1. If your project consists of any of the following: maintenance, replacement in-kind, adding an accessory building, adding a fence, landscaping, parking structures, planters, retaining walls, walks,asbestos removal, carpeting, finishes, handrails, ladders, portable partitions, screens, signs, plumbing fixtures in-kind, dish washing equipment, washer and dryer components, alarms/communications devices, replacement of fire doors, or patchwork of fire rated walls, please email us or reference the FREER manual to see the rules regarding each one of these specific projects. Your project MAY be exempt. For specific questions please contact us or your local Compliance Officer to see if the work qualifies. In the case of an emergency you should contact the Regional Compliance Officer to let them know you are beginning work and you need an emergency approval.
For all other projects or projects that fall outside of the rules for those above start here.
2. Hire a California Registered Design Professional to design your project. A Design Professional is an architect or an engineer licensed in the State of California. Licensed contractors, no matter how experienced, are not considered Design Professionals. This person will be called the Design Professional of Record (DPOR)
3. Get competitive bids from licensed contractors for work to be done.
4. Hire an Inspector of Record (IOR).
5. Have your DPOR or project manager submit your application, plans, TIO forms, etc. electronically through OSHPD’s website if the project is under $175k. For projects over that amount you must submit the projects through the mail.
6. The DPOR or project manager will work with OSHPD to obtain a building permit by providing updated plans conforming to OSHPD’s requests.
7. Receive building permit.
8. IOR notifies OSHPD of the start of construction.
This seems like a small check list that should be easy to get done quickly. Unfortunately that is the exception and not the rule.
A. Hire the right design professional! Before you hire an architect, ask questions. Have they had significant OSHPD experience? Have other members used them with success? Do they have good working relationships with the OSHPD compliance officers? Make sure the architect is available to respond quickly to OSHPD’s responses.
B. Take an active role in the process. If you are not hiring a project manager, DPOR, or construction consultant and you do not have an in-house designee for facility infrastructure projects then we highly recommend you stay on top of all those involved. Now almost every aspect of the process is viewable online at anytime. You can track time frames, incomplete documents, and see the OSHPD officials involved on your project.
C. For moderate to complex projects we strongly advise you to arrange for a preconstruction meeting after your plans have been approved involving all of the stakeholders including OSHPD field staff, project IOR, General contractor, sub-contractor foreman, architect or engineer responsible, project manager, and facility maintenance staff. This will allow everyone to be on the same page with a clear understanding of who is accountable for what. The IOR can provide advice on potential problems, OSHPD required procedures, minimum requirements, approved documents, etc…
D. Get to know your OSHPD field personnel and find out who their supervisor is as well.
E. Before you undertake a large remodel consider how this project may impact other portions of the building that are not up to the newest building code, but would need to become code compliant in the process of completing this job. It is very common that the installation of a new piece of equipment would in some way change the rest of a system’s ability to function as it once did. This will now have to be included in the project. By accounting for that upfront you’ll reduce the amount of time needed to amend the construction documents.
F. Lastly, call or email CAHF! We have an OSHPD policy analyst on staff who can help guide you through the process.
