Approved as Noted gives the plans examiner the ability to mark up minor items on construction drawings. Items should fall into the following criteria:
Mark up the Approved as Noted items on both sets in 20 minutes or less.
Must be a minor simple stand alone item, not part of a large assembly (example: exit sign vs. rated wall)
Must be easily verifiable in the field, not covered up on the finish
Should be easily correctable in the field if missed (example: changing a door swing)
If so, the plan reviewer should call, fax or email the A and E advising use of Approved as Noted
Contact should indicate item, sheet number and code section
Code Enforcement will assume ok to proceed, but A & E may decline Approved as Noted
Below is a limited list of items that may benefit from Approved as Noted:
Building:
- Tempered glass required
- Lever locks required
- Revising a door swing
- Revising a door swing
- Mislabeled doors (fire rating identification)
- Adding an exit light (need clarification on number of lights that can be added)
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing:
- Wire size (except for major equipment utilization)
- Exhaust fan (small)
- Fire dampers
- Additional fire strobe
- Trap on Floor drain
- Vent stack size: Noted for minimum or no fixture call required
Items that are not eligible for Approved as Noted:
- Nothing changing the design (impacting partition or space layout)
- Ramps vs. steps
- Wall ratings
- Tested assembly (materials/methods)
The intention is for Interactive Review to reduce the number of review cycles needed during a review by encouraging communication between the reviewer and the designer of record during the first review cycle. Interactive Review will be used if Approved as Noted can not address the issues. The expectation is this communication will clarify questions and allow a response to correct the code issue(s) at hand. Utilization of Interactive Review will reduce the overall time to obtain an approved set of drawings. This initiative will apply to projects that typically take 1 – 8 hours of review.
The design professionals will be available by phone, fax, email or in person to participate in this program. Once contacted regarding a review, the design professional will respond within 48 hours (2 business days) or the review will be disapproved and the drawings returned. The plans examiners will have the comments to the designers no later than 3:00 pm and the designers will respond no later than 3:00 pm 2 business days later. The lead designer will provide to Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement a list of designers and their contact information (phone, fax, email) and the contact information of their alternatives, as needed, in an electronic form (ie, Word document) and on the Appendix B.
Instances where Interactive Review will NOT be utilized:
- If the change will take longer than 1 uninterrupted hour for the reviewer to complete the review
- If the scope of work expands or changes,
- If the work includes owner changes
- Owner changes should be submitted as Revisions to Approved Plans
