Virginia Farm Improvement Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, what work does Virginia farm improvement contracting (FIC) authorize?

• AInstallation, repair, or improvement of a nonresidential farm building or structure, a no…
• BConstruction of any dwelling, townhouse, or farmhouse on agriculturally zoned land
• CElectrical, plumbing, HVAC, and gas fitting in any farm or residential building
• DNew commercial warehouses and retail stores that are not related to farming operations

Which functions does 18VAC50-22-30 say the FIC specialty does not provide?

• ARoofing, siding, and concrete on a nonresidential farm building
• BFraming, doors, and slab work on a farm accessory structure
• CElectrical, plumbing, HVAC, or gas fitting functions
• DRepair of an existing nonresidential farm equipment shed

Besides an FIC specialty, which Virginia contractor classifications also provide farm improvement contracting functions under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AOnly the highway/heavy (H/H) classification
• BThe commercial building contractor (CBC) and residential building contractor (RBC) classi…
• COnly the home improvement contracting (HIC) specialty
• DOnly electrical (ELE) and plumbing (PLB) classifications

A client asks an FIC contractor to build a new farmhouse dwelling on a working farm. What is the correct licensing analysis?

• AFIC covers the house because it is located on property where farming operations take place
• BFIC covers the house if the contract is under the Class C monetary limit
• CFIC covers only the kitchen and baths; a tradesman license is enough for the rest
• DFIC does not authorize the dwelling; residential work requires the correct residential cl…

An FIC firm is hired to erect a nonresidential hay barn and the owner also wants the barn wired for lights and receptacles. What may the FIC firm do?

• APerform the building work and the electrical work because both are on a farm structure
• BPerform the building work and hire any unlicensed helper to pull the branch circuits
• CPerform the building-shell work but not the electrical work; electrical requires the ELE…
• DPerform the electrical work if the farm building is USBC-exempt

Which of the following is outside FIC and requires an HVAC classification?

• AInstalling a manufactured ridge vent and eave soffit openings on a farm shop
• BSetting a packaged heat pump and refrigerant lines to condition a farm office
• CFraming sidewall curtain openings for natural livestock ventilation
• DInstalling a cupola as a passive exhaust opening on a hay barn

Under Code of Virginia § 36-97, which building on a working farm can meet the definition of a farm building or structure?

• AA dwelling used as the farm family's primary residence
• BA hotel built on farmland for overnight guests unrelated to the farm
• CA nonresidential building used primarily for farm-office uses relating to the farm operat…
• DA public restaurant licensed by the Board of Health and operated on the farm

A locality tells an owner that a qualifying farm equipment shed is exempt from the Virginia USBC. Does that exemption allow an unlicensed person to contract for the shed if the contract is over USD 1,000?

• AYes, because USBC-exempt buildings need no contractor license
• BYes, if the owner signs a farm-structure affidavit
• CNo. Contractor licensing under Title 54.1 is separate from the USBC farm-building exempti…
• DNo, but only because electrical work is always included in a shed contract

Which farm building is not exempt from the Virginia USBC under § 36-99?

• AA nonresidential hay barn used only to store hay produced on the farm
• BA loafing shed used only to shelter agricultural animals
• CA farm shop used only to maintain farm machinery
• DA building or portion of a building on a farm that is operated as a restaurant licensed b…

For a qualifying agritourism farm building where the public is invited, § 36-99 requires which posted notice?

• AA 12-inch by 12-inch occupancy-load certificate issued by the local fire official
• BA sign no smaller than 24 inches by 36 inches, with clearly legible black letters at leas…
• CA neon exit sign meeting the International Building Code means-of-egress chapter
• DNo sign is required if portable fire extinguishers are installed

A qualifying farm building will be built in a mapped flood plain. How does § 36-99 treat that building?

• AThe entire USBC still applies because no farm building in a flood plain can be a farm bui…
• BThe building remains a farm building, but it is subject to applicable flood-proofing regu…
• CFlood-plain location converts the project to highway/heavy contracting
• DFlood-plain location automatically authorizes FIC electrical and plumbing work

A Class C FIC contractor is offered a USD 180,000 contract to erect a nonresidential farm shop. What is the licensing problem?

• AThere is no problem because FIC has no monetary limits
• BClass C may perform any FIC project if the owner is a farmer
• CClass C is limited to single contracts under USD 30,000; a USD 180,000 project requires C…
• DOnly Class B may ever perform farm work

Which task is outside FIC because it is gas fitting?

• ASetting treated posts and a skirt board for a livestock shed
• BInstalling metal roofing and ridge cap on a farm shop
• CRunning new liquefied-petroleum gas piping from a tank to a brooder inside a poultry house
• DPouring a 4-inch equipment-storage slab

Which project is inside FIC scope?

