COMMERCIAL PLAN REVIEW: Multi-Family, Commercial & Industrial Requirements

• State Requirements
• Plan Submittal Requirements

STATE REQUIREMENTS: Commercial Plan Review Guidelines

• All design professionals are required to be licensed in the State of South Carolina.
• All multi-family and commercial projects will require a professionally engineered site plan sealed by a SC State licensed land surveyor.
• Architects and engineers are not authorized to perform design services outside their area of expertise, nor are they authorized to seal work performed by others not under the design professional’s supervision.
• Professionally sealed engineered plans are required when constructing any or all of the following:
1. All buildings of assembly, regardless of size. Assembly uses include, but are not limited to movie theaters, banquet halls, nightclubs, restaurants, art galleries, churches, courtrooms, funeral parlors, libraries, museums, and stadiums.
2. All educational facilities regardless of size. Educational facilities include day care facilities for more than five children older than 2 ½ years of age, structures used by six or more persons for educational purposes through the 12th grade.
3. All institutional buildings, regardless of size. Institutional buildings include, but are not limited to residential boarding and care facilities, assisted living facilities, halfway houses, group homes, congregate care facilities, social rehabilitation facilities, alcohol and drug centers, hospitals, nursing homes, mental hospitals, jails, adult day care, and day care facilities for more than five children younger than 2 ½ years of age.
4. All hazardous uses facilities, regardless of size.
5. Residential buildings that house more than two families, hotels, apartment houses, townhouses, convents, dormitories, fraternity/sorority houses, and monasteries.
6. Buildings in excess of 5,000 square feet. Structures more than three stories in height, will require an architect and engineered structural plans, electrical, mechanical, plumbing plans to include all riser details.
7. Construction projects involving the services of professional design personnel shall require special inspections. Certified third party testing agencies shall accomplish inspections and reporting. Reports shall be forward to the Building Official as they become available.
8. Preliminary plans for submittal to the planning commission shall be accompanied by land disturbance permit from DHEC.

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PLAN SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS:

Submittal of plans shall clearly describe the project with appropriate emphasis given to the following:

1. Structural integrity
2. Life safety
3. Barrier-free accessibility
4. Building codes compliance
5. Definition of scope of work

Size and complexity of the project will determine the type and number of drawings.

The following is an example of a component outline for plan submittal.

1. Cover Sheet
2. Project identification
3. Listing of design professionals
4. Name of the design professional in charge (person in charge of project coordination). All communication should be directed through this individual.

Design criteria list:

1. Seismic zone
2. Occupancy group
3. Type of construction
4. Location of property
5. Square footage/Allowable area
6. Fire sprinkler requirements (if any)
7. Height and number of stories
8. Occupant load
9. Building code edition project was designed to

Site Plan:

Indicate proposed new structure and any existing buildings or structures, property lines with dimensions, streets, easements, and setbacks. Show water, sewer, electrical points of connection, proposed service and existing utilities on the site. Show required parking, drainage, and grading information (with reference to finish floor and streets). Indicate drainage inflow and outflow locations and specify areas required to be maintained for drainage purposes. Show north arrow.

Foundation Plans:

Indicate foundation and footings. Indicate size, location, thickness, materials and strengths and reinforcing. Show embedded anchoring, such as anchor bolts, hold-downs, and column base plates.

Provide geotechnical criteria and assumptions used for foundation design.

Floor Plan:

Indicate all floors including basement. Show rooms with their intended use, overall dimensions and locations of structural elements and openings. Show doors and windows. Provide door and window schedules, fire assemblies, area occupancy separations, and draft stops.

Framing Plans:

Indicate primary structural members, their size, methods of attachment, location and materials for floors and roofs. Provide basic design criteria and material specifications.

Exterior Elevations:

Indicate all views. Indicate vertical dimensions and heights. Show openings and identify all materials.

Building Sections and Wall Sections:

Indicate materials of construction, non-rated and fire-rated assemblies and fire-rated penetrations. Indicate dimensions of all heights.

HVAC Systems:

Indicate the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems. Include units, sizes, mounting details and air, water and refrigerant systems components and sizes. Provide equipment schedules. Provide basic design criteria.

Plumbing System:

Indicate fixtures, piping, slopes, materials and sizes. Show points of connections to the septic tank, sewer systems, water lines and other applicable utilities.

Electrical System:

Indicate electrical fixtures, wiring, conduit sizes and grounding, panel schedules, single line diagrams, and fixture schedules. Show point of connection to utility. Show power loads in KVA for all load centers, switchboards, main distribution panels. Provide basic design criteria.

Specifications:

Either on the drawing or in booklet form further defines construction components, covering materials, finishes, and all pertinent equipment.

Addendum and Changes:

It shall be the responsibility of the prime professional to notify the Building Official of changes throughout the course of the project that alter the scope, impact building code, and to provide appropriate documentation to the Building Official.

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