PSB LBO study plan
PSB LBO · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Building Codes and Regulatory Administration & Administration, Legal Authority, and Ethics
Map the code-administration workflow from permit application through certificate of occupancy, writing out each step and which party owns it
Distinguish the roles of the building official, plans examiner, and inspector, and state which decisions each is empowered to make
Outline the legal basis for code adoption, amendments, and local enforcement authority in your jurisdiction
Identify the appeal and variance process, including who hears appeals and the timelines involved
List the ethical duties of a code official, including conflicts of interest, ex parte contact, and confidentiality
Your checkpoint
A one-page flowchart of the permit-to-occupancy process annotated with the authority, appeal route, and ethical checkpoint at each stage
Building Codes and Regulatory Administration & Plan Review and Permit Processing
Trace how a code change enters through the model-code cycle and reaches local adoption
Compare the administrative provisions of the code with the plan-review submittal requirements for a commercial project
Practice classifying a submittal as complete or deficient against a written checklist
Draft the sequence of review disciplines (architectural, structural, fire, accessibility) and what triggers each
Explain how deferred submittals and phased permits are handled administratively
Your checkpoint
A completed plan-review checklist applied to a hypothetical tenant-improvement submittal, with at least five deficiencies flagged and justified by code section
Plan Review and Permit Processing & Structural and Fire/Life-Safety Provisions
Read structural drawings well enough to verify that design criteria, occupancy category, and risk category are stated and consistent
Check that fire-resistance ratings shown on plans match the required separations for the occupancy and construction type
Verify that fire-protection system submittals include the required design documents and hydraulic calculations
Identify common plan-review errors in egress width, travel distance, and shaft enclosure details
Practice writing a correction notice that cites the code section and states the required fix
Your checkpoint
Three written correction notices on structural or fire/life-safety deficiencies, each with a code citation and a specific remedy
Structural and Fire/Life-Safety Provisions & Occupancy Classification and Construction Types
Assign occupancy classifications to a mixed-use building and resolve the separated versus nonseparated occupancy question
Determine the allowable height and area for a given construction type, applying sprinkler and frontage increases
Verify that structural fire protection, opening protectives, and penetration firestopping match the assembly ratings
Distinguish the five construction types by their structural elements and required fire resistance
Explain the difference between an occupancy change and a change of use, and what each triggers
Your checkpoint
A height-and-area compliance worksheet for one mixed-use building showing base allowances, each increase applied, and the final permitted values
Means of Egress and Accessibility Requirements & Inspection Procedures and Field Enforcement
Calculate occupant load, required egress width, and number of exits for several occupancy types
Verify exit access travel distance, common path, and dead-end limits against the plan
Check accessibility provisions for accessible routes, turning space, and fixture clearances
Sequence a rough-in inspection so that framing, firestopping, and MEP rough-ins are verified before concealment
Draft field notes that document a code violation with location, condition, and code section
Your checkpoint
A field-inspection packet: one completed rough-in inspection record plus an egress and accessibility compliance summary for a single floor plan
Inspection Procedures and Field Enforcement & Existing Buildings, Maintenance, and Unsafe Structures
Plan a final inspection sequence covering fire-resistance, egress, alarms, and accessibility before occupancy
Determine when an existing building triggers repair, alteration, or change-of-occupancy provisions rather than new-construction requirements
Identify the criteria for declaring a structure unsafe and the procedural steps that follow
Distinguish maintenance obligations from alteration permits for existing occupancies
Practice documenting a stop-work or unsafe-structure notice with the required findings
Your checkpoint
Two written enforcement documents: a final inspection deficiency list and a draft unsafe-structure notice with findings and abatement timeline
Building Codes and Regulatory Administration & Plan Review and Permit Processing & Structural and Fire/Life-Safety Provisions & Occupancy Classification and Construction Types
Work timed scenario sets that combine administration, plan review, and structural provisions
Diagnose recurring errors from earlier weeks and rewrite the underlying rule in your own words
Rehearse citing code sections from memory for the provisions you missed most often
Build a personal list of the twenty provisions you are least confident about
Verify each weak provision against the code text and correct any misconceptions
Your checkpoint
A corrected weak-provision list of twenty items, each with the accurate rule, its citation, and a one-line memory hook
Means of Egress and Accessibility Requirements & Administration, Legal Authority, and Ethics & Existing Buildings, Maintenance, and Unsafe Structures
Run two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and record section-level scores
Review every missed item to the level of the governing rule, not just the correct answer
Rehearse ethics and legal-authority scenarios involving appeals, conflicts, and inspection authority
Confirm logistics: exam format, permitted references, identification, and timing
Finalize a one-page summary sheet of the highest-yield provisions across all eight domains
Your checkpoint
A scored practice-exam log with section breakdowns, a remediation note for each missed domain, and a finished one-page high-yield summary sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can walk through the full permit and plan-review process from memory, naming the authority and appeal route at each step, and can classify a submittal as complete or deficient without notes
Week 4: Can assign occupancy classifications and determine allowable height and area for a mixed-use building, correctly applying sprinkler and frontage increases, and can produce three code-cited correction notices
Week 6: Can calculate occupant load, egress width, and exit count, verify accessibility clearances, and write a defensible field violation notice and unsafe-structure finding
Week 8: Scores at or above 80 percent on two full-length timed practice exams, with no single domain below 70 percent, and has a completed high-yield summary sheet