(a) When a school building constructed in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the Department of General Services is completed, the notice of completion is filed, and all final verified reports and all testing and inspection documents, as required by this article or as required by the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this article, are submitted to and on file with the Department of General Services, and all required fees paid by the school district, the department shall issue a certification that the school building complies with the requirements of this article. Nothing in this article shall prevent beneficial occupancy by a school district prior to the issuance of this certification.

(b) When a school building, constructed in accordance with approved plans and specifications, is completed but final verified reports, as are required under Section 39151, have not been submitted to the Department of General Services due to the incapacitating illness, death, or the default of any persons required to file such reports, the Department of General Services shall, upon written request of the school district, review all of the project records and make such examinations as it deems necessary to enable it to certify that the school building otherwise complies with the requirements of this article. The Department of General Services may request the school district to have made, reported, and verified any other tests and inspections which the department deems necessary to complete its examinations of the construction.

(c) The costs incurred by the Department of General Services in connection with this section shall be paid by the school district. The actual costs to perform the examinations, tests, and inspections shall be an appropriate cost of the project to be paid from the building funds of the district. Certification of the project by the Department of General Services shall be withheld until all the costs have been paid by the school district.

(d) This section shall not relieve any individual of his or her responsibility to file verified reports, as required in Section 17309, or any other documents required by the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this article. This section shall not abrogate the provisions of Section 17312.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998.)