DSA 101

July 2010

Plan Approval Process for theCareer Technical Education Facilities Program

(CTE)

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DSA Organization

DSA Headquarters located in Sacramento

Four DSA Regional Offices serve the State

San Francisco Bay Area Sacramento Los Angeles San Diego

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DSA Offices and the Regions They Serve

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DSA Headquarters Statewide programs

- Inspector Certification- Academy (code and plan review training classes)- Material Test Laboratory Approval

Code Development- accessibility, structural safety, green/sustainability

Policies and Code Interpretations- Interpretations of Regulations (IR)- Policies (PL), Bulletins (BU), Procedures

DSA Organization – Roles & Responsibilities

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DSA Regional Offices

Project plan review and approval Construction oversight

- project inspector approval Project close-out and certification Pre-submittal (design phase) meetings

- review access, fire, structural and project schedule

DSA Organization – Roles & Responsibilities

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Construction of any new school building

Construction of any addition to a school building

Alterations to existing school buildings and facilities if the project cost exceeds $35,623 (amount adjusted annually per IR A-10)

See “publications” page at www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov- DSA IR A-10 Projects Exempt from DSA Approval

Projects Required to be DSA Approved

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Applicable Laws and Regulations

Statutes – Ed. Code Sec. 17280 (Field Act – K-12)

Govt. Code Sec. 4450 (Accessibility)

Regulations – Title 24 Parts 1-12 Part 1 – Administrative Code Part 2 - Building Code Parts 3, 4, 5, 6 – Electrical, Mechanical,

Plumbing & Energy Efficiency Codes Part 9 - Fire Code

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Scope of DSA Review

DSA reviews construction documents for compliance with building regulations for:

Structural Safety (SS) Fire & Life Safety (FLS) Accessibility (AC) Energy Efficiency

(High Performance Incentive Grant Program)

Construction documents must show ALL work (including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design)

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DSA’s Website — www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov

Project Status – “TRACKER”- see “Tools & Applications” webpage

Project Submittal Guidelines- see “Submit Plans” webpage

DSA Publications (policies, IRs, procedures, bulletins) - see “Publications” webpage

Forms (DSA-1 Application, DSA-3 submittal checklist) - see “Forms” webpage

Headquarters and Regional Office Contact information- see “Contact Us” on the “About DSA” webpage

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Highly Recommended (not required)

Contact Regional Office early in schematic design to schedule preliminary review mtg.- contact Regional Manager or Supervising Engineer- School district representative should attend

Identify design problems prior to completion of plans (i.e. geohazard report requirements)

Establish project schedule and timeframe goals for plan review and approval- See webpage “DSA Tools & Applications”- Plan Review Time Estimate Information

Plan Approval Process STEP 1 Preliminary Review for CTE Projects

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Complete plans & specifications (3 sets)

Geologic Hazards Report & Soils Report- CGS approval of the report is required prior to DSA stamp-out- Refer to DSA IR A-4

Structural Calculations

Site drawing signed by local fire authority approving fire access, gates, fire flow, and hydrants

Site plan to show “Path of Travel” for site and building accessibility

Plan Approval Process STEP 2 Submitting Plans to DSA

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Energy compliance documentation (2008 efficiency stds)

Fire sprinkler design documents (if bldg has fire sprinklers)- Refer to DSA Policy 10-01, no deferred submittals effective 7-1-10

DSA Application Form (DSA-1)

DSA-3 Submittal Checklist

DSA-10 Project Funding Status Inquiry

Fees - based on estimated construction cost - refer to “Fees” on the “Submit Plans” webpage

Intake Meeting with DSA can be arranged at client’s request

Plan Approval Process STEP 2 Submitting Plans to DSA (continued)

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DSA intake architect verifies that the submittal is complete

DSA Application number assigned by DSA

District and Architect notified by email “Notice of Progress” indicating:1. Project’s Application number2. Anticipated date review will start 3. Referral to TRACKER (on website) for monitoring project status

Plan Approval Process STEP 3 DSA Intake Review

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Plans are reviewed in order received, based on priority rating from DSA-10 formSee Bulletin 09-04 Plan Review Assignment Priority Categories

3 concurrent reviews are conducted:(4 reviews if high performance energy review is reqd.)

1. Structural - Structural Engineer2. Fire & Life Safety - FLS Officer3. Accessibility - Access Architect

Plans reviewed by first available plan reviewer (for all three disciplines)

Plan Approval Process STEP 4 Plan Review

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Each of three “checksets” (SS, FLS, AC) returned to Architect when completed

“TRACKER” indicates status of each review (SS, FLS, AC) including when review is complete and returned to the Architect

Plan Approval Process STEP 5 Reviewed Plans Returned to Architect

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Architect coordinates Design Professional Team review of DSA comments

Design Professional Team makes needed revisions to plans and supporting documents

Architect schedules a “backcheck” appointment at DSA Regional Office

Plan Approval Process STEP 6Design Team Review of Checkset

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Architect and consultants bring corrected drawings, specifications, and checksets to backcheck appointment

Architect and engineers must provide experienced staff at the backcheck appointment

DSA staff reviews corrected drawings & specs with 3 checksets with the architect & engineers

Plan Approval Process STEP 7 Backcheck / Stamp-out of Plans & Specs

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When backcheck is done, SS, FLS, AC initial & date DSA Identification Stamp

Plan Approval Process STEP 8 Stamping Plans & Specs

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DSA scans a record set of plans and specifications and returns original documents to the architect

DSA issues an Approval Letter to the School District via email

The date of the Approval Letter is the official DSA plan approval date.

Plan Approval Process STEP 9 Approving Plans & Specs

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Contact DSA early in the design process to discuss project schedule and approval date goals

Use preliminary review meetings during the design phase to verify technical and DSA process requirements

Submit and obtain CGS approval of the geohazards report early in the design process

Maintain scheduled milestone date for intake (submittal of complete plans for review) to maintain schedule for return of checksets and stamp-out

Recommendations for CTE Projects