Start with the application method: confirm that the issued Section 07 53 23 keeps one method for each roof area, fully adhered, ballasted, or combined, that no plan note or detail shows membrane fasteners in the field of the roof, and that stone ballast is not drawn where the system note rules it out, such as along flight lines, in high wind, coastal, and open-water locations, and on critical facilities. Then check that the sheet type, adhesive, seam tape, perimeter and base tie-in securement, flashing, drain sumps, ballast or paver weights, walkways, and tests kept in the section match the roof plan, sections, and details, and that the deck, insulation, nailers, and sheet metal sit in Sections 07 22 00, 06 10 00, and 07 60 00.
Assemble the review package
Gather the roof plan with roof areas, slopes, crickets, drains, curbs, penetrations, walkways, equipment, and any ballast or paver areas, the roof sections showing the deck, insulation layers, cover board or recovery board, and membrane, the edge, parapet, wall, curb, expansion joint, drain, and penetration details, the structural deck drawings with the wind design criteria and perimeter and corner zones, the site plan showing any flight line, coastline, or open water near the building, the code analysis with the roof fire classification, the energy documents with the roof R-value, the mechanical and plumbing roof plans with exhausts, intakes, and kitchen or food service discharges, any existing-roof survey for a reroof, and the issued Section 07 53 23 with Sections 07 22 00, 07 60 00, and 06 10 00. Follow one roof area from the deck to the membrane and around its edges before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 07 53 23: Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer Roofing as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 6, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Application method by roof area | Description of Roof Membrane System[s] article and its designer note + Application Method plan submittal + Combined, Fully Adhered, Mechanically Fastened, and Ballasted Membrane Application articles + roof plan and roof sections | Where the roof plan has more than one deck, substrate, or use, is the second system paragraph repeated for each roof area, as the note directs, does each keep one method and one substrate, insulation, recovery board, or concrete deck, that matches the roof section, are the unused method paragraphs deleted, is the combined method kept only for the extreme, extended wind locations the note names, and is it clear that any field-of-roof fastening pattern in the Application Method plan is for the insulation, since the method articles do not permit membrane fasteners in the field? |
| Ballast and pavers against site and wind | Description note on ballast limits + Ballast, Stone Ballast, Ballast Pavers, and Protection Mat articles and notes + Stone or Paver Ballast article and note + Roof Insulation Below EPDM Sheet note + site plan, roof plan, roof sections, and structural framing | Is stone ballast kept off roofs along flight lines, in the high wind, coastal, and open-water locations, and on or next to critical facilities such as hospitals, with interlocking pavers in its place, as the note directs, does the roof plan or the section give the ballast or paver weight for the field and for the perimeter and corners, which the notes say to base on the wind design and ANSI/RMA/SPRI RP-4, has the structural engineer carried that dead load, and on a metal or precast deck, is the air barrier the note requires for a ballasted roof drawn, with the insulation fastened or adhered at the corners and perimeter? |
| Sheet, adhesive, and insulation compatibility | EPDM Sheet article and its note + Bonding Adhesive article and its note + opening note on insulation compatibility + Roof Insulation Below EPDM Sheet article and note + Section 07 22 00 + roof sections | Is one sheet thickness kept, the heavier fleece-backed option where the project is hail-prone, as the note directs, with the total thickness blank filled in, does the bonding adhesive kept suit the fleece backing and the substrate in the roof section, with asphalt heating and application parameters like those in Section 07 51 13 added if hot asphalt is kept, as the note asks, is the membrane never fully adhered directly to polystyrene, perlite, or standard wood fiber, as the notes prohibit, and does the polyisocyanurate facer or cover board in Section 07 22 00 suit the adhesive? |
| Wind uplift, fire classification, and the roof plan drawing | Fire Resistance, Wind Uplift Resistance, and Qualification of Licensed Engineer articles and notes + Wind Uplift Calculations submittal note + Pre-roofing Conference roof plan drawing item + structural general notes, roof plan, and code analysis | Does the wind bracket kept point to loads indicated or to loads calculated to ASCE 7, are the calculated values delineated in the section or on the drawings, as the note asks, is the design wind speed blank filled in to match the structural notes, is the calculations submittal kept for a ballasted or non-rated system and the engineer paragraph for a non-rated one, as their notes direct, does the code analysis name an assembly with the fire classification and listing the section requires, and do the contract roof plans give every roof level, slope, and drain the contractor’s roof plan drawing must show? |
| Seams, perimeter, and base tie-ins | Seam Tape and Lap Splice Adhesive articles and notes + Tape Seams / Lap Splices and Adhesive Seams / Lap Splices articles and notes + Perimeter Attachment and Securement at Base Tie-In Conditions articles and their note + roof edge, wall, curb, and penetration details | Is seam tape the field seaming method, with adhesive seams kept only in flashing areas unless the Government approves otherwise, as the notes require, do the edge, wall, curb, and penetration details show the membrane mechanically secured into nailers at the perimeter, at penetrations, and at every base tie-in and angle change the articles name, and where the perimeter is both adhered and fastened, is the adhesive boundary drawn to match the enhanced fastening zone, as the Perimeter Attachment article requires? |
