Free ICC PT Exam Flashcards

Interview the customer to determine the actual scope of work (cabinets only vs. moving plumbing/electrical) before quoting permits or fees — vague requests must be narrowed to specific trade work so the correct permit type and fee apply.

Customer service duties require explaining requirements in plain language so applicants understand what is needed; citing only a code section (e.g., '105.2') without explanation frustrates customers and can cause incomplete or incorrect submittals.

Use referral protocol: direct the customer to the correct department or agency rather than guessing at an answer — accurate routing is part of the Customer Service task area.

Employing organizational skills such as intake checklists and queue tracking lets a technician manage multiple customers and projects at once without losing application details — explicitly listed under Customer Service (0101) in the exam content outline.

(1) All prerequisite approvals are in place, such as zoning or HOA sign-off, (2) the application and project information provided are complete and acceptable, and (3) professional and contractor licensing is valid where required.

No — signature authority (owner or an authorized agent with documented consent) must be verified before an application is accepted as complete; an unsigned application fails the completeness check.

Do not accept or process the permit until the license is verified as active — Project Applications duties require confirming that professional/contractor licensing is current before work can be authorized.

A prerequisite approval — the technician must verify it was obtained before accepting the building permit application, since some permits depend on another agency's approval first.

Completeness review only confirms all required documents, signatures, and fees are present so the application can be accepted; plan review is the technical evaluation of the design against code that happens afterward.

That basic details, elements, or components (such as room labels, dimensions, and basic structural elements) are present and complete on the plans — not performing a full engineering review, which is done by a plans examiner.

A floor plan shows the interior layout and dimensions of a structure; a site plan shows where that structure sits on the lot relative to property lines, easements, and other site features.

Load paths and framing — how weight transfers from the roof through walls or columns to the foundation — which a permit technician should recognize even without performing the structural calculation review.

The complete package of plans, specifications, and engineering/structural data submitted for a permit — a permit technician confirms these basic components are present before routing the application for review.

Valuation is the total value of all labor, materials, and equipment for the project — not materials cost alone — and permit fees are calculated as a percentage of this total valuation.

An investigation fee applies, typically equal to the normal permit fee — effectively doubling the total fee owed — as a penalty for starting regulated work without an approved permit.

A refund is generally allowed only if requested before plan review work has begun; once review has started, the jurisdiction has already expended effort and the fee is typically non-refundable.

The local adopting jurisdiction sets its own fee schedule — the IBC requires that fees be paid and outlines fee-related procedures, but it does not itself set the dollar amounts.

The owner or the contractor requests and schedules required inspections — the building official does not proactively schedule them; the permit holder must initiate the inspection request.

A special inspection is required for certain complex or critical work, such as structural welding or high-load elements; the OWNER — not the jurisdiction — is responsible for hiring an ICC-approved special inspection agency.

A Certificate of Occupancy must be issued after the final inspection confirms full code compliance; occupying a structure before the CO is issued is a violation unless a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) has been granted.

Provide facts based on permit records and inspection results only — not personal opinions or guarantees — since liability disclosure requires sticking to documented, verifiable information.

Whether approvals, permits, or inspections are needed, general code compliance of designs/procedures/materials, and liability or public-disclosure issues — all without overstepping into legal advice.

Liability disclosure means stating known facts and documented compliance status; giving a legal opinion, such as predicting the outcome of a dispute, is outside a permit technician's authority and creates liability exposure for the jurisdiction.

Yes — permit files are generally public record, so a technician can confirm whether a permit exists and its status, though personally identifiable information should still be redacted per records policy.

An interpretation not grounded in the adopted code or official department guidance can create incorrect public information and liability exposure — answers should reference the applicable code section, not personal opinion.

Verify that permit and project documents are retained for the period required by the jurisdiction's records retention schedule and remain available and retrievable when needed.

That personally identifiable information (PII), such as a homeowner's personal phone number or ID data, is redacted per the jurisdiction's public-records policy before release.

Record Research — researching and documenting a property's permit history and code-compliance status so it can be reported accurately to the requester.

To confirm code compliance history before approving new permits or responding to a compliance inquiry — an unresolved or 'open' prior permit can block new approvals until it is resolved.

Records Management concerns how long files are retained and whether they remain available; Record Research is the active investigation into a specific project's history and compliance status.

File an appeal with the Board of Appeals — the Board hears disputes over code INTERPRETATION and application but cannot waive or grant exceptions to the code itself; that requires a zoning variance instead.

The scope and complexity of the proposed work — minor exempt work needs no review, while structural, electrical, or life-safety changes require the technician to route the submittal for the appropriate level of review.

A portion of the design, such as fire sprinklers or specialty trusses, that is noted upfront on the approved plans but is submitted and approved by the building official at a later date, before that specific work begins.

That the submittal package is complete for the level of review required — engineering drawings and specifications are core components of the submittal documents referenced in IBC Section 107.

Complex structural, electrical, or life-safety designs typically require a design professional's seal certifying the engineering is adequate before the jurisdiction will accept the documents for review.

Reject or flag the submittal at intake and request the missing documents — accepting an incomplete package delays the applicant later and can cause an incorrect or inconsistent review.

Group E (Educational) — occupancy groups classify buildings by their USE, not their size, and each of the ten groups (A, B, E, F, H, I, M, R, S, U) carries different fire, egress, and construction requirements.

Type I is fire-resistive, noncombustible construction (steel, concrete, masonry) with the highest fire rating; Type V is combustible wood-frame construction with the lowest fire rating — the type limits allowable building height and area.

Group S (Storage) — distinguished from Group M (Mercantile), which covers retail sales display and sales areas open to the public.

A plat is a map showing a subdivided lot's boundaries, dimensions, and easements — a technician reads it to confirm a project's location and lot lines match the permit application.

A plat shows an individual subdivided lot's boundaries; a tract map shows the larger overall development boundary encompassing multiple lots or phases.

60 feet — engineering scales convert directly using a whole-number ratio (1 inch to X feet), unlike architectural scales, which use a fractional-inch-to-foot ratio such as 1/4 inch = 1 foot.

To calculate the maximum number of occupants allowed in a floor area by dividing the area by the factor for that use, such as business versus assembly — occupant load drives required exit width and egress capacity.

How land-use and zoning codes apply to their project, including which reviews (zoning, engineering) happen before a building permit can be issued, so applicants understand the sequence and requirements.

Yes, if it qualifies as a legal nonconforming use — a use that was legally established before a zoning change and may continue, though it typically cannot expand or resume after being abandoned.

A right-of-way is PUBLIC land reserved for roads, sidewalks, and public infrastructure; an easement is a private grant allowing a specific party limited use of another's private land, such as a shared driveway or utility line.

An encroachment permit — required whenever private work or equipment occupies public right-of-way, to regulate safety and restoration of the public space.

Utility easements are reserved for utility company access and lines — structures built within them can block required access or maintenance, so they are typically prohibited from encroaching on the reserved area.

A variance — an approved deviation from the zoning code's lot-coverage limit — since the project exceeds what is otherwise allowed by right; without it, the site plan cannot be approved as submitted.

A grading plan shows the site's elevations and drainage patterns; it's reviewed to confirm stormwater flows correctly and doesn't negatively affect neighboring properties before site plan approval is granted.