IAS eNews

Las Vegas Sets Special Inspection Standard

The City of Las Vegas has adopted requirements for agencies that conduct special inspections under Chapter 17 of the International Building Code (IBC). The City of Las Vegas Building and Safety Department is now requiring special inspection agencies to meet the Accreditation Criteria for IBC Special Inspection Agencies (AC291).

The accreditation criteria was developed in public hearings by the IAS Accreditation Committee at the request of the City of Las Vegas. The IAS program is aimed at assuring building departments that special inspection agencies that have achieved accreditation are fully competent to determine if construction meets the material and workmanship requirements under Chapter 17 of the IBC.

To gain accreditation, an agency must submit an application and document its quality management system to show compliance with the IAS Accreditation Criteria for IBC Special Inspection Agencies. Once IAS has reviewed and approved the quality management system manual, specially trained IAS assessors arrange an on-site assessment at the special inspection agency’s office as well as field assessments at construction sites to evaluate the technical competence of the agency’s inspectors.

Earl Russell, Inspections Manager for the Building and Safety Department of the City of Las Vegas, as quoted in a recent publication, says, “This is in fact more stringent than our in-house evaluation program. Better yet, it takes the burden off of us to make sure that our special inspection agencies are regularly assessed for quality and competence.”