/ehs/Building_Code_Administration.aspx ) and FAX to us at the FAX number on the permit card at least a day in advance (minimum 3 days for long distance inspections).  Be sure to include your permit number (your permit number begins with a B, such as B15-000159).  We don’t normally accept inspection requests by email.  If you don’t have internet access you should call us to discuss. 

It is the permit holder’s responsibility to manage the sequence of work and request the inspections in a timely manner. The permit holder shall not request an inspection unless all of the related work is complete for an entire building, floor, building wing, system, or recognizable portion, so the contractors and inspectors can readily track the progress of the work. Work shall not proceed to the next step on any part of a building, structure, electrical system, gas system, mechanical system, or plumbing system until the previous step has been inspected and approved by the Building Code Administrator or his representative. 

The permit holder and his subcontractors are responsible for ensuring the work is completed in accordance with Applicable Codes and Standards. The permit holder is required to make all portions of the work available for inspection and provide the means (e.g., ladder) for it to be inspected. The permit holder must be available during the inspection. The appropriate subcontractor should be available during the inspection. If not, the opportunity of an on-site discussion with the inspector will be lost. 

INSPECTION REPORTS: 

EH&S code inspectors will provide reports indicating the inspection results. This document will be available to the contactor on their web portal (under the documents tab).  Deviations from the permitted documents shall be approved by the Architect/Engineer of Record and this office. The permit holder shall anticipate the need for this written approval and provide it to the inspector at, or before, the time of inspection. 

The inspector’s function is to inspect the work and document the results of the inspection. The inspector is not responsible for directing the contractors "how to correct a violation." Only the Building Code Administrator, not the inspector, is authorized to grant a variance from the applicable codes and standards. 

If after reviewing the work with respect to the applicable codes and standards, a contractor believes a violation was cited incorrectly or wishes to request a variance, the contractor should contact the Building Code Administrator in writing (Fax is acceptable). The contractor should state in writing the inspection date, project title, permit number, applicable drawing number(s), applicable specification section number(s), applicable code section number(s), and an explanation of why the contractor believes the code violation was incorrectly cited or a variance is warranted. The Building Code Administrator will then evaluate the request and proceed appropriately. 

Usually, the report results will indicate one or more of the following: 

Passed: This indicates that all items related to a particular inspection have been inspected and are in accordance with the applicable codes. 

Conditional: This indicates that the vast majority (95%) of all items related to a particular inspection have been installed, inspected, and passed on the condition a few 

items be corrected. The inspector is in no way obligated to grant a "Conditional". A "Conditional" will only be granted if the inspector believes, the contractor is able and willing to complete the work in accordance with the applicable codes, because a reinspection will not be required. The inspector’s belief will be based on the extent and quality of work completed for the present and previous inspections. A "Conditional" will not be issued for uncompleted items, which relate to the protection of people’s health and safety. A "Conditional" will only be issued if a small quantity of minor items must be completed or corrected. 

Violation Cleared: This is used when a re-inspection of previous violation reveals that the item has been completed in accordance with the applicable codes. 

Re-inspection Required: This confirms that a re-inspection is required for a particular item. A "Failure" or "Not Ready" automatically implies that re-inspection is required. 

Not Ready: This will be used to indicate that a significant quantity of items related to a particular inspection have not been installed at all, or have been installed incorrectly. If the inspector finds three different code violations related to a particular inspection discipline, he shall terminate the inspection, write "Inspection Terminated" below the third violation of the report and designate the result as "Not Ready". 

Failed: This will designate the violations have been found and a description should be included in the space provided on the report. 

FINAL CERTIFICATE: 

The issuance of a Certificate completes the Building Code Administration process. The permit holder must request a Certificate of Occupancy after completion of a new building, building addition, or a renovation if an occupancy change occurred. The permit holder should request a Certificate of Completion if occupancy was not an issue. The permit holder must request the certificate in writing from the University. 

Before the certificate can be issued, the following items must be submitted in writing, as applicable: 

1. Request. Letter from the qualifying agent of permit holder requesting a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion, certifying all code violations have been corrected. 
2. Final Reports. Provide verification that all final inspections have been completed and comments addressed. 
3. State Fire Marshal Approval. Copy of the inspection approval letter from the State Fire Marshal. 
4. Elevator Approval. Copy of the elevator inspection approval reports from the Department of Business & Professional Regulation. 
5. Special Inspector. Letter signed and sealed by the special inspector certifying the threshold building complies with the permitted documents and the shoring and reshoring complies with shoring and reshoring plans submitted. 
6. Flood Plain Certification. Letter signed and sealed by the engineer of record that the structure, as constructed, meets or exceeds the flood plain criteria defined in the FEMA document 44CFR-Part 60. 
7. Other Certifications. Copy of any other certifications by the architect, engineer, and/or contractors required by other jurisdictions such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, county health unit, etc. 

Notice: In addition to the requirements of this permit, there may be additional restrictions applicable to this property that may be found in the public records of this county. 

Notice: If this project involves the disturbance or removal of asbestos, it is the permit holder’s responsibility to ensure compliance with Section 455.302, F.S., and notification to the Department of Environmental Protection. If this project involves the demolition or renovation of an existing structure, it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure compliance with Section 455.302, F.S., and notify the Department of Environmental Protection of the intention to remove asbestos.