masonry. The magnitude of the construction deficiencies led to officials of Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement to evaluate the need for Special Inspections and develop a well-defined program.
documentation, additional administrative personnel, and researching and approving applications for Special Inspectors. The solution developed into Meck-si.com, Mecklenburg County’s Paperless Special Inspection Management System. Implemented in January 2006, Meck-si.com is an online document submittal database that provides code officials and project teams with access to definitions, requirements, procedures, forms, approvals and submittal procedures for a comprehensive Special Inspections management program. Edward S. Prince, AIA, CSI, CCCA, Esq. of Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement said that Meck-si.com is the solution to paper-based special inspection management. “The pros of Meck-si.com are that we have improved inspector efficiency, cost savings, and consistency of our program being administered in the same manner,” Prince said. “There is also an ease of use in Meck-si.com through electronic searches, rules-based workflow, better quality control and better access.”
The approximately three-inch gap between this steel decking and beam is an example of a deficiency discovered during Special Inspections.
Local building officials began enforcing Special Inspection requirements as part of the permit application process in January 2003. In the very early stages of the program, Mecklenburg County officials relied on the design professional to state the Special Inspection requirements in project documents submitted for plan review and approval. Mecklenburg County officials evaluated existing Special Inspections programs, specifically in Kansas City, Las Vegas and Richmond, Va. For advice on developing and implementing a Special Inspections program, Mecklenburg County reached out to local design engineering, testing and inspection professionals. Mecklenburg County officials recognized that field observations and inspection of work as well as enforcement of inspector qualifications were a vital part of a successful Special Inspections program. A seasoned, experienced Special Inspector helps a major project maintain its schedule, and more significant non-conformances can be resolved quickly when the Special Inspector can discuss technical issues directly with the design team. County officials evaluated several different means and methods for the approval of Special Inspectors and feedback from local testing and inspection firms. The next step was integrating information technology and the Internet with the Special Inspections program. Although Mecklenburg County is one of the Southeast’s largest code enforcement departments, the County was very aware of the need for resources to develop, implement and enforce a welldefined Special Inspections program. Resource concerns included storing and maintaining records of submitted project 94
APWA Reporter
August 2008
The unsecured nuts positioned in these anchor bolts are another type of construction deficiency that Special Inspections programs are intended to prevent or correct.
The program developed by Mecklenburg County is patented and available for other code enforcement agencies that may not have the resources to implement a program. “Essentially, Meck-si.com is Special Inspections in a box,” Prince added. It is important to note that although Special Inspections are defined in the IBC, enforcement, processes, procedures, scope and even exemptions may vary by state, city or county. The old television phrase “check your local listings” may very well apply to Special Inspections in your jurisdiction, so understand how Special Inspections are interpreted and enforced in your local area. Special Inspections are here to stay. With better communication and more comprehensive inspections resulting in higher quality construction, perhaps we can reduce or even eliminate Murphy’s Law from building construction projects. Hughston Caldwell, III, can be reached at (704) 509-1777 or hccaldwell@terracon.com.