(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 390, if a proposed structure or addition is classified in any use group specified in subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section, the plans and specifications for such structure or addition shall be sealed by the licensed architect of record or professional engineer of record responsible for the design of the structure or addition. Such architect or engineer of record shall be retained and be responsible for the review of the implementation of the design of such structure or addition including the review of shop drawings and the observation of construction. In the event such architect or engineer of record is unable to fulfill such review responsibilities, an additional architect or engineer shall be retained and the local building official shall be informed, in writing, of such retainer. If fabricated structural load-bearing members or assemblies are used in such construction, the licensed professional engineer responsible for the design of such members or assemblies shall be responsible for the implementation of said engineer's design by reviewing the fabrication process to ensure conformance with said engineer's design specifications and parameters.

(b) Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for a proposed structure or addition classified in any use group specified in subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection, the local building official shall require a statement signed by the architect of record or the professional engineer of record responsible for the design of the structure or addition or the additional architect or professional engineer retained pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, and by the general contractor involved in the construction of such structure or addition affirming their professional opinion that the completed structure or addition is in substantial compliance with the approved plans and specifications on file with such building official. The use groups referred to in this section, as defined in the State Building Code, shall include: (1) Assembly, educational, institutional, high hazard, transient residential, which includes hotels, motels, rooming or boarding houses, dormitories or similar buildings, other than residential buildings designed to be occupied by one or more families, without limitation as to size or number of stories, (2) business, factory and industrial, mercantile, moderate and low hazard storage, having three stories or more or exceeding thirty thousand square feet total gross area, and (3) nontransient residential dwellings having more than sixteen units or twenty-four thousand square feet total gross area per building.

(P.A. 88-359, S. 5, 12; P.A. 89-255, S. 5, 7; P.A. 90-153, S. 2, 4; P.A. 99-206, S. 3, 4.)

History: P.A. 89-255 amended section to provide if plans for proposed structure or addition are required to be sealed by a licensed architect or professional engineer, each architect or engineer of record shall be retained and be responsible for duties specified, eliminating reference to review of daily construction logs and further required licensed professional engineer to review fabrication process, eliminating requirement of viewing it; P.A. 90-153 added Subsec. (b) defining use groups recognized by state building code and requiring signed statement by architect or professional engineer and general contractor of project that project complies with approved plans and specifications as condition for issuing certificate of occupancy and revised existing provisions requiring that plans and specifications be sealed by architect or engineer to conform with new Subsec. (b); P.A. 99-206 specified that plans and specifications be sealed by the architect of record or the engineer of record, and that the statement of professional opinion be signed by the architect of record or the engineer of record, or by the additional architect or engineer retained pursuant to Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1999.