Compare the Statement of Special Inspections and the Schedule of Special Inspections attached to the issued Section 01 45 35 with the structural general notes and drawings: the risk category, seismic design category, lateral force-resisting elements, and designated seismic systems should be the same in both, and every inspection category checked on the schedule should match work the drawings actually show. Then confirm that the qualification paragraphs, the special inspector of record and structural observation paragraphs, and the fabricator certifications kept in the section fit the project, and that the technical sections that trigger inspections, such as post-installed anchors and nonstructural seismic control, point to the same schedule.
Assemble the review package
Gather the structural general notes with the risk category, seismic design category, and design data, the foundation, framing, and lateral force-resisting system plans with their key notes, the geotechnical report recommendations, the architectural fire-resistance, life safety, and exterior wall drawings, the smoke control drawings if any, the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing seismic drawings, and the issued Section 01 45 35 with its attached Statement and Schedule of Special Inspections, Section 01 45 00, and the technical sections that call for special inspection, such as Sections 05 05 20 and 13 48 73. Follow one lateral force-resisting line from its entry in the statement to its schedule row and its detail before assuming the others are complete.
WBDG publishes UFGS 01 45 35: Special Inspections as a public guide-specification reference (accessed October 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Risk and seismic design category | Statement of Special Inspections attachment + Schedule of Special Inspections seismic design category boxes + structural general notes | Are the risk category and seismic design category entered in the statement and checked on the schedule, and are they the same values shown on the structural general notes and in the design analysis? |
| Special inspector of record and structural observation | Special Inspector of Record (SIOR) and General Requirements articles + Structural Engineer of Record (SER) responsibilities + structural general notes | Was the bracketed SIOR paragraph kept or deleted consistently with the project conditions its designer note lists, and where structural observations are required, are the points of construction filled in and stated the same way on the general notes? |
| Lateral force-resisting elements | Statement’s lateral force-resisting system identification table + structural plans, key notes, and details | Does each shear wall, braced frame, moment frame, diaphragm, collector, and wall tie listed in the statement point to a sheet, detail, or key note that exists, and is any lateral element on the drawings missing from the table? |
| Schedule categories vs. structural scope | Schedule of Special Inspections sections + Special Inspector Qualifications article + structural, foundation, and geotechnical drawings | Is a schedule section checked for each kind of work the drawings show, such as structural steel welding and bolting, metal deck, joists, cold-formed steel, concrete, masonry, wood, soils, and deep or helical foundations, and is a matching qualification paragraph kept for each? |
| Fire protection and envelope categories | Schedule fire protection and architectural sections + qualification paragraphs for sprayed fire-resistive material, intumescent coatings, EIFS, fire-resistant penetrations and joints, and smoke control + architectural and life safety drawings | Where the drawings show sprayed or intumescent fireproofing, exterior insulation and finish systems, rated penetrations and joints, or a smoke control system, does the schedule include that inspection and does the section keep the qualification paragraph for it? |
| Designated seismic systems | Statement of Special Inspections (SSI) and Designated Seismic Systems (DSS) definitions + statement’s architectural, mechanical, and electrical DSS lists + Sections 13 48 73, 23 05 48.19, and 26 05 48 + MEP plans | Do the designated seismic system lists in the statement name the same components the nonstructural seismic sections and drawings identify, and is the final walk-down inspection defined where the section keeps it? |
| Anchors and other triggering sections | Schedule anchor rows + Section 05 05 20 Tests and Inspections article + anchor callouts on the drawings | Are post-installed anchors, including adhesive anchors under sustained tension in horizontal or overhead orientations, identified on the drawings and covered on the schedule, and do the technical sections’ inspection paragraphs agree with the schedule rather than set a different requirement? |
| Shop-fabricated items | Special Inspection of Fabricated Items article + structural steel, truss, metal building, and precast drawings and sections | For each shop-fabricated element the drawings show, does the section keep the matching fabricator certification bracket, or does the schedule plan for special inspection in the shop, with a certificate of compliance at the end of fabrication? |
Worked example: masonry shear walls left off the schedule
Illustrative example: a maintenance hangar with a two-story office wing uses steel braced frames in the high bay and reinforced masonry shear walls in the office portion. The attached statement lists the braced frames but describes the masonry walls only as “see plan,” the masonry section of the schedule is unchecked, the SIOR paragraph was deleted although the general notes list a risk category that the section’s SIOR designer note names, and the overhead pipe supports are drawn on adhesive anchors without any note about sustained tension.
Ask the structural engineer of record to add the masonry shear walls to the statement with their sheet and detail references, check the masonry section of the schedule and keep the masonry qualification paragraph, and confirm with the contracting officer whether a special inspector of record is required. Ask the engineer who designed the pipe supports to flag the overhead adhesive anchors on the drawings so that Section 05 05 20 and the schedule assign the same inspection.
Avoid a false conflict
This guide compares the issued special inspection section and its attachments with the drawings. Responding to a building department’s plan-check correction about the statement of special inspections or structural observation is a different task, covered in the special inspections and structural observation corrections guide. The current guide section cites the 2024 IBC and UFC 3-301-01; confirm which code edition and criteria your project invokes, and remember that special inspections add to, and do not replace, the contractor’s quality control and the testing required by other sections.
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.