| (a) Construction phase.
(1) Prior to the start of construction of a new facility
or of building rehabilitation other than that classified as repair
in §554.350 of this subchapter (relating to Building Rehabilitation),
a facility must notify HHSC in Austin, Texas, in writing.
(2) All construction must be done according to the
minimum licensing requirements in this subchapter. It is a facility's
responsibility to employ qualified personnel to prepare the contract
documents for construction of a new facility or rehabilitation of
an existing facility. Contract documents for additions and rehabilitation
other than that classified as repair or renovation in §554.350
of this subchapter and for the construction of an entirely new facility
must be prepared by an architect licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural
Examiners. Drawings must bear the seal of the architect. Certain parts
of contract documents, including final plans, designs, and specifications,
must bear the seal of a licensed professional engineer approved by
the Texas Board of Professional Engineers to operate in Texas or,
as permitted by subsections (b)(12) and (15) of this section, signed
by a Responsible Managing Employee or Alarm Planning Superintendent
licensed by the State Fire Marshal's Office. These certain parts include
sheets and sections covering structural, electrical, mechanical, sanitary,
and civil engineering.
(b) Contract documents.
(1) Site plan documents must include grade contours;
streets, with names; a north arrow; fire hydrant locations; fire lanes;
utilities, public or private; fences; unusual site conditions, such
as ditches, low water levels, and other buildings on-site; and indications
of buildings located five feet or less beyond site property lines.
Site plan documents for nursing facilities may include the developed
landscaping plan for resident use.
(2) Foundation plan documents must include the general
foundation design and details.
(3) Floor plan documents must include room names, numbers,
and usages; resident care areas; numbered doors, including swing;
windows; a legend or clarification of wall types; dimensions; fixed
equipment; plumbing fixtures; kitchen basic layout; and identification
of all smoke barrier walls and fire walls, outside wall to outside
wall.
(4) For new construction, additions to or rehabilitation
of an existing building, an overall plan of the entire building must
be drawn or reduced to fit on an 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch sheet.
(5) Schedules must include door materials, sizes, and
types; window materials, sizes, and types; room finishes; and special
hardware.
(6) Elevations must include exterior elevations with
material note indications, and interior elevations, where needed for
special conditions.
(7) Roof plans must include any roof top equipment,
roof slopes, drain locations, and gas piping.
(8) Details must include wall sections as needed, especially
for special conditions; cabinets and built-in work, basic design only;
cross sections through buildings as needed; and miscellaneous details
and enlargements as needed.
(9) Building structure documents must include structural
framing layout and details, primarily for columns, beams, joists,
and structural frames; roof framing layout, when this cannot be adequately
shown on cross section; cross sections in quantity and detail to show
sufficient structural design; and structural details as necessary
to ensure adequate structural design.
(10) Electrical documents must include electrical layout,
including lights, convenience outlets, equipment outlets, switches,
and other electrical outlets and devices; service, circuiting, distribution,
and panel diagrams; exit signs and emergency egress lighting; emergency
electrical provisions, such as generators and panelboards; fire alarms
and similar systems, such as control panels, devices, and alarms;
staff communication systems, including a nurse call system; and sizes
and details sufficient to ensure safe and properly operating systems.
(11) Plumbing documents must include plumbing layout
with pipe sizes and details sufficient to ensure safe and properly
operating systems, water systems, sanitary systems, gas systems, other
systems normally considered under the scope of plumbing, fixtures,
and provisions for combustion air supply.
(12) Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC)
documents must include sufficient details of HVAC systems and components
to ensure a safe and properly operating installation including, heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning layout; ducts; protection of duct
inlets and outlets; combustion air; piping; exhausts; duct smoke detectors;
fire dampers; and equipment types, sizes, and locations.
(13) Fire sprinkler system plans and hydraulic calculations
must be designed in accordance with the applicable sections of NFPA
13, and signed by a Responsible Managing Employee, licensed by the
State Fire Marshal's Office, or sealed by a licensed professional
engineer.
(14) Other layouts, plans, or details that are necessary
to convey a clear understanding of the design and scope of the project,
including plans covering private water or sewer systems, which must
be reviewed by the local health or wastewater authority having jurisdiction.
(15) Specifications must include installation techniques,
quality standards, manufacturers, references to specific codes and
standards, design criteria, special equipment, hardware, finishes,
and any other information needed to amplify drawings and notes.
(16) Fire detection and alarm system working plans
must be designed according to the applicable sections of NFPA 72 and
NFPA 70 and signed by an Alarm Planning Superintendent licensed by
the State Fire Marshal's Office, or sealed by a licensed professional
engineer.
(c) Initial survey of completed construction.
(1) Upon completion of construction of a new facility,
or building rehabilitation other than that classified as repair or
renovation in §554.350 of this subchapter, a final construction
inspection of the facility, including grounds, basic equipment and
furnishings, must be performed by HHSC prior to occupancy. The completed
construction must have the written approval of the local authorities
having jurisdiction, including the fire marshal and building official.
When construction or building rehabilitation does not alter the licensed
capacity of a facility, based on submitted documentation and the scope
of the performed building rehabilitation, HHSC may permit a facility
to use the rehabilitated portion of a facility pending a final construction
inspection or may determine a final construction inspection is not
required.
(2) An applicant may obtain the inspection described
in paragraph (1) of this subsection on an expedited basis. An applicant
may obtain a Life Safety Code inspection within 15 business days after
HHSC receives a written request if the applicant submits:
(A) a complete application as required in §554.201(b)
of this chapter (relating to Criteria for Licensing) and §554.204
of this chapter (relating to Application Requirements); and
(B) the appropriate Life Safety Code fee listed in §554.220
of this chapter (relating to Expedited Life Safety Code and Physical
Plant Inspection Fees).
(3) After the completed construction is surveyed and
found acceptable by HHSC, this information is conveyed to the licensing
officer as part of the information needed to issue a license to the
facility. Additions to or rehabilitation of existing facilities may
require a revision or modification to an existing license. The building,
including basic furnishings and operational needs, grades, drives,
parking, and grounds must be 100 percent complete at the time of this
initial survey visit for HHSC to approve occupancy and licensing.
A facility may accept up to three residents between the time it receives
initial approval from HHSC and the time the license is issued.
(4) A copy of the following documents must be provided
to HHSC at the time of the survey of the completed building. HHSC
may request some or all of these documents prior to scheduling the
initial survey:
(A) written approval of local authorities as called
for in paragraph (1) of this subsection;
(B) record drawings of the fire detection and alarm
system as installed, signed by an Alarm Planning Superintendent licensed
by the State Fire Marshal's Office or sealed by a licensed professional
engineer, including a sequence of operation, the owner's manuals and
the manufacturer's published instructions covering all system equipment,
a signed copy of the State Fire Marshal's Office Fire Alarm Installation
Certificate, and, for software-based systems, a record copy of the
site-specific software, excluding the system executive software or
external programmer software, in a non-volatile, non-erasable, non-rewritable
memory;
Cont'd... |
