Provided by Prince William County Department of Development Services
Starting on April 29, a new commercial construction inspection order will be in effect. The change to the order of inspections enables the Fire Marshal’s Office to grant partial approvals, which greatly enhances overall efficiency in the inspections process.
“We are delighted to roll-out a new inspection order, with thanks to the collaborative efforts of County staff, the Commercial Development Committee, and industry partners,” said Mandi Spina, Director, Department of Development Services. “This latest update reflects our commitment to facilitating smoother and more timely development services for all stakeholders involved.”
These partial approvals will help expedite construction project progress, leading to quicker completion and occupancy. Furthermore, the update will improve overall consistency by helping all stakeholders to prepare for inspections, address compliance issues, improve communications, and customer expectations.
Working in collaboration with the Fire Marshal’s Office, the Department’s Commercial Construction Inspections team will introduce the new inspection order policy based on the updated Commercial Inspection Guideline.
New inspection order policy requirements:
Inspection Order – Commercial Projects: Finals
- Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical/Gas: no specific order.
- Fire Marshal’s final inspection can be scheduled at any time. Hood Finals must include Mechanical/Gas/Electrical Finals.
- Building. All other trade/Fire Marshal’s Inspections require an approval or partial approval status prior to scheduling.
- Utilities. Schedule utilities with appropriate Departments (Site, Sewer, Health Department, etc.)
All inspection times and inspection orders will be available through ePortal. Typically, a reasonable time frame for an inspection ranges from three to six business days. The Inspections Office will share estimated durations for each inspection at the time of appointment. The duration of inspection may change depending on factors such as the complexity of operations, availability of knowledgeable staff and nature of observed issues. The guidance also cautions that inspections may need to be extended for several reasons, such as follow-up.
For more information, please contact the Inspections Office at (703) 792-7006, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, or the Fire Marshal’s Office at (703) 792-6360, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Alternatively, please email BDDInspections@pwcgov.org at any time.
To learn more, visit pwcva.gov/DDS, join the Department’s email list, email DDS@pwcgov.org or call (703) 792-6930.
