Virginia Billboard/Sign Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, Billboard/sign contracting (BSC) means which service?

• APainting wall murals and applying vinyl graphics to storefront glass
• BInstallation, repair, improvement, or dismantling of any billboard or structural sign per…
• CConstruction of commercial buildings that happen to display exterior signage
• DInstallation of portable sandwich-board and banner-stand advertising only

Besides a BSC specialty licensee, which Virginia contractor classifications may perform billboard and structural-sign work under 18VAC50-22-20 and 18VAC50-22-30?

• AResidential Building Contractor (RBC) and Home Improvement Contracting (HIC) only
• BElectrical (ELE) and Plumbing (PLB) only
• CHighway/Heavy (H/H) and Commercial Building Contractor (CBC)
• DPainting and Wallcovering (PTC) and Glass and Glazing (GLZ) only

What electrical work does 18VAC50-22-30 allow a BSC specialty contractor to perform?

• AConnect or disconnect signs to existing electrical circuits
• BInstall a new branch circuit from the building panel to a monument sign
• CSet a new utility service and meter for an illuminated billboard
• DDesign and install a new site lighting system around the sign

A client wants a new illuminated monument sign and asks the BSC firm to pull a new 20-amp, 120-volt circuit from the building panel, through new underground conduit, to the sign. What is the correct scope decision?

• ABSC covers the new circuit because the sign will be permanently annexed to real property
• BBSC covers the new circuit if the run is shorter than 50 feet
• CBSC covers only the sign structure and a connection to an existing circuit; the new circu…
• DBSC covers the conduit and wire, but a master electrician must terminate only the breaker

Which trade work does 18VAC50-22-30 expressly exclude from the BSC function?

• AConcrete footings that support the sign structure
• BStructural steel poles and frames that support the sign
• CTrade-related plumbing, electrical, or HVAC work
• DDismantling a billboard that is permanently annexed to the site

The phrase “permanently annexed to real property” in the BSC definition is most important when deciding which of the following?

• AWhether the contract is Class A, B, or C
• BWhether a free-standing structural sign or billboard is inside BSC, as opposed to a porta…
• CWhether the sign face is vinyl or painted
• DWhether the owner or a tenant is paying the invoice

A storefront project includes new reverse-channel letters, a new 277-volt circuit from the electrical room, and a new time-clock and disconnect. Which portion may a BSC-only firm perform?

• AThe new 277-volt circuit, because channel letters are signs
• BThe time-clock and disconnect, because they serve only the sign
• CInstallation of the letter structure and a connection to an existing circuit if one is al…
• DThe entire package, because 18VAC50-22-30 includes all sign-related electrical

Does the BSC specialty include taking down an existing billboard that is permanently annexed to the site?

• ANo; dismantling always requires a separate demolition classification
• BYes; 18VAC50-22-30 lists dismantling with installation, repair, and improvement
• COnly if the steel will be reused on the same parcel
• DOnly when the billboard is less than 30 feet high

A retailer wants 12 portable A-frame sidewalk signs stored indoors each night and never fastened to the sidewalk or building. How should a BSC candidate classify that work?

• AInside BSC, because the devices display advertising
• BInside BSC if each sign weighs more than 50 pounds
• COutside BSC, because the signs are not permanently annexed to real property
• DInside BSC only when the signs are illuminated

Replacing corroded clip angles and re-plumbing a leaning monument-sign cabinet on an existing foundation is which BSC function?

• AOutside BSC, because the foundation is already in place
• BRepair or improvement of a structural sign permanently annexed to real property
• CElectrical contracting, because the cabinet may contain lamps
• DHome improvement contracting, because the sign is on private property

A building owner wants a large painted logo applied directly to a masonry wall with no cabinet, raceway, or structural frame. Which specialty most closely matches that work?

• ABSC, because any commercial graphic is a structural sign
• BPainting and wallcovering (PTC), because it is applied coating with no structural sign as…
• CBSC, but only if the logo is larger than 100 square feet
• DCBC only; neither BSC nor PTC may coat a commercial wall

A CBC firm without a BSC specialty or electrical classification is erecting a new unipole billboard. An existing spare circuit is already at the pole base. Who may make the sign’s connection to that existing circuit under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AThe CBC firm, because CBC includes all billboard electrical work
• BAny laborer on the CBC crew, because the circuit already exists
• CA BSC specialty contractor (or a properly licensed electrical contractor); the existing-c…
• DNo one, because illuminated billboards are prohibited on CBC projects

How many cubic feet are in 1 cubic yard of concrete used for a sign footing takeoff?

• A9
• B12
• C27
• D36

A square spread footing for a monument sign is 6 feet by 6 feet by 3 feet deep. What is the concrete volume in cubic yards?

