Office of the University Building Official

1. Plan Review

Construction Documents must be reviewed for conformance with applicable Federal, State, and University Codes and Standards.

• Submit Documents for review via the GES Print & Review Transmittal

  5 days – Schematic, Small Projects, Yellow-Outs, and Bulletin or RFI review
  10 days – Preliminary Reviews
  15 days – Construction Drawings and first submittal of Shop Drawings

• Documents must conform to the following:

  • Building Codes
  • HECOM
  • Facilities Design Guidelines

2. Building (and other) Permits

Building permits are required for new construction, renovations, demolition, and temporary structures such as stages, membrane structures, and portable buildings.

• Do you need a building permit or a project permit for this work? Refer to the Building Project Permit Policy to be sure, or discuss your project with Bob Waite (434-982-5909).
• Fill out the Building Permit Form, email it to buildingpermitrequest@virginia.edu
• Consider Partial Permits for early site work, demolition, or foundation packages.
• Temporary Structures, Stages, and Amusement Devices use this Temporary Building Permit form
  • Stage Permits Policy
  • Amusement Devices and Inflatables Policy
  • Tents - permitted through the Environmental Health & Safety Department.
• Requirements for Permit Posting and Approved Drawings

3. Inspections

We inspect construction projects for compliance with fire safety requirements, accessibility guidelines, and structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing codes during construction. Required inspections are listed on page 2 of all approved Building Permits.

• Request an inspection by sending an email to inspections@virginia.edu with the required information.
• Include the following information in your email:
  • A PDF of building permit.
  • Building name.
  • Project name.
  • Is this a Capital Project: If yes, note that more lead time may be needed so that we can invite the State Fire Marshall.
  • Type[s] of inspection requested.
  • Proposed date, time, duration [verify an inspector's availability from their calendars before requesting].
  • Where to meet, any other pertinent information.
• OUBO recommends scheduling a pre-inspection meeting to discuss expectations and procedures for Capital Projects. Coordinate meeting with project liaison.

Type of inspection	Inspectors
ADA	Bob Waite, Kathy Grove
Electrical	Darin Clements, David Jones
Fire Alarm	Darin Clements, David Jones
Fire Rated Assemblies/Penetrations	Darin Clements, Chris Barfield, Rachelle Hermes
Mechanical/Plumbing	Darin Clements, Peter Mackey
Sprinkler for Work performed In-House	Darin Clements, Chris Barfield, Rachelle Hermes
Structural	Nathan Lawson, Ben Hays

Prepare for your inspection by reviewing these inspection checklists

• ADA Compliance
• Means of Egress
• Fire Rated Assemblies
• Fire Suppression
• Fire Alarm
• Emergency Lights & Generator
• Mechanical & Plumbing
• TCUO for Temporary Certificate of Occupancy

4. Project Closeout

The University Building Official is responsible for issuing certificates of occupancy for new buildings and for re-occupancy following renovations. The details of the process depend on the size of the project.

• Small Non-Capital projects such as labs, room renovations and small site work projects:
  Request a Project Approval Memo or a Temporary Re-occupancy Memo by sending an email to Ben Hays.
• Mid-Range Non-Capital projects such as the renovation of most of a floor or parts of a couple of floors, work that includes sprinklers or generates TAB, water testing, or the FM asset turnover report:
  Complete the TCUO or CUO checklists for Academic Non-Capital Projects or Health System Non-Capital Projects and email to Ben Hays.
• Large Capital projects such as renovations of a building or multiple floors of a building and new construction:
  Complete the TCUO or CUO checklists for Academic Capital Projects or Health System Capital Projects and email to Ben Hays.