Open/Closed Construction
Open Construction:
A construction that can be inspected for building code compliance at the construction Site.
What constitutes closed construction? When an inspection can not take place at the construction site because the items are concealed at the factory. Most states require that an inspection take place periodically at the manufacturing plant when this design is used. This way they can insure that proper design and installation procedures have been followed.
Closed Construction:
A construction that can not be inspected at the construction site for building code compliance and therefore must be inspected at the manufacturing facility.
In many states, if a product is determined to be "closed construction", that state requires a license or certificate of approval which indicates that the state or a recognized 3rd party inspection group has visited the manufacturing facility and determined that the product is in compliance with the building codes.
Closed construction is common in assembled buildings with concealed or inaccessible electrical or plumbing. The most common prefabricated building that falls into this category is a trailer office or mobile home.
Closed Construction Inspections & Approval Requirements by State:
State | Inspection | Design Approval |
Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Conneticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missippi Missouri Montana Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming |
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State State N/A Third Party Third Party Third Party State Third Party Third Party State Third Party & State Third Party & State or State Third Party N/A State/BC Optional State Third Party Third Party & State Third Party & State State Third Party State Third Party State State Third Party Third Party State Third Party & State Third Party N/A State N/A State Third Party Third Party Third Party N/A Third Party & State Third Party N/A N/A Third Party State N/A State N/A |