Start with the application method: confirm that the issued Section 07 52 00 keeps torch application only where the roof deck and every substrate it touches are noncombustible, and that the roof details mark each wood curb, nailer, cant, parapet lining, and expansion joint where cold adhesive, hot asphalt, torch-and-flop, or a self-adhering cover replaces the torch, as the designer notes require. Then check that the system paragraph, plies, base sheet, surfacing, wind and fire listings, flashing, drain, walkpad, and paver articles kept in the section match the roof plan, sections, and details for each roof area, and that insulation, sheet metal, nailers, and drains sit in Sections 07 22 00, 07 60 00, 06 10 00, and 22 00 00.
Assemble the review package
Gather the roof plan with roof areas, slopes, crickets, drains and overflow drains or scuppers, curbs, penetrations, walkpads, and equipment, the roof sections showing the deck type and every layer up to the cap sheet, the edge, parapet, curb, nailer, expansion joint, area divider, drain, and penetration details, the structural roof framing and deck drawings with the wind design criteria and any perimeter and corner zones, the code analysis with the roof fire classification, the energy documents with the roof R-value and any cool roof requirement, the mechanical, plumbing, electrical, lightning protection, and photovoltaic roof plans, the site and staging plans, any existing-roof survey for a reroof, and the issued Section 07 52 00 with Sections 07 22 00, 07 60 00, 06 10 00, and 22 00 00. Follow one roof area from the deck to the cap sheet and around its edges before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 07 52 00: Modified Bituminous Membrane 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Roof areas, system paragraph, and plies | Description of Roof Membrane System[s] article and its designer note + Modified Bitumen Sheets and Fiberglass Felt Materials article and its notes + 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 combination of SBS or APP sheets, base sheet, interply sheet where used, and cap sheet that matches the roof section, is the interply sheet kept only where the note’s mechanically fastened or perforated base sheet conditions apply, is SBS chosen wherever the membrane is set in hot asphalt, as the note requires, and where the roof plan shows heavy maintenance traffic, are the polyester-reinforced sheet and heavier sheet type the notes advise kept? |
| Torch application at combustible substrates | Opening designer note + Application Method, Torch Applied Modified Bitumen Membrane, Membrane and Strip Flashing at Combustible Substrate Construction, and Torch-and-Flop Technique articles + Cant and Tapered Edge Strips note + roof sections, curb, parapet, nailer, and expansion joint details + existing-roof survey | If the deck drawn is wood, cement-wood fiber, or another combustible deck, are all torch requirements deleted, where torch application stays, does each detail with a wood curb, nailer, wood cant, wood-lined parapet, or blocking at an expansion joint or area divider indicate the alternate method, as the opening note asks the detailing to do and the cant note says must be indicated on the drawings, and on a reroof, does the existing-conditions survey confirm there are no combustibles under or next to the deck, since the opening note says to delete torch application when that cannot be verified? |
| Fire safety plan, kettles, odor, and intakes | Construction Fire Safety Plan submittal and article and their notes + Kettle Placement, Additional Fire- and Safety-Related Procedures, Fire Watch, and Odor Control Plan articles + site, staging, and phasing plans + mechanical roof plan | Is the Construction Fire Safety Plan kept whenever any field or flashing torch work stays in the section, is the kettle article kept only with hot-mopped work, and does the staging plan leave room to set kettles and gas cylinders off the roof, outside the building perimeter, and away from exits, roadways, and air intakes, as that article requires, and if hot asphalt or adhesive is used on an existing building, is the odor control plan kept and are the rooftop intakes and openings the work must block shown on the mechanical roof plan? |
| Base sheet, deck, and venting | Venting Base Sheet and Fiberglass Felt Base Sheet options and their notes + Ventilating Base Sheets and Modified Bitumen Base Sheet Application articles + Examination venting items + Test for Surface Dryness article + roof sections, structural deck drawings, construction schedule, and Section 07 22 00 | Does the base sheet option kept fit the deck drawn, a venting base sheet directly on new concrete or nailable lightweight fill, perforated only directly on concrete, and mechanically fastened only into a nailable deck, is fiberglass felt base sheet kept only for the ancillary buildings its note names, is the base sheet over rigid insulation specified in Section 07 22 00 rather than here, as the note directs, are the edge, underside, or relief venting items drawn where lightweight insulating fill is used, and does the schedule leave time for the concrete cure and moisture tests the surface dryness article requires before a new concrete deck is roofed? |
| Wind uplift and fire classification | Fire Resistance, Wind Uplift Resistance, Qualification of Licensed Engineer, and Roof Plan and Flashing Details articles and their notes + Wind Uplift Calculations submittal + structural general notes, roof plan wind zones, and code analysis | Does the wind bracket kept point to loads indicated on the drawings or to loads calculated to ASCE 7, and are the calculated values and perimeter and corner zone boundaries delineated on the roof plan or in the section, as the note asks, is the design wind speed blank filled in to match the structural notes, is the licensed engineer paragraph kept only where a non-rated system is allowed, and do the fire classification kept, and the justification the note asks for if the lower class is chosen over a wood deck, match the rated or listed assembly in the code analysis? |
