Shear Wall/Wood Framing Inspection Services

Shear Wall/Wood Framing Inspections are performed by licensed Deputy/Special Inspectors who hold an ICC CA Commercial Building Inspector license plus approval by the respective city, county, or jurisdiction in which they perform their inspection. Upon completion of the inspection, the registered Deputy/Special Inspector will furnish a compliance report that can be given to the City Inspector at time of city inspection and to the Engineer of Record. Without this documentation, city inspection will not be passed.

Special Inspection is required by code for shear wall and floor/roof diaphragms when the edge nailing specified by the plan is 4" or less. Upon time of inspection, the License Deputy/Special Inspector will verify the project's shear wall(s) for things such as: proper nail size and spacing, proper size and spacing of anchor bolts and hold downs, shear transfer to the roof by properly spaced hardware such as A35's and LTP's or other approved methods, and proper sized framing members such as posts and blocking. The Inspector only needs to be present after the work is completed but before the work is covered.

In structural engineering, shear walls are walls comprised of braced panels, or shear panels, that help to counteract the effects of lateral loads acting on a structure. The most common lateral loads stem from high winds and seismic activity. Considering our West Coast location, shear wall inspection is of tantamount importance during and after the construction phase. Shear walls are specifically designed to resist these in-plane, lateral loads wrought against a building’s face. Loads are thus transferred vertically to the building’s foundations.

Shear walls are typically formed through the sole use of various wood types. Plywood is the conventional material associated with shear wall construction, though that is changing slightly over time thanks to advances in technology and modern building methods.

If your project requires shear wall/wood framing inspection, you can rely on All American Inspection to schedule a fully licensed Deputy/Special Inspector to verify the proper completion of work and provide you with the required documentation for city inspection and engineer. You can contact us 24/7 for a timely response.

Call or Text 24 hrs: (310) 738-7005