• AAdding a lean-to equipment bay onto an existing nonresidential farm machinery shed
• BBuilding a 20-unit apartment building on land that is taxed as agricultural
• CRemodeling a suburban dwelling that is not on a farm
• DInstalling a water well and pump for a farmhouse

In post-frame (pole-barn) construction, what is the primary structural system?

• AClosely spaced dimensional-lumber wall studs at 16 inches on center bearing on a continuo…
• BWidely spaced embedded or pier-supported posts that carry roof trusses or rafters and tra…
• CUnreinforced masonry walls that carry steel bar joists
• DLight-gauge steel studs at 16 inches on center with a floating slab

What on-center post spacing is typical for a standard agricultural post-frame building?

• A16 to 24 inches
• B3 to 4 feet
• C8 to 12 feet
• D20 to 25 feet without engineering

Posts that will be embedded in the ground of a pole barn should be treated to which AWPA use category?

• AUC1 interior dry or UC2 interior damp
• BUC3B above-ground exterior only
• CA ground-contact category such as UC4A or UC4B
• DNo treatment is required if the posts are southern pine

What is the skirt board (splash plank) on a post-frame wall?

• AThe untreated ridge board at the peak of the roof
• BA treated board at or near grade that starts the wall covering, protects the base from sp…
• CThe interior finish trim around a sliding door
• DA steel base plate used only on pre-engineered metal buildings

In typical post-frame wall construction, what are girts and how are they usually spaced?

• AHorizontal wall members, often 2x4 or 2x6, commonly spaced about 24 inches on center to s…
• BVertical roof members spaced 16 inches on center in place of trusses
• CReinforcing bars placed in the slab at 48 inches on center
• DAnchor bolts used to hold a steel frame to a foundation

A clear-span post-frame barn is 40 feet wide by 64 feet long. Posts are placed 8 feet on center around the perimeter and there are no interior posts. How many posts are required?

• A18
• B22
• C26
• D32

How many board feet are in twenty 6x6 posts that are each 16 feet long?

• A320 board feet
• B480 board feet
• C960 board feet
• D1,920 board feet

What governs how deep a wood post should be embedded for a pole barn?

• AAlways exactly 12 inches, regardless of frost, soil, or wind
• BThe greater of the design embedment for gravity, uplift, and lateral loads and the local…
• COnly the eave height; posts are embedded 10 percent of the eave height
• DEmbedment is optional if the posts are treated

A closed farm shop in a windy area needs better post uplift resistance. Which combination is the most appropriate structural approach?

• ASet untreated 4x4 posts 12 inches deep in loose backfill and toenail the trusses
• BUse adequately embedded treated posts, a widened concrete collar or equivalent anchorage…
• CSkip embedment and rely only on the weight of the metal roofing
• DReplace all posts with interior furniture-grade hardwood

A metal-plate-connected wood truss arrives 2 inches too long for a post-frame bay. What is the correct action?

• ACut 2 inches off one end, including the metal plate if needed, and reset the truss
• BDrill a large hole through a truss web to run a water line, then install the truss
• CDo not cut, notch, or drill the truss; contact the supplier or a registered design profes…
• DRemove every metal plate so the truss can be shortened like a rafter

During setting of wood roof trusses on a pole barn, what bracing is required before the building is complete?

• ANo bracing is needed if the first truss is stood by hand
• BOnly permanent steel siding; temporary bracing is never used
• CTemporary lateral and diagonal bracing per the truss designer or BCSI until permanent res…
• DA single toenail at each heel is enough restraint

One 48-foot post-frame wall has six horizontal rows of 2x6 girts. The girts are furnished as 8-foot pieces with no waste. How many board feet of 2x6 are required for that wall?

• A144 board feet
• B192 board feet
• C288 board feet
• D384 board feet

What is the main purpose of knee braces or equivalent diagonal wall bracing in a post-frame building?

• ATo replace the need for any roof trusses
• BTo resist racking and help carry lateral loads between the roof and the embedded posts
• CTo serve as the only required fall-protection guardrail
• DTo increase the concrete slump in the post holes

The truss heel sits on a post-frame truss carrier (header). What is required at that bearing for a closed, wind-exposed shop?

• AGravity bearing only; uplift may be ignored because wood is heavy
• BA designed bearing length plus a mechanical uplift connection from truss to carrier to po…
• CConstruction adhesive alone
• DA single finish nail at each heel

How are roof purlins commonly installed under exposed-fastener metal on a post-frame barn?

• AFlat 1x4 skip sheathing at 48 inches on center with no fasteners at the eave
• B2x4 purlins set on edge, often about 24 inches on center, spanning from truss to truss
• CSteel bar joists at 8 feet on center with no deck
• DPlywood only, with the metal screwed only into the plywood face

When setting a line of post-frame posts, which field-control practice is correct?