• A1.33 cubic yards
• B3.00 cubic yards
• C4.00 cubic yards
• D6.00 cubic yards

A two-pole billboard uses two identical isolated footings, each 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet. What is the total concrete volume?

• A2.37 cubic yards
• B4.74 cubic yards
• C8.00 cubic yards
• D128 cubic yards

A drilled pier for a unipole is a 3-foot-diameter cylinder, 10 feet deep. Using π = 3.14, what is the concrete volume?

• A0.87 cubic yards
• B2.62 cubic yards
• C3.49 cubic yards
• D10.47 cubic yards

For a typical freestanding billboard, which load usually governs the foundation and pole design?

• AThe dead load of the vinyl face alone
• BSnow drifting on the catwalk
• CWind pressure on the sign face and structure
• DInterior live load as if the pole were a building floor

A 14-foot by 48-foot bulletin face is designed for a uniform net wind pressure of 25 pounds per square foot. What is the total wind force on that face?

• A672 pounds
• B1,200 pounds
• C8,400 pounds
• D16,800 pounds

ASCE 7 wind velocity pressure varies with the square of wind speed. If design wind speed at a site doubles from 45 mph to 90 mph, the velocity pressure becomes about how many times as large?

• AThe same
• B2 times as large
• C4 times as large
• D8 times as large

An interstate bulletin stands in open, flat country with only scattered obstructions shorter than about 30 feet. Under ASCE 7 exposure categories, that site is most nearly which exposure?

• AExposure B, because every Virginia site is treated as urban
• BExposure C, open terrain with scattered low obstructions
• CExposure A, which ASCE 7 still uses for all highways
• DExposure D only if the sign is inside a downtown street canyon

A crew arrives to pour a sign footing and finds the subgrade frozen. What is the correct action?

• APour immediately; the heat of hydration will thaw the soil in place
• BDo not place concrete on frozen ground; thaw and prepare the subgrade or wait for suitabl…
• CAdd extra water to the mix so it will flow around ice lenses
• DPour a 2-inch mud slab on the ice and set anchor bolts the same day

Before excavating a billboard drilled-pier foundation in Virginia, the excavator must notify Virginia 811. When does the marking period begin?

• AImmediately when the ticket is submitted, including Saturday night
• BAt 7:00 a.m. on the next working day after the locate request; weekends and legal holiday…
• CTen calendar days later, to give every utility extra time
• DOnly after concrete is ordered

A 16,800-pound wind force acts through the centroid of a bulletin face 30 feet above the top of the footing. What overturning moment must the foundation resist from that force?

• A16,800 foot-pounds
• B560 foot-pounds
• C504,000 foot-pounds
• D2,250,000 foot-pounds

When sizing a billboard footing for soil bearing, the contractor should use which bearing value?

• AA statewide default of 8,000 psf for every Virginia county
• BThe allowable bearing pressure from the geotechnical report or the presumptive values per…
• CThe 28-day concrete compressive strength, because soil and concrete share one number
• DThe wind speed in miles per hour, read as pounds per square foot

Placement of reinforcing steel in a sign pier or spread footing should follow which source?

• AWhatever leftover bars are on the truck, placed by eye
• BThe engineered drawings for bar size, spacing, cover, and dowel or anchor-bolt projection
• CA rule that every footing gets four #3 bars regardless of size
• DOSHA 1926 Subpart CC crane rules

A sign-footing specification calls for 3,000 psi concrete. That number is the specified compressive strength at which standard age?

• A4 hours, so the pole can always be set the same afternoon
• B3 days for every mix, with no project-specific exception
• C28 days, unless the project documents specify another test age
• D1 year, after all shrinkage has occurred

Four identical square piers, each 2 feet by 2 feet by 6 feet deep, will support a small pylon. What is the total concrete volume?

• A0.89 cubic yards
• B2.00 cubic yards
• C3.56 cubic yards
• D96 cubic yards

Design wind loads for a Virginia structural sign should be taken from which source?

• AA contractor rule of thumb of 20 psf for every county
• BThe wind provisions of the adopted Virginia USBC/IBC and ASCE 7 for the actual site, heig…
• CThe OSHA crane load chart
• DThe face manufacturer’s vinyl warranty

ASTM A36 carbon steel, commonly used for plates and some sign frames, has a specified minimum yield stress of which value?

• A36 ksi
• B50 ksi
• C60 ksi
• D100 ksi

For structural-steel weight takeoffs, carbon steel is customarily taken at which density?

