Special Inspector
A Special Inspector is a person certified by the County to perform special types of construction inspection. The definition is contained in section 1701.2 of the 2002 County of Los Angeles Building Code. It reads: “1701.2 Special Inspector. The Special Inspector shall be a qualified person who shall demonstrate competence, to the satisfaction of the building official, for inspection of the particular type of construction or operation requiring special inspection.” The Special Inspector shall observe the work assigned for conformance to the approved design drawings and specifications. The Special Inspector shall furnish inspection reports to the building official, the engineer or architect of record, and other designated persons. All discrepancies shall be brought to the immediate attention of the contractor for correction, then, if uncorrected to the proper design authority and to the building official. The Special Inspector shall submit a final signed report stating whether the work requiring special inspection was, to the best of the inspector's knowledge, in conformance to the approved plans and specifications and the applicable workmanship provision of the code.
The Special Inspector must be hired by the owner, engineer or architect of record, and not by the contractor. For the County of Los Angeles, the Special Inspector shall hold a valid and current certification from ICC, the International Code Council and a Los Angeles County Special Inspector card in the disciplines of inspection being reported. The inspections are required to be either periodic or continuous as required by the specification for the work being inspected.
The categories of special inspection covered for Los Angeles County are:
- structural concrete
- structural masonry
- prestressed / post tension
- structural welding
The high strength bolting is covered under concrete, masonry and prestressed certificates and can be done by a welding certificate if the inspector also holds a valid Los Angeles City Drilled in Anchor rider card. The spray applied fire-resistive materials inspections are covered by the welding inspector only.
If you want to be a Special Inspector an application package can found at the Special Inspector section in our Forms and Publications page.