Start with the structural design criteria table in the issued Section 13 48 73 and confirm that the risk category, seismic design category, spectral response parameters, and relative displacements are filled in and match the structural general notes, then check whether the Contractor Designed Supports and Attachments paragraph was kept or deleted and that the drawings show what that choice requires. Then compare the miscellaneous equipment and components list, split into designated seismic systems or mission critical lists where the project needs them, with the architectural and equipment plans, and confirm that the drawings mark every location that needs special testing or special inspection.
Assemble the review package
Gather the structural general notes with the seismic design data and building joint locations, the statement and schedule of special inspections, the architectural plans showing storage racks, shelving, cabinets, signs, partitions, and stacks, the mechanical and electrical equipment schedules, the roof plans and curb details, the housekeeping pad and anchor details, the vibration isolator schedule, and the issued Section 13 48 73 with Sections 23 05 48.19, 26 05 48, 01 45 35, 05 05 20, and the Division 21 sprinkler and fire pump sections. Review one designated seismic system from its list entry to its anchorage detail and inspection entry before assuming the others are complete.
WBDG publishes UFGS 13 48 73: Seismic Control for Nonstructural Components as a public guide-specification reference (accessed October 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Design criteria vs. structural notes | General Requirements article criteria table + structural general notes + seismic analysis | Are the risk category, seismic design category, spectral response parameters, and relative displacements between levels or structures filled in by the structural engineer, and identical to the values on the structural general notes? |
| Who designs supports and attachments | Contractor Designed Supports and Attachments article + drawings + design analysis | If the paragraph was kept, are the permissible support and attachment locations indicated on the drawings, as the designer note asks? If it was deleted, are all details and locations shown, with calculations in the design analysis? |
| Miscellaneous components list | Miscellaneous Equipment and Components article + architectural, storage, and equipment plans | Does the edited list name the racks, shelving, cabinets, signs, partitions, stacks, tanks, and other items the drawings actually show, with template entries removed and any architectural component the structural engineer did not detail added? |
| Designated seismic and mission critical lists | Miscellaneous Equipment and Components article + Sections 23 05 48.19 and 26 05 48 lists + risk category | Are separate lists provided for designated seismic systems, or for non-mission critical, MC-1, and MC-2 components in Risk Category V, and do the mechanical and electrical lists use the same split? |
| Rigid, isolated, and roof equipment | Rigidly (Base and Suspended) Mounted Equipment and Nonrigid or Flexibly-Mounted Equipment articles + isolator schedule + roof curb details | Do isolated items on the schedule call for seismically rated isolators with snubbers or restraints, and are roof and floor curbs either detailed or left to the Contractor’s design, consistent with the paragraph kept? |
| Expansion joints and building drift | Rigidly (Base and Suspended) Mounted Equipment and Building Drift articles + structural joint locations + MEP plans | Is each rigidly anchored item on one side of a building expansion joint, with flexible connections drawn for piping, conduit, cable tray, busway, and duct that cross it, and no brace tied to two dissimilar structural elements without a flexible joint? |
| Anchors and housekeeping pads | Anchors, Cast-In-Place Anchors, and Post-Installed Anchors articles + Section 05 05 20 + pad and foundation details | Where the equipment size and weight are known, are anchor sizes, number, length, and pad thickness and reinforcing shown, as the designer note asks, and do the pads leave room for anchor edge distance? |
| Special testing and inspection | Special Testing for Seismic-Resisting Equipment and Special Inspection for Components, Supports, and Equipment articles + Section 01 45 35 + drawings | Do the drawings indicate every location and component that needs special inspection or shake table qualification, and do those components appear in the statement of special inspections and the certificate of completion requirements? |
Worked example: a template components list and a blank criteria table
Illustrative example: a two-story operations building in a high seismic design category has a records room with storage racks and an emergency generator with a day tank. The issued Section 13 48 73 keeps the contractor-designed paragraph, but the structural criteria table is blank, the miscellaneous list is the unedited template with ornamentations and billboards, and no designated seismic systems list is provided, while the electrical list in Section 26 05 48 names the generator as a designated seismic system.
Ask the structural engineer to complete the criteria table from the seismic analysis, and ask the specification writer to replace the template list with the racks and other items on the drawings and to add a designated seismic systems list consistent with Section 26 05 48. Confirm that the generator, day tank, and battery racks are marked on the drawings for special inspection and appear in the Section 01 45 35 statement of special inspections.
Avoid a false conflict
This guide is about the nonstructural seismic section as a whole, not mechanical bracing. Section 23 05 48.19 holds the mechanical equipment and systems lists and the pipe and duct sway braces, and Section 23 05 48.19 sends seismic protection of sprinkler and fire pump piping to the Division 21 sections, so check those before calling sprinkler bracing missing here. Masonry walls, parapets, and egress stairs are often designed by the structural engineer of record rather than listed in this section.
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.