• A150 pounds per cubic foot
• B490 pounds per cubic foot
• C2,000 pounds per cubic foot
• D27 pounds per cubic foot

A 3/8-inch A36 base plate is 4 feet by 8 feet. Using 490 pcf, what is the plate weight?

• A184 pounds
• B327 pounds
• C490 pounds
• D980 pounds

A horizontal walkway beam is designated W10×39 and is 30 feet long. What is its approximate self-weight?

• A390 pounds
• B1,170 pounds
• C3,000 pounds
• D10,390 pounds

Why are outdoor billboard poles, frames, and hardware commonly hot-dip galvanized?

• AGalvanizing increases the steel yield stress from 36 ksi to 50 ksi
• BZinc coating protects carbon steel from atmospheric corrosion
• CGalvanizing is required so OSHA will allow workers on the catwalk
• DGalvanizing makes field welding unnecessary on every job

Field welding on a structural sign pole or frame should be performed to which requirement?

• AAny convenient fillet size, because outdoor signs are not structural
• BThe weld sizes, processes, and procedures required by the engineered drawings and the ref…
• CA single 1/8-inch tack at each joint, which is always enough
• DOxy-fuel cutting only; electric welding is prohibited on galvanized steel

Compared with a two-post I-beam billboard, a single unipole (monopole) of the same face size and height most nearly does which of the following?

• AEliminates all wind load because one pole is more aerodynamic
• BConcentrates the entire shear, torsion, and overturning from the face into one shaft and…
• CAllows the foundation to be omitted if the pole is filled with concrete
• DRemoves any need for engineered drawings

Anchor bolts for a sign base plate should be set how?

• ADrilled randomly after the pour wherever the plate happens to sit
• BTo the diameter, grade, projection, embedment, and pattern on the engineered drawings, us…
• CAlways 1/2-inch Grade 2 hardware-store bolts, four per pole
• DOmitted if the pole can be tack-welded to a rebar cage

A pole ships 2 feet too long for the permitted height. What is the correct field action?

• ACut the pole wherever it is convenient and stand it without further review
• BDo not cut a primary structural member unless the change is approved by the responsible d…
• CBurn several large hand-holes in the shaft to shorten the effective height
• DBury the extra 2 feet and call the height correct

High-strength structural bolts in a sign-pole splice (ASTM F3125 Grade A325 or A490) should be installed how?

• ASnug-tight or pretensioned with the method required by the drawings and the RCSC specific…
• BAlways left half a turn loose so the pole can flex in the wind
• CLubricated with motor oil and tightened until the threads strip
• DReplaced with Grade 2 hex bolts of the same diameter whenever A325 stock is short

Workers on an elevated billboard catwalk with an unprotected side 6 feet or more above a lower level must have which protection under OSHA 1926.501?

• ANo protection, because a catwalk is not a building floor
• BA hard hat only
• CA guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system
• DA warning line 25 feet from the edge and no other control

During a pre-climb inspection, a crew finds heavy rust scale, knife-edge corrosion at a base plate, and several missing splice bolts. What is the correct action?

• AContinue the climb; rust is cosmetic on outdoor steel
• BStop, keep workers off the weakened members, and have a qualified person evaluate the str…
• CReplace missing bolts with smaller ones so they will fit the corroded holes
• DPaint the rust and resume work the same hour

Shop drawings call for ASTM A572 Grade 50 for a monopole shaft. The fabricator offers leftover A36 plate of the same thickness. What should the contractor do?

• AAccept A36 because both are carbon steels of equal yield
• BReject the substitution unless the engineer approves a redesign; A36 yield is 36 ksi, not…
• CAccept A36 if the pieces are painted orange
• DAccept A36 if the wall is increased by 1/16 inch in the field

What is the approximate weight of a 1/2-inch steel plate that is 24 inches by 36 inches? Use 0.2836 lb/in³.

• A61 pounds
• B123 pounds
• C245 pounds
• D490 pounds

An older roadside billboard is guyed with steel cables. During a face change, one guy must be loosened. What is the governing concern?

• AGuys are only for lightning and may be removed in any order
• BGuys may be part of the lateral-load path; loosening one without temporary support or an…
• CGuys must always be cut flush at the pole before any face work
• DGuys may be replaced with nylon rope of the same diameter

Steel delivered for a pylon does not match the grade marks on the approved drawings. The crew should do what?

• AErect it anyway to keep the crane on rent
• BStop and resolve the mismatch with the supplier and designer before the steel is built in…
• CGrind off the existing marks and restamp the specified grade
• DPaint the steel so the inspector cannot read the marks

What is the face area of a standard 14-foot by 48-foot bulletin?

• A62 square feet
• B336 square feet
• C672 square feet
• D1,344 square feet