• ASet posts plumb in both directions, hold the specified on-center spacing and grade, then…
• BLean every post 2 inches inward and cut them before the holes are dug
• CIgnore alignment because girts will pull posts into place later
• DFill holes with water only and allow the posts to float to grade

In a pre-engineered metal building, what are the primary frames?

• AThe light Z-purlins and C-girts only
• BThe rigid steel frames or rafter-and-column assemblies that carry the main gravity and la…
• CThe painted wall panels and trim
• DThe interior plywood loft

Comparing 26-gauge and 29-gauge steel farm panels, which statement is correct?

• A29-gauge is thicker and stronger than 26-gauge
• BThe two gauges are identical in thickness
• C26-gauge is thicker than 29-gauge and is the stiffer, more durable common agricultural ch…
• DGauge numbers increase as the steel gets thicker

What is the main difference between through-fastened (exposed-fastener) panels and standing-seam panels on a farm building?

• AThrough-fastened panels are screwed through the panel into the purlins or girts; standing…
• BStanding-seam panels must be nailed with roofing nails through the ribs
• CThrough-fastened panels cannot be used on any agricultural building
• DThere is no difference except color

On a steel farm building, what are Z-purlins and C-girts?

• ACast-in-place concrete beams
• BCold-formed secondary members: Z-shapes typically on the roof and C-shapes typically on t…
• CPrimary moment-frame rafters
• DPlastic closure strips used only at the ridge

How does a typical pre-engineered metal building resist longitudinal wind (along the ridge)?

• ABy the weight of the concrete slab alone
• BBy rod or cable X-bracing, portal frames, or equivalent longitudinal bracing in the roof…
• CBy leaving one entire sidewall off
• DBy using only painted trim

Steel building columns are typically connected to the foundation by what?

• AFinish nails into a wood mudsill
• BAnchor bolts set in concrete to the column base plates, using the manufacturer's bolt pat…
• CFriction against the slab only
• DConstruction adhesive under the column

A closed metal farm shop sweats on the underside of the roof in cold weather. What is the most direct building-envelope cause?

• AThe steel gauge is too thick
• BWarm, moist interior air is reaching cold metal and condensing
• CThe building has too many anchor bolts
• DThe posts were treated to UC4B

Where are foam or rubber closure strips used on an exposed-fastener metal roof?

• AOnly under interior drywall
• BAt eaves, ridges, and other panel ends to fill the corrugations and block wind-driven rai…
• CAs the only structural connection between purlins
• DIn place of all screws

When driving exposed-fastener screws with EPDM or neoprene washers, what is correct practice?

• ATighten until the washer is slightly compressed to a snug seal, without overdriving and d…
• BTighten until the washer splits, which proves the screw is tight enough
• CLeave the washer standing proud with no compression
• DOmit washers on the roof and use them only on trim

What does “clear span” mean on a farm metal building or pole barn?

• AThe building has no roof
• BThere are no interior columns between the sidewalls, so equipment can pass the full width
• CThe eave height is less than 8 feet
• DThe building must be less than 20 feet long

Anchor bolts for a steel frame were set 1 inch out of pattern and will not enter the base-plate holes. What is the correct action?

• AForce the column on with a sledge and slot the plate in the field without engineering
• BCut the bolts off and tack-weld the column to a random rebar dowel
• CStop and obtain a repair from the building manufacturer or a registered design profession…
• DLeave the column sitting unbolted because the slab weight will hold it

Why do metal-building drawings show flange braces from the rafter or column flange to the purlins or girts?

• ATo paint the steel more easily
• BTo brace the inner compression flange against buckling so the frame can develop its desig…
• CTo replace all rod X-bracing in every building
• DTo hang livestock gates

What is oil canning on a metal farm building?

• AA required structural splice in a rigid-frame rafter
• BVisible waviness or buckling in flat areas of a metal panel, usually aesthetic rather tha…
• CThe process of oiling locksets on sliding doors
• DA type of concrete finishing tool

A farmer wants a 12-foot lean-to added to one sidewall of an existing pre-engineered metal shop. What is the most important structural concern?

• ALean-tos never impose load on the existing frame, so any posts may be toenailed to the gi…
• BThe existing frame, columns, girts, and foundation must be checked for the extra roof and…
• CA lean-to is always outside FIC even on a nonresidential farm shop
• DThe only concern is matching the paint color

What foundation is most typical under an embedded post-frame barn post?

• AA deep basement under every bay
• BAn isolated hole with the post embedded in soil and/or a concrete backfill or precast pie…
• CA driven steel H-pile to bedrock on every farm job
• DNo foundation; posts rest on the grass