Expired Rooftop Unit Permit With Concealed Work and No Final
A permit was issued on March 3 for replacement of a 5-ton rooftop unit at a restaurant. The approved plans show seismic restraint, 12-inch clearance to combustibles, an economizer, a disconnect within sight, and a condensate drain. The permit states that it expires if work is not inspected within 180 days. A rough-in inspection was performed on August 28 for the curb, duct connection, and gas piping. No final inspection was requested, and the contractor did not document any request. In January, a fire inspector doing a routine inspection notices that the unit is operating but has no final inspection sticker. The owner produces a gas pressure test report dated September, but the mechanical inspector has no record of receiving it. The contractor says the permit is still valid because someone called for the final in September. Records show no call. Separately, a second crew cut a 6-inch grease duct penetration through a rated wall and sealed it with ordinary drywall compound; no inspection was requested for that penetration.
1. Is the permit valid, and what options does the inspector have under the administrative provisions?
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The permit is not valid merely because the contractor believes a call was made. Administrative codes generally treat a permit as expired when the work has not been inspected within the stated period, commonly 180 days after issuance or after the last inspection, or when work is suspended or abandoned for that period. Here the last recorded inspection was August 28, and no final was requested. The inspector should verify the exact expiration and renewal language in the adopted administrative code and the permit conditions, then document the permit history. If the permit has expired, the options are typically a renewal or a new permit, with fees, plus a requirement that the work be exposed for inspection where it is concealed. A verbal claim of a September call is not a substitute for the record; the contractor should produce a dated request or electronic confirmation. I would not accept the September gas report as a final inspection, because a report is not an inspection and the piping still needs to be verified against the approved scope.
2. What must be inspected or tested before this installation can be finalized?
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The final inspection must verify the approved plans, not just the presence of an operating unit. That includes the seismic restraint details and anchorage, the 12-inch clearance to combustibles, the economizer installation and controls, the disconnect location, the condensate drain and trap, and the gas piping test. The gas report should be reviewed for test pressure, duration, gauge, and the person who witnessed it; if the report is incomplete or the piping was altered after the test, a new test is required. The grease duct penetration is a separate serious item: a rated wall penetration must use a listed firestop system appropriate to the wall rating and the duct, and ordinary drywall compound is not a firestop. That work needs to be exposed, inspected, and documented, and it may require a separate permit or plan review. I would also verify that the economizer does not create a path for unconditioned air or a code violation at the curb, and that the roof curb and flashing are weathertight. The final should not be issued until the concealed work is opened for inspection or otherwise accepted by an approved alternative.
3. Describe the enforcement steps and the records you would create.
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I would issue a written correction notice identifying each deficiency, the code basis, and the required action. Because the permit has expired, I would not simply write corrections on the old permit; I would require renewal or a new permit, with the associated fee, and I would state that concealed work must be exposed. If the grease duct penetration is an imminent fire hazard, I would consider a stop-work or unsafe-condition notice for that portion and notify the fire authority. I would document the permit history, the missing final request, the September report, the observed condition of the penetration, and the names and dates of every conversation. The contractor should be given a reasonable compliance date and informed of the appeal procedure. After the work is corrected, I would perform the final inspection, verify the gas test and firestop, and only then issue the final approval. The file should show that the final was based on inspection, not on the contractor's assurance.