| Flashing, nailers, liner, and sheet metal | Base Flashing, Liquid Applied Flashing, Membrane Flashing, Membrane Strip Flashing, Pre-fabricated Curbs, and Membrane Liner articles and notes + Examination nailer items + Section 07 60 00 + Section 07 22 00 nailer note + Section 06 10 00 Wood Roof Nailers, Edge Strips, Crickets, Curbs, and Cants article + edge, parapet, curb, and penetration details | Do the details give the nailer and curb heights above the finished roof that the examination item and the curb article require, show the membrane liner over exposed nailers and blocking under the sheet metal, and take counterflashing from Section 07 60 00 rather than setting metal in hot asphalt, is liquid-applied flashing drawn only at the low-movement penetrations its note allows and never at a structural frame penetration, is foil-surfaced flashing kept off flight line facilities, and does the nailer option kept in Section 07 22 00 agree with the torch decision, since that section’s note prohibits wood nailers under heat or torch-applied roofing? |
| Drains, slope, and the drain test | Membrane Flashing at Roof Drain article + Examination slope items + Roof Drain Test article and its note + Section 22 00 00 + Section 07 60 00 Flashing for Roof Drains article + roof plan, tapered layout, plumbing roof drain plan, and structural roof framing | Does each drain on the architectural roof plan appear on the plumbing plan with a clamping ring that takes the membrane, the metal drain flashing, and the strip flashing, do the slopes and crickets give positive drainage to every drain, as the examination items require, if the roof drain test is kept, is each overflow drain paired with its primary drain so the two are not plugged together, and has the structural engineer confirmed the roof can carry the test water, as the test note asks? |
| Surfacing, walkpads, pavers, PV, and fall protection | Membrane Surfacing, Solar Reflectance, and Energy and Cool Roof Performance articles and notes + Walkpads, Paver Blocks, Elevated Metal Walkways and Platforms, Set-On Accessories, Lightning Protection, Photovoltaic Systems, and Fall Protection System articles + roof plan, energy documents, and mechanical, electrical, and PV roof plans | Is one surfacing kept, factory granules unless the note’s non-typical conditions apply, with a cool roof finish kept where the climate and energy documents call for it and the R-value shown on the drawings, as the note directs, are walkpads drawn at roof access points and on the routes to equipment, pavers under heavy or irregular bearing items, and elevated walkways specified in the Division 05 section the bracket names, is the fall protection paragraph filled in with the anchorages the roof plan shows, and if a PV array is drawn, has the design made the existing roof life and structure checks the PV note lists? |
Worked example: one torch-applied paragraph over a plywood canopy and a wood exhaust curb
Illustrative example: a new dining facility has a precast concrete roof deck with tapered insulation over the kitchen and dining hall and a plywood deck over a wood-framed entrance canopy. The issued Section 07 52 00 keeps a single system paragraph, torch applied, for every roof area, the curb detail for the kitchen grease exhaust fan shows a wood curb with torch-applied base flashing and no alternate method, Section 07 22 00 keeps the wood nailer option, liquid-applied flashing is noted at a steel column that passes through the roof to support an equipment screen, and both the factory granule surfacing and a field-applied coating are kept.
Ask the architect to split the system paragraph by roof area, with cold adhesive over the plywood canopy deck, as the cap sheet note allows on a combustible deck, to indicate cold-applied flashing, torch-and-flop, or a self-adhering cover at the wood exhaust curb and nailers, and to choose either engineered metal nailers in Section 07 22 00 or the alternate flashing method at every wood nailer. Ask the architect and structural engineer to flash the screen column with a sheet metal pan and independent hood, which the liquid flashing note allows as a combined approach, to keep one surfacing paragraph, and to confirm with the membrane manufacturer how the roof near the grease exhaust is protected, since the opening note warns that cooking grease attacks modified sheet roofing.
See the published grease exhaust fan support finding. The illustrative scenario above is separate from that published finding.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 07 52 00 covers the modified bitumen membrane, its flashing membranes, and its surfacing. Roof insulation, cover boards, and ventilating felts under insulation follow Section 07 22 00 and the roof insulation guide, counterflashing, edge metal, and drain flashing sheets follow Section 07 60 00, wood nailers and cants follow Section 06 10 00, roof drains follow Section 22 00 00, and elevated walkways follow the Division 05 section the bracket names, so check those before calling a requirement missing. Built-up asphalt roofing is UFGS 07 51 13, TPO is 07 54 23, EPDM is 07 53 23, and PMMA roofing over existing or new roofing is 07 18 16, all Active on WBDG with August 2025 dates, while WBDG shows the older 07 52 00.00 40 as superseded by 07 52 00. The section also points to UFC 3-110-03 Roofing and its service exceptions. Wind uplift, fire classification, the combustibility of existing construction, 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 E108, the ASTM D6162, D6164, D6222, D6223, and D6509 sheet standards, NFPA 58, NFPA 241, the CERTA torch applicator program, ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1, SMACNA 1793, and the 2024 IBC; 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.