« Fed Stands Still – Time to Make Your Move | Home | TREC Commission Meeting Monday August 18th »
TRCC Implements County Inspection Program
By Edward Robinson | August 14, 2008
If you are in the home inspection or construction consulting industry you are probably aware of the upcoming changes that the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) is implementing regarding requirements for code inspections on residential structures built in Texas. Starting September 1, 2008, the law requires code inspections on all home construction and remodeling projects constructed initiated after that date in unincorporated areas or in municipalities that do not conduct such inspections. It will now be required that the builder or remodeler secure inspection at three stages of construction which are defined as:
- Foundation- Inspection required prior to placement of concrete.
- TopOut - A framing and mechanical systems inspection before placement of insulation and drywall, also know as a pre-cover inspection.
- Final- Inspection performed when construction is considered substantially completed and prior to occupancy.
Builders and remodelers must hire qualified fee inspectors to conduct the inspections. To serve as a registered fee inspector an inspector must be one of the following:
- A professional engineer licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers.
- An architect registered with the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners.
- A professional inspector licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission
- A third party inspector registered with the Texas Residential Construction Commission.
Currently you may register online with the TRCC. The online system is intended to allow builders and remodelers to find registered inspectors. Currently, it is the responsibility of the builders to hire fee inspectors registered with the TRCC.
This new program could result in better construction quality in Texas; however, under its current requirements, I have concerns it will not significantly improve conditions. Based upon a review of the FAQ section of the TRCC County Inspection Program, the TRCC indicates there will be no auditing of inspectors to determine their qualifications or competence. Auditing may be performed on builders, and if inspectors are found to be applying code improperly, they can loose their registration with the TRCC. This is a one-sided audit because inspectors are not required to send failing reports to the TRCC, so there will be no investigation of builders who do not meet code on a regular basis as determined by code inspectors. This means there is likely to be no record the building was inspected if it does not pass inspection. Further, based upon information in the FAQ section of the TRCC web site, builders may hire inspectors to perform re-inspections. This will allow builders to “inspector shop” without any penalty to the builder until the builder finds an inspector who will issue a passing report to the TRCC. I suspect this will cut out any work for inspection contractors providing high quality inspections which require strict code compliance since they will slow construction until the builder complies. Further, there appears to be no recourse for an owner to contact the TRCC with concern in this process.
Another concern is the qualification of the inspectors. The requirements to register and perform these inspections do not include any specific requirement to be certified with the International Code Council (ICC) who publish the code the builders and remodelers are required to follow. The ICC provides certifications for inspectors performing municipal inspections, and it is normally a requirement to hold such a position since it should result in more uniform practice, although some may debate this. There is concern in the inspection and construction community that this will result in a lack of uniform inspection practices, especially when comparing municipal inspectors against county fee inspectors.
I hope that the County Inspection Program is open for improvement. I think that if the reporting requirements and retained documentation for a structure were more stringent, it would have a more significant impact; however, it would also be less palatable to builders.
Topics: New Construction |