2010 California Code
Health and Safety Code
Article 4. Special Requirements

129875.  Construction or alterations of buildings specified in
paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725 shall
conform to the latest edition of the California Building Standards
Code. The office shall independently review and inspect these
buildings. For purposes of this section, "construction or alteration"
includes the conversion of a building to a purpose specified in
paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725. Any
construction or alteration of any building subject to this section
shall be exempt from any plan review and approval or construction
inspection requirement of any city or county.
   The office may also exempt from the plan review process or
expedite those projects undertaken by an applicant for a hospital
building that the office determines do not materially alter the
mechanical, electrical, architectural, or structural integrity of the
facility. The office shall set forth criteria to expedite projects
or to implement any exemptions made pursuant to this paragraph.
   The Legislature recognizes the relative safety of single-story,
wood-frame, and light steel frame construction for use in housing
patients requiring skilled nursing and intermediate care services and
it is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to provide for
reasonable flexibility in seismic safety standards for these
structures. The office shall be reasonably flexible in the
application of seismic standards for other buildings by allowing
incidental and minor nonstructural additions or nonstructural
alterations to be accomplished with simplified written approval
procedures as established by the office, with the advice of the
Division of the State Architect and the Office of the State Fire
Marshal.
   The office shall implement, and modify, as necessary, criteria to
exempt from the plan review process or expedite those projects for
alterations of hospital buildings, and for those specified in
paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725 that may
include, but are not limited to, renovations, remodeling, or
installations of necessary equipment such as hot water heaters,
air-conditioning units, dishwashers, laundry equipment, handrails,
lights, television brackets, small emergency generators (up to 25
kilowatts), storage shelves, and similar plant operations equipment;
and decorative materials such as wall coverings, floor coverings, and
paint.
   The office shall include provisions for onsite field approvals by
available office construction advisers and the preapproval of
projects that comply with the requirements for which the office has
developed standard architectural or engineering detail, or both
standard architectural and engineering detail.




129875.1.  (a) Notwithstanding Section 129875, projects for the
construction or alterations of buildings specified in paragraph (1)
of subdivision (a) of Section 129725 that are single-story,
wood-frame or light steel frame construction and buildings specified
in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725 shall
be exempt from plan review and inspection by the office prior to
construction if the facility demonstrates to the office, by written
description of the project, that all of the following conditions are
met:
   (1) The construction or alteration is undertaken to repair
existing systems or to keep up the course of normal or routine
maintenance.
   (2) The construction or alteration either restores the facility to
the same operational status, or improves operational status from its
operating condition immediately prior to the event, occurrence, or
condition that necessitated the alteration.
   (3) The scope of the construction or alteration is not ordinarily
within the standard of practice of a licensed architect or registered
engineer.
   (4) The construction or alteration does not degrade the status or
condition of the fire and life safety system from the status of the
system immediately prior to the event, occurrence, or condition that
necessitated the alteration.
   (b) Upon completion of construction or alteration of any building
subject to this section, and prior to use of the repaired system or
other subject of the construction or alteration, the office shall
inspect and approve the work. The office may require an interim
inspection for code compliance when walls, ceilings, or other
materials or finishes will cover the final work.
   (c) Upon compliance with subdivision (a), the office shall issue a
building permit.



129880.  (a) The office may exempt from its plan review process
construction or alteration projects for hospital buildings and
buildings described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of
Section 129725 with estimated construction costs of fifty thousand
dollars ($50,000) or less. The criteria for exemption shall include,
but not be limited to, plans that have been stamped and signed by the
design professionals of record.
   (b)  Projects that have been split into a series of smaller
projects in order to avoid the qualifying dollar limits shall not be
approved. The office shall maintain its construction observation
mandate to ensure public safety and California Building Standards
Code compliance for approved projects.
   (c) A presubmittal meeting between the office and the design
professionals shall be required for construction or alteration
projects for hospital buildings and buildings described in paragraphs
(2) and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725 with estimated
construction costs of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) or more.
   (d) The office may adopt regulations for this section to make
specific the exemption criteria and processes authorized pursuant to
subdivision (a), and the complete plan review process required
pursuant to subdivision (c).



129881.  (a) The office shall assess processing time for plan
review, and shall provide an annual update on this assessment to the
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature no later
than February 1, 2007, and no later than February 1 of each year
thereafter. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until
January 1, 2012, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later
enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2012, deletes or
extends that date.



129885.  (a) A city or county, as applicable, shall have plan review
and building inspection responsibilities for the construction or
alteration of buildings described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b)
of Section 129725. The building standards for the construction or
alteration of buildings specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b)
of Section 129725 established or applied by a city or county, shall
not be more restrictive or comprehensive than comparable building
standards established, or otherwise applied, to clinics licensed
pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1200) of Division 2.
For chronic dialysis and surgical services buildings, construction or
alteration shall include conversion of a building to a purpose
specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725.
   (b) Upon the initial submittal to a city or county by the
governing authority or owner of a hospital for plan review and
building inspection services for buildings described in paragraph (1)
of subdivision (b) of Section 129725 for chronic dialysis and
surgical services, the city or county shall reply in writing to the
hospital as to whether or not the plan review by the city or county
will include a certification as to whether or not the clinic project
submitted for plan review meets the clinic standards propounded by
the office in the California Building Standards Code.
   If the city or county indicates that its review will include this
certification, it shall do all of the following:
   (1) Apply the applicable clinic provisions of the latest edition
of the California Building Standards Code.
   (2) Certify in writing to the applicant within 30 days of
completion of construction whether or not the standards have been
met.
   (c) If, upon initial submittal, the city or county indicates that
its plan review will not include this certification, the governing
authority or owner shall submit the plans to the Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development and the office shall review the plans
for certification to determine whether or not the clinic project
meets the standards propounded by the office in the California
Building Standards Code.
   (d) When the office performs the certification review, the office
shall charge a fee in an amount not to exceed its actual cost.
   (e) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the governing authority of a
hospital may request the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development to perform plan review and building inspection services
for buildings described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of
Section 129725 and Section 129730. The office shall perform these
services upon request and shall charge an amount equal to its
standard fee for the construction and alteration of hospital
buildings. The construction or alteration of these buildings shall
conform to the applicable provisions of the latest edition of the
California Building Standards Code for purposes of the plan review
and building inspection of the office pursuant to this subdivision.
The office shall issue the building permit and certificate of
occupancy for these facilities.
   (f) A building described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of
Section 129725 that is subject to the plan review and building
inspection of the office pursuant to subdivision (e), may be
designated by the governing authority or owner of the hospital as a
"hospital building" as long as the building remains under the
jurisdiction of the office. This hospital building shall be reviewed
and inspected according to the standards and requirements of the
Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983
(Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 129675)).
   (g) When a building is accepted for review by the office pursuant
to subdivision (e), the governing authority of the hospital shall not
request the city or county, as applicable, to conduct plan review
and building inspection for any subsequent alteration of the same
building, unless written notification is submitted to the office by
the governing authority or owner of the hospital.



