Article 5. Factory-built School Buildings of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 10.5. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 5.

It is the intent of this article to provide an alternative procedure to Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) for the construction and installation of factory-built school buildings not over 1,000 square feet in area designed or intended for use as school buildings. As used in this article, a "factory-built building" means any building designed or intended for use as a school building which is either wholly manufactured or is in substantial part manufactured at an offsite location in accordance with building standards adopted and approved pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code and other regulations adopted by the Department of General Services, to be assembled or erected on a schoolsite. Any such building purchased or leased by a school district shall be deemed to be the construction or alteration of a school building as those terms are used in Article 2 (commencing with Section 17260) and Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) of this chapter, and all of the provisions of each of those articles, not inconsistent with the provisions of this article, shall apply with respect to factory-built buildings designed or intended for use as school buildings.

Except as provided in Section 18930 of the Health and Safety Code, the Department of General Services shall adopt regulations for the safety of design and construction of factory-built buildings for use as school buildings, and shall prescribe procedures for the plans, specifications, methods of construction, and estimates of cost of a factory-built school building to be submitted to the department for approval as provided in Section 17352. Except as provided in Section 18930 of the Health and Safety Code, such regulations shall comply with but not be limited by the provisions of Article 2 (commencing with Section 17260) and Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) of this chapter. The Department of General Services shall adopt and submit building standards for approval pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code for the purposes described in this section.

A manufacturer of factory-built buildings designed or intended for use as school buildings shall submit to the Department of General Services and the State Department of Education for approval, its plans, specifications, methods of construction, and estimates of cost of such buildings. At the same time the manufacturer shall pay to the Department of General Services a deposit to be applied toward the actual expenses in an amount as determined by the Department of General Services based on the estimated cost of such factory-built buildings, but not exceeding 0.5 percent of such estimated cost. The minimum deposit in any case shall be fifty dollars ($50). The manufacturer shall reimburse the Department of General Services and the State Department of Education for the actual expenses incurred by those departments in the review of such plans and specifications. All fees received by the Department of General Services pursuant to this article are subject to the provisions of Section 17301.

All plans, specifications and estimates shall be prepared by a certified architect holding a valid license under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5500) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code or by a structural engineer holding a valid certificate to use the title structural engineer under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 6700) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code, and the supervision of the work of construction in the factory shall be under the responsible charge of such an architect or structural engineer.

The Department of General Services, in accordance with standards and procedures adopted pursuant to Section 17351, and as such standards and procedures may thereafter be modified, shall either approve or reject such plans, specifications, and methods of construction. Approval shall not be given unless such plans, specifications, and methods of construction are in accordance with standards adopted by the department pursuant to Section 17351. The department may establish procedures for the inspection of the facilities and manufacturing processes of a manufacturer to determine the manufacturer's ability to produce factory-built school buildings in accordance with the plans, specifications, and methods of construction which the manufacturer has submitted to the department. The Department of General Services shall notify the State Department of Education of its approval of a manufacturer's plans, specifications, and methods of construction of a factory-built school building.

The Department of General Services shall provide for competent, adequate, and continuous inspection during construction in the factory to insure that all work has been performed and materials used and installed, in every particular, in accordance with the approved plans and specifications. The manufacturer shall reimburse the department for the costs incurred for such inspection as determined by the department.

From time to time, as the work of construction in the factory progresses and whenever the Department of General Services requires, the certified architect or structural engineer in responsible charge of the supervision of the work of construction in the factory, the inspector on the work, and the manufacturer shall each make to the Department of General Services a report, duly verified by him or her, upon a form prescribed by the Department of General Services, showing, of his or her own personal knowledge, that the work during the period covered by the report has been performed, and materials used and installed, in every particular, in accordance with the approved plans and specification, setting forth such detailed statements of fact as are required by the Department of General Services.

Upon the Department of General Services' approval of a manufacturer's plans, specifications, and methods of construction of a factory-built school building, a school district, whenever it is otherwise required by any of the provisions of Article 2 (commencing with Section 17260), or Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) of this chapter to submit to the Department of General Services or to the State Department of Education the plans and specifications for the construction of a school building may, instead, include in its application for approval to each of such departments a notification that it intends to utilize such factory-built school building. The plans and specifications for the factory-built building to be utilized shall be submitted with the application and notification for identification purposes. Before granting its approval for the use of such buildings, the Department of General Services shall insure that the plans, specifications, and methods of construction of the buildings have been approved and are in accordance with standards adopted by the department pursuant to Section 17351 which are in effect at the time the application for approval is passed upon by the department. Whenever a school district complies with the alternative procedure prescribed by this section it shall not be required to pay the filing fee prescribed by Sections 17267 and 17300, except that a fee shall be charged for onsite work pursuant to Section 17358. If the submitted plans and specifications have not been previously approved the application shall be rejected. In such case a new application together with required documents shall be filed for approval of plans and specifications by either the manufacturer pursuant to the provisions of Section 17352 or by the school district pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) of this chapter.

Whenever a school district has contracted for the purchase or lease of a factory-built school building and where such building is to be supported by foundations, underpinning, pedestals, or similar type elements which extend more than 18 inches above natural grade at any point, or on temporary blocks or jacks of any height, all the provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) of this chapter shall apply to the design and construction of onsite work except that, for fee purposes, only the estimated cost of onsite work need be considered. The minimum amount in any case shall be fifty dollars ($50).

The provisions of Sections 17266, 17268, 17300, 17302, and 17309 shall not apply with respect to the manufacture, sale, or lease of factory-built school buildings if this article is otherwise complied with.

Sections 17297, 17302, 17307, 17309, and 17311 shall not apply with respect to the design and construction of onsite work except where required by Section 17358.