Residential Building Inspector B1General Administration, Legal, and EnforcementMedium
A residential building inspector issues a Stop Work Order (SWO) for a new foundation pour because the rebar placement deviated significantly from the approved plans. The contractor immediately halts work. What is the IMMEDIATE next step required by the contractor before resuming any construction activity?
- AContact the project engineer for a new structural design.
- BCorrect the non-compliant rebar placement as per approved plans.
- CSubmit revised plans to the building official for approval.
- DSchedule a re-inspection with the building official.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Correct the non-compliant rebar placement as per approved plans.
A Stop Work Order requires immediate cessation of work and correction of the violation that led to the order. Only after the correction is made can a re-inspection be requested and, upon approval, work resumed.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This might be necessary if the contractor cannot correct the existing work or if the original design is found to be deficient, but the primary immediate step is to address the specific deviation cited in the SWO.
- C. Revised plans might be needed if the original plans were flawed or the deviation cannot be corrected, but the immediate step is to fix the existing non-compliance.
- D. A re-inspection is scheduled *after* the correction has been made, not before.
Stop Work Order Compliance
A Stop Work Order (SWO) mandates the immediate cessation of all construction activity due to a code violation. Compliance requires correcting the violation, obtaining re-inspection, and getting approval to resume work.
- SWO requires immediate cessation of all work.
- Violation must be corrected before work can resume.
- Re-inspection by official is required after correction.
Memory trick: Stop, fix, then ask for a look; that's the SWO's book.