129890.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the office
shall, on or before January 1, 1991, set forth and implement criteria
for the alteration or construction of buildings specified in
subdivision (a) of Section 129725 that provide for onsite field
review and approval by construction advisers of the office and
provide for preapproval of project plans that comply with the
requirements for which the office has developed standard
architectural or engineering detail, or both standard architectural
and engineering detail.
   (b) Onsite field reviews shall be performed by available area
construction advisers of the office. The area construction advisers
shall have the responsibility to coordinate any approvals required by
the State Fire Marshal. The approvals may be obtained prior to the
start of construction or on a deferred basis, at the discretion of
the area construction adviser.
   (c) An annual building permit project classified as a "field
review" shall be reviewed and approved by the area construction
adviser.
   (d) Effective January 1, 1991, all plans submitted for the
alteration or construction of buildings specified in subdivision (a)
of Section 129725 to the office for plan review shall be evaluated to
determine if it is exempt from the plan review process or if it
qualifies for an expedited plan review. The evaluation shall give
priority to plans that are for minor renovation, remodeling, or
installation of equipment.



129895.  (a) The office shall adopt by regulations seismic safety
standards for hospital equipment anchorages, as defined by the
office, to include, but not be limited to, architectural, mechanical,
and electrical components, supports, and attachments. Those
regulations shall include criteria for the testing of equipment
anchorages.
   (b) Any fixed hospital equipment anchorages purchased or acquired
on or after either the effective date of the regulations adopted
pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not be used or installed in any
hospital building unless the equipment anchorages are approved by the
office.
   (c) Manufacturers, designers, or suppliers of equipment anchorages
may submit data sufficient for the office to evaluate equipment
anchorages' seismic safety prior to the selection of equipment
anchorages for any specific hospital building.
   (d) The office may charge a fee based on the actual costs incurred
by it for data review, approvals, and field inspections pursuant to
this section.


129900.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, plans for the
construction or alteration of any hospital building, or any building
specified in Section 129875, that are prepared by or under the
supervision of the Department of General Services shall not require
the review and approval of the office. In lieu of review and approval
by the office, the Department of General Services shall certify to
the office that the plans are in full conformance with all applicable
building standards and the requirements of this chapter. The
Department of General Services shall also observe all aspects of
construction and alteration, including the architectural, structural,
mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.
   It is the intent of the Legislature that projects developed by, or
under the supervision of, the Department of General Services shall
still meet all applicable building standards published in the State
Building Standards Code relating to the regulation of hospital
projects where applicable, and all regulations adopted pursuant to
this chapter and all other applicable state laws.



129905.  Subject to the complete exemption contained in paragraphs
(6) and (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725, and notwithstanding
any other provision of law, plans for the construction or alteration
of any hospital building, as defined in Section 1250, or any
building specified in Section 129875, that are prepared by or under
the supervision of the Department of Corrections or on behalf of the
Department of the Youth Authority, shall not require the review and
approval of the statewide office. In lieu of review and approval by
the statewide office, the Department of Corrections and the
Department of the Youth Authority shall certify to the statewide
office that their plans and construction are in full conformance with
all applicable building standards, including, but not limited to,
fire and life and safety standards, and the requirements of this
chapter for the architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, and
electrical systems. The Department of Corrections and the Department
of the Youth Authority shall use a secondary peer review procedure to
review designs to ensure the adherence to all design standards for
all new construction projects, and shall ensure that the construction
is inspected by a competent, onsite inspector to ensure the
construction is in compliance with the design and plan
specifications.
   Subject to the complete exemption contained in paragraphs (6) and
(7) of subdivision (b) of Section 129725, and notwithstanding any
other provision of law, plans for the construction or alteration of
any correctional treatment center that are prepared by or under the
supervision of a law enforcement agency of a city, county, or city
and county shall not require the review and approval of the statewide
office. In lieu of review and approval by the statewide office, the
law enforcement agency of a city, county, or city and county shall
certify to the statewide office that the plans and construction are
in full conformance with all applicable building standards,
including, but not limited to, fire and life and safety standards,
and the requirements of this chapter for the architectural,
structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems.
   It is the intent of the Legislature that, except as specified in
this section, all hospital buildings as defined by this chapter
constructed by or under the supervision of the Department of
Corrections or local law enforcement agencies, or constructed on
behalf of the Department of the Youth Authority shall at a minimum
meet all applicable regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter and
all other applicable state laws.