| Flashing, nailers, and treated wood | Membrane Flashings and Flashing Accessories, Flashing Tape, Wood Products, and Membrane Liner articles + Flashings General and Membrane Flashing articles and note + Examination nailer items + Section 07 60 00 + Section 06 10 00 + parapet, curb, and expansion joint details | Do the details show the base flashing extended to the height the Membrane Flashing article requires, a termination bar under sheet metal counterflashing, a reglet within the range the Flashings article sets, and the membrane liner over exposed nailers and blocking, is cured EPDM flashing used except at the corners, scuppers, sealer pockets, and formed penetrations where uncured flashing is allowed, is fire-retardant-treated wood kept out of contact with the EPDM unless the manufacturer accepts it, as the Wood Products article requires, and has Section 07 60 00 been edited for an EPDM roof, as the flashing note asks? |
| Drains, sumps, and tests | Flashing at Roof Drain article + Examination slope item + Roof Drain Test, Total Roofing Test, Concrete Moisture Testing, and Infrared Moisture Testing articles + roof plan, tapered insulation layout, plumbing roof drain plan, and Section 07 22 00 | Does the tapered insulation layout draw a sump at each drain within the slope the drain article allows for the reinforced or unreinforced sheet kept, does the sheet layout keep field seams out of the zone around each drain the article names, are retrofit drains on a reroof specified to ANSI/SPRI RD-1, is the drain test run before demolition as well as after roofing on a reroof, as the article describes, and are the concrete moisture and infrared tests kept where a concrete deck or wet existing insulation is a risk? |
| Walkways, set-on items, exhausts, PV, and fall protection | Rubber Walkboards and Precast Concrete Paver Block articles and note + Roof Walkpads, Elevated Metal Walkways, Isolated Paver Blocks, Set-On Accessories, Lightning Protection, Photovoltaic Systems, and Fall Protection Systems articles + opening note on grease and exhaust + mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and PV roof plans | Are walkways drawn at roof access points and on routes to equipment serviced as often as the walkway note describes, with protection under each set-on support, isolated paver, and elevated walkway post and no set-on accessory fastened through the membrane, is the fall protection paragraph filled in with the anchorages the roof plan shows, and is every kitchen or food service exhaust discharge kept off the EPDM or directed away from it, since the opening note says grease and oil attack EPDM and the section does not cover roofing next to those discharges? |
Worked example: stone ballast on the flight line and field fasteners on the admin wing
Illustrative example: a new reserve training center beside an airfield apron has a steel roof deck with polyisocyanurate insulation, a ballasted EPDM roof over the drill hall, and a fully adhered EPDM roof over the administration wing. The issued Section 07 53 23 keeps stone ballast for the drill hall although the site plan puts the building on the flight line, the roof section shows no air barrier over the steel deck, neither the roof plan nor the section gives a ballast weight, a roof plan note on the administration wing calls for the membrane to be mechanically fastened in the field at an enhanced pattern, and the galley exhaust fan discharges straight onto the membrane.
Ask the architect and roof consultant to replace the stone ballast with interlocking pavers designed for the wind loads, or to change the drill hall to a fully adhered system, to add the air barrier over the steel deck if ballast stays, and to give the ballast or paver weights on the roof plan so the structural engineer can carry them as dead load. Ask the architect to remove the field fastening note and keep a fully adhered or combined system with perimeter fastening only, and ask the mechanical engineer and architect to direct the galley exhaust away from the roof or define a separate grease-resistant roof treatment around it, since Section 07 53 23 does not cover EPDM next to food service exhaust.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 07 53 23 covers the EPDM sheet, its flashing, adhesives, seam tape, fasteners, ballast, and walkways. Its opening note excludes the structural deck, insulation, sheet metal fascias, and gravel stops, so insulation, cover boards, and recovery boards follow Section 07 22 00 and the roof insulation guide, counterflashing and edge metal follow Section 07 60 00, nailers and treated wood follow Section 06 10 00, and roof drains follow the plumbing section; check those before calling a requirement missing. The section is for insulation below the membrane, so a protected membrane roof with insulation above it follows Section 07 55 00. TPO is Section 07 54 23 and the roofing membrane guide, modified bitumen is Section 07 52 00, and WBDG shows the older 07 53 00.00 40 and 07 55 23 sections as superseded by 07 53 23. The section points to UFC 3-110-03 Roofing, which its energy note cites for the ban on field fastening, and its quality control note asks for a registered roof consultant, engineer, or architect experienced in roofing on the design team for larger or mission-critical roofs. Wind uplift, ballast design, fire classification, and energy performance are decisions for the architect, the structural engineer, and the roof consultant. The current guide section cites ASCE 7-22, FM 4470, UL 790, ASTM D4637, D4811, D448, D4073, E108, E907, F2420, and C1153, ANSI/SPRI RD-1, ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1, and the 2024 IBC, and its notes name ANSI/RMA/SPRI RP-4 for ballast; confirm the editions your project invokes.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.