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 OUBO 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

• Streamline your review process by avoiding these common problems

  • OUBO Tip Sheet
  • Administrative Top 10
  • Architectural Top 10
  • Electrical Top 10
  • Fire Alarm Top 10
  • Fire Safety Top 10
  • Fire Sprinkler Top 10
  • Mechanical Top 10
  • Structural Top 10

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 Kathy Grove (434-243-4817).
• 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.

• Download the Outlook Invitation for Inspection Requests
• Follow the instructions in the Outlook Invitation, listed here:
  1. Change the meeting Title to Building Name + Project Name.
     • Project Name should match what is shown on the building permit
       • Example: New Cabell-3rd Flr Renov-Elec Above Ceiling
     • Inspection Types: ADA, Electrical, Fire Alarm, Fire Rated Assemblies/Penetrations, Mechanical/Plumbing, Sprinkler, Structural
  2. Use the Scheduling Assistant to find an available time (at least two working days in advance).
     • Check the Inspector's calendar for availability BEFORE sending invite:
       • Darin Clements – ALL inspections except ADA. Darin will coordinate availability of other Inspectors as needed.
       • Kathy Grove or Bob Waite – ADA (invite the Inspector who reviewed the project documents)
  3. Attach a PDF of the building permit.
  4. If applicable, attach a PDF of exact area to be inspected.
     • Example: floor plan highlighting 3rd Flr West Advising Suite
• Fill out the table:

  Building Name:
  Project Name:
  Is this a Capital Project Y/N*?
  Type[s] of inspections requested**:
  Where should the inspector meet you?

• Send the completed Inspection Request.

Type of inspection	Inspectors
ADA	Bob Waite, Kathy Grove, Natalie Feaver
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.