Bakersfield, CA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

3," but carves out exceptions: isolated spread footings on buildings three stories or less with compressive strength no greater than 2,500 psi, continuous footings for light-frame construction under the same strength cap, nonstructural slabs on grade with prestress under 150 psi, and ordinary concrete patios, driveways and sidewalks poured on grade don't need a special inspector. 2, that runs on top of, not instead of, the special inspections in Section 1705 or the general inspection duties in Section 110. The owner must retain either the registered design professional who did the structural design or another qualified registered design professional as observer.

Before observations begin, the observer submits a written statement to the building official identifying how often and how extensively they will observe. The owner or their representative must then call a preconstruction meeting bringing together the observer, contractors, subcontractors and special inspectors to identify the major structural elements affecting the lateral and vertical load systems and schedule the required site visits, with a record of that meeting going into the final report. Any deficiencies the observer sees during construction must be reported in writing to the owner, the special inspector, the contractor and the building official, and at each major construction stage the observer files a statement on the building official's prescribed form confirming site visits occurred and listing any unresolved deficiencies. A final report certifying all deficiencies are resolved is required before the building official will accept the work.