The order was in writing, was given to the permit holder and posted at the site, and it stated the conditions under which work would be permitted to resume. Nothing has been submitted since. On Wednesday you find the same crew framing the opening. What does the code provide?
- Continuing work after a stop work order has been served is itself a violation, and the persons doing the work are subject to the penalties the jurisdiction has adopted
- BThe order lapses after 48 hours unless the department renews it in writing, so the crew may lawfully resume work until a fresh order has been served on them
No expiration period attaches to a stop work order. An order that dissolved every two days would be unenforceable on any project where the crew was willing to wait out the weekend.
- CThe order takes effect only once the code official has countersigned it, so the permit holder may keep working until the department confirms it at its next business day
The order is issued under the authority of the code official; it does not sit dormant awaiting a second signature. Treating it as provisional invites exactly the continuance the provision forbids.
- DThe department's only remedy at this stage is revocation of the permit, because a stop work order carries no independent force once work on the site has resumed
Revocation addresses the permit; the penalty provisions address the conduct. The two remedies run alongside one another, and neither displaces the force the order already has.
Why A is correct
Work continued after service of a stop work order is unlawful in its own right and carries the jurisdiction's penalties. The only work permitted while the order stands is work directed toward removing the violation or an unsafe condition.
What this question is testing
Whether the candidate understands that continuing work after service is an independent violation, and knows the narrow exception for work performed to remove the violation or an unsafe condition.
On the job
Crews test stop work orders, particularly where a subcontractor is on a fixed price and losing days. What makes the second visit stick is documentation of service: who was handed the order, when, where it was posted, and photographs of the posting. Once the file shows service and shows continued work, most jurisdictions can move to citations and fines quickly, and that is usually the point at which the general contractor becomes reachable by telephone.
Memory technique
The order stops the job until the department says otherwise, not until Wednesday.
Exam tip
Only one kind of work is legal under a stop order: the work that cures it.
Where to look it up
IRC Chapter 1 administration, stop work orders, the unlawful continuance paragraph.