Boston, MA
City of Boston Facade Inspection Ordinance
Scope/Solutions
The City of Boston requires the inspection of exterior walls and appurtenances of buildings as described in Ordinance 9-9.12 of the City of Boston Municipal Code. SGH performs ordinance-compliant assessments of buildings within the City of Boston.
Ordinance 9-9.12 has the following requirements:
- Scope: all buildings over 70 ft high must be inspected for unsafe condition, movement, significant deterioration, and water tightness (single and multiple family dwellings excluded)
- Frequency: once every five years for occupied buildings and once per year for unoccupied buildings
- Inspector: Massachusetts registered architect or engineer
- Report: written report prepared by the inspector documenting the condition of the exterior walls and filed with the City
- Consequence: owners of occupied structures without an exterior wall certificate are subject to a fine of $300 per day
During these projects, SGH generally performs the following activities:
- Review plans and specifications for general understanding and to help focus survey to problem areas
- Use binoculars to scan walls for large-scale problems
- Conduct a hands-on inspection of representative areas on each face of the facade
- Sound materials to evaluate internal cohesion and pulled on adhered materials to evaluate attachment
- Survey interior areas for signs of water damage and interview maintenance personnel on leakage history
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Project Summary
2007
Completion Date
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Building Enclosures | Performance & Code Consulting
Markets
Government
Specialized Capabilities
Condition Assessments | Facade Inspection Ordinances
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
Springfield Housing and Juvenile Court (historically known as Hampden County Courthouse)
SGH assessed the condition of the 140 ft tower, a 90 ft stone chimney, a crenellated parapet along the roof perimeter, and a corbelled stone balcony.
Northeast
New York State Capitol Building
The New York State Capitol was designed by a succession of architects, including H.H. Richardson and Leopold Eidlitz. Constructed in stages between 1870 and 1900, the building features Second Empire and Richardsonian Romanesque elements.