Roles & authorities
Special inspector
A special inspector performs the focused, often continuous inspection that certain work requires on top of the ordinary building department inspections. Structural steel welding and high-strength bolting, concrete placement and reinforcement, post-installed anchors and soils are typical scopes. The specific inspections required, and who is qualified to perform them, are set by the adopted code and the project's inspection program, usually spelled out on the drawings by the engineer of record and enforced by the AHJ.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Structural steel inspection checklist
12 items · 27 photos required
How it shows up on site
Special inspection is scheduled around the work itself: an inspector present while welds are laid or while concrete is placed, not a walkthrough afterward. Continuous items mean the inspector has to be there for the operation; periodic items can be checked at intervals. Work that proceeds without required special inspection often has to be exposed or tested again to prove it.
What proves it
Signed daily special inspection reports, tied to the specific pours, welds or bolted connections they cover, are the record. Pairing each report with dated photos of the exact condition (a weld before it's coated, rebar and embeds before the pour) means the turnover package stands on its own instead of relying on the inspector's memory.
Common mistakes
Treating a passed building inspection as if it covered the special inspection scope, or closing in work before the required inspection is done and signed. Confirm the inspection program on the drawings and schedule the inspector to the operation, not to the calendar.
Guides that use it
- How to inspect a concrete pourRun the pre-pour inspection, watch the pour, and check the finish (formwork, rebar, embeds, mix, and curing), because concrete only gets inspected once.
- How to inspect masonryInspect masonry as it rises (units, mortar, reinforcement, grout, and flashing), because a bearing wall or veneer is covered course by course.
- How to inspect structural steelInspect steel erection in order (anchor bolts, plumb and level, bolted and welded connections) against the erection drawings and the inspection plan.
- How to inspect foundationsInspect foundations from bearing to backfill (soil, formwork, reinforcement, waterproofing, and anchor bolts), with the pre-pour hold point that governs it.
Standards it's verified against
Checklists that put special inspector to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Engineer of record (EOR)The licensed engineer who stamps a design discipline and stays responsible for its intent through construction.
- Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)The office or official empowered to enforce a code and approve materials, methods and completed work on a given project.
- Third-party inspectionInspection performed by an independent agency retained for the project rather than by the installer or the building department.
- Quality control managerThe person responsible for running the project's quality control program: inspections, hold points and the records that prove them.
- Building inspectorThe code official who inspects work against the adopted building code and approves each phase before it can continue.
- Geotechnical engineerThe engineer who evaluates soil and subsurface conditions and sets the requirements for foundations, earthwork and site preparation.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
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