Soils Test

[AaronA]

Hello,

I went through the permitting process and passed the foundation inspection. No soil inspection was called out on the permits or required. There is no indication that there is anything atypical about the soil. The inspector is requiring a soils test to pour the concrete. Based on what I can tell from the city handout, my project would not require one. Is this typical?

 

[ICE]

No that is not typical for California. It is typical for some California jurisdictions. However, the requirement should have been made known at plan review and the results known prior to commencing work. An inspector could encounter a condition that would give him cause to request a soils report, but if that were the case here, you would have mentioned that.

 

[AaronA]

Hello,

I went through the permitting process and passed the foundation inspection. No soil inspection was called out on the permits or required. There is no indication that there is anything atypical about the soil. The inspector is requiring a soils inspection to pour the concrete. Based on what I can tell from the city handout, my project would not require one. Is this typical?

No that is not typical for California. It is typical for some California jurisdictions. However, the requirement should have been made known at plan review and the results known prior to commencing work. An inspector could encounter a condition that would give him cause to request a soils report, but if that were the case here, you would have mentioned that

No that is not typical for California. It is typical for some California jurisdictions. However, the requirement should have been made known at plan review and the results known prior to commencing work. An inspector could encounter a condition that would give him cause to request a soils report, but if that were the case here, you would have mentioned that.

Thank you Ice! I am new to this but your reply extremely logical. If you were in my position, what would you do? I get the impression that there is something working behind the scenes.

 

[MtnArch]

There should have been either a code citation or a valid reason the inspector was requiring that at this late stage (as ICE said, a condition that was observed or uncovered by the work being done). A call to your Building Department to discuss it is a good idea; don't make it adversarial - make it a "learning opportunity" for you and they should be open to explaining the requirement.

 

[Energystar]

In our area it is usually because the foundation rests on two or more dissimilar soils.

 

[mtlogcabin]

Is he requiring a Geotech report (soils) Or a compaction density test of the soils?
Big difference

 

[Inspector Gadget]

In our area it is usually because the foundation rests on two or more dissimilar soils.

I've been pondering this one myself ... but I'm not sure that the Canadian Code would necessarily give me the authority to require a geotech, as long as both soils were (a) undisturbed and (b) capable of handling the loads.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

I've been pondering this one myself ... but I'm not sure that the Canadian Code would necessarily give me the authority to require a geotech, as long as both soils were (a) undisturbed and (b) capable of handling the loads.

And, without a geotech report, how do you know the soils will support the intended loads?

 

[RWright80]

Hello,

I went through the permitting process and passed the foundation inspection. No soil inspection was called out on the permits or required. There is no indication that there is anything atypical about the soil. The inspector is requiring a soils test to pour the concrete. Based on what I can tell from the city handout, my project would not require one. Is this typical?

I have been a designer for a structural engineer for nearly 50 years here in California. We do a lot of commercial and industrial construction projects. A soils report is almost always required for any project we done that involves load bearing foundations / footings.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

And, without a geotech report, how do you know the soils will support the intended loads?

 

[Joe.B]

If the project is designed under the CA Residential Code, see R401.4.

If designed under CA Building Code, see 1803.