Rather than sleeving the pipe, the crew stopped the footing 18 inches short on each side of it, leaving a 3-foot gap in the continuous footing directly beneath an interior bearing wall. How should the inspector judge this?
- AAccept it; the wall spans the gap easily because a stud wall acts as a deep beam over an opening of that size
A stud wall is a series of columns bearing on a plate, not a beam. It has no capacity to span an unsupported length, which is why the footing beneath it has to be continuous.
- BAccept it; the gap is under 4 feet, and short interruptions in a footing are permitted where a pipe crosses
There is no short-gap allowance in the footing provisions. Pipes cross footings on nearly every job and are handled by sleeving or by thickening the footing, not by leaving it out.
- Reject it; the footing under a bearing wall is continuous, and bridging a gap of this size requires a designed member
- DReject it; the pipe must be relocated outside the building, since piping may never cross beneath a footing line
Piping routinely passes through and beneath footings, and the code contemplates it. Ordering the line relocated outside the building is a far heavier remedy than the situation calls for.
Why C is correct
Footings under bearing walls are continuous so the load spreads along the length of the wall. A 3-foot gap concentrates load on the ends of the remaining footing and leaves the wall unsupported, so it takes a designed member to span it. Sleeving the pipe through the footing is the normal solution.
What this question is testing
Whether the candidate understands why footings under bearing walls are continuous, recognizes that a stud wall cannot span, and knows the ordinary ways a pipe crossing is handled.
On the job
This one hides well: once the slab is poured, the gap is invisible and only shows up years later as a crack in the wall above and a dip in the floor. Inspectors walk the whole trench before the pour, not just the corners, and look specifically where mechanical trades have crossed. Sleeving the pipe takes ten minutes if it is caught before the truck arrives.
Memory technique
No footing, no bearing.
Exam tip
Bearing walls need footing under their whole length. A gap needs a beam.
Where to look it up
IRC Chapter 4, foundations, the general footing provisions covering continuous footings under bearing walls.