CCDA Releases 'Accessibility Construction Inspection Checklist' for Building Inspectors

The California Commission on Disability Access (CCDA) has recently released an Accessibility Construction Inspection Checklist, a master checklist for access compliance that may be used by building inspectors. 

"The purpose of this Accessibility Checklist is to provide trained building code officials/building inspectors with a reference list of the most common accessibility features to be inspected and/or verified during the construction phases of commercial projects. It is important during the progress inspections that the trained building code official/building inspector verify all elements will be able to meet the minimum accessibility requirements of the California Building Code at the time of final inspection."

The Checklist Subcommittee was in formed in July 2014 with 11 members and the CCDA Executive Director, as a response to a Legislative request. The Committee members come from a variety of backgrounds and include registered architects, certified access specialists, contractors, building officials and other industry professionals in design and construction.

To create the Checklist, the Committee worked in consultation with the California Building Standards Commission, as well as researched other existing checklists, including one from Evan Terry Associates. Taking the lead from similar checklists, the Committee concluded that a shorter, portable checklist was more appropriate for working in the field (versus a binder or thick book) and therefore created a pdf version for inspectors to use on their mobile devices. The Checklist is also formatted for printing; and some building officials have laminated it for use on multiple projects.

After researching portability, the next major task was to determine the current times that the Building Official is already on-site and evaluate Sign-off Card prompts for accessibility that are presently in use.  After gathering random samples of Sign-off Cards from other cities in California, the Checklist Committee discussed how accessibility progress inspections can fit into the schedule of a Building Officials' required site visits during construction. In this earlier integration of accessibility awareness and inspection, the Committee's expectations were that a trained Building Official can spot major issues such as a toilet being plumbed too close to the side wall if he was prompted at the under-slab plumbing inspection to check for centerline distance to the side.  If caught at this stage, it would be a relatively minor correction as opposed to being discovered for the first time at Final Inspection when all walls and finishes are already installed. Therefore, the Committee outlined the various stages of construction where the Building Official is already on-site and inserted what accessibility observations should be made at those times.

Two surveys conducted by the Building Standards Commission and CALBO (California Building Officials) regarding the concept of the Checklist and its integration into the current building inspection process, showed 75% to 80% of survey participants supported the notion of an earlier and increased accessibility inspection awareness being integrated into the current field inspection process.

The Committee then refined the Checklist and released it in 2015.