Special Inspections are required on nearly all projects filed with the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), especially NB’s, ALT1’s and ALT2’s. The DOB has recently (May 13, 2012) amended the regulations that govern Special Inspections.
Special Inspections are conducted during the construction process to verify that work is being done in accordance to approved plans, specifications, and local codes. Special Inspections can only be performed by Special Inspectors on behalf of a Special Inspection Agency approved by the DOB or in some cases (such as in use Group R-3, a structure of three stories or less) most inspections can be performed by the registered design professional. However, using a third party inspection agency solves many problems that occur due to conflict of interest.
Our office as taken the time to provide a resource for our employees to quickly understand when an inspection is required, when there are exemptions, as well as additional relavent detail. We would like to provide this resource to other design professionals, owners, and interested parties as a courtesy. At Strata Architecture + Design, we believe that non-proprietary resources should be made public so others can learn and benefit.
Please note this is a working document, so there may be some inaccuracies and therefore you shouldn't rely solely on this document as it is a summation of NYC Building Codes which also change frequently.
