According to California Building Code requirements, special inspection is required for which of the following structural steel welding operations in buildings assigned to Seismic Design Category D or higher?
Correct Answer
A) All structural welding including fillet welds and partial penetration welds
CBC Section 1705.2.2 requires special inspection for all structural welding in Seismic Design Categories D, E, and F, which includes most of California. This comprehensive requirement covers all weld types to ensure quality control necessary for seismic resistance, going beyond the minimum IBC requirements.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
CBC Section 1705.2.2 requires special inspection for ALL structural welding — fillet welds, partial penetration welds, and complete joint penetration welds — in buildings in Seismic Design Categories D, E, and F. California's seismic risk demands comprehensive quality assurance across every weld type, not just the most critical connections.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: Only field welding operations, not shop welding
Limiting inspection to only field welding would leave shop-fabricated welds unverified. Shop welds can be equally critical to structural performance and must also undergo special inspection under CBC requirements for SDC D+.
Option C: Only welding of members larger than W14 sections
No code provision restricts special inspection to members larger than W14 sections. Member size is not the trigger — Seismic Design Category is. All structural welds require inspection regardless of member size.
Option D: Only complete joint penetration groove welds in moment frame connections
Restricting special inspection to only complete joint penetration groove welds in moment frame connections would miss the broader requirement. While CJP groove welds in moment frames are certainly critical, the CBC requirement covers all structural welding in SDC D+.
Memory Technique
In SDC D and above, think 'inspect everything that sparks.' Welding produces sparks — and in California's high-seismic zones, every spark (every weld) needs a special inspector watching. No weld type is exempt.
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