Plans Submission and Fees Required

 

AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
Health Facility and Agency Licensing

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:
59A-26.017Plans Submission and Fees Required

NOTICE OF CHANGE

Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 40 No. 247, December 23, 2014 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.

59A-26.017 Plans Submission and Fees Required

(1) No construction work, including demolition, shall be started until prior written approval has been provided by the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction. This includes all construction of new facilities and all additions, modifications, alterations, renovations, and refurbishing to the site, facility, equipment or systems of all existing facilities.

(2)(1) No change.

(a) No change.

(b) Construction documents and, specifications and construction details for all work to be undertaken;

(c) through (d) No change.

(3)(2) Projects that have been submitted for the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction review will be considered abandoned withdrawn if:

(a) through (c) No change.

(4)(3) When construction is planned, either for new buildings, additions, alterations or renovations to existing buildings, the plans and specifications must be prepared and submitted to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction for approval by a Florida registered architect and a Florida registered professional engineer.  An architecture or engineering firm, not practicing as a sole proprietor, must provide proof of registration as an architecture or engineering firm with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. All plans and specifications provided to the Agency as required in this section must be prepared and submitted by a Florida-registered architect and a Florida-registered professional engineer. An architectural or engineering firm not practicing as a sole proprietor may prepare and submit plans and specifications to the Agency if they are registered as an architectural or engineering firm with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

(5)(4) The initial submission of plans to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction for any new project must include a completed Application for Plan Review, AHCA Form 3500-0011, June 2014, incorporated by reference and obtainable at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-XXXXX or from the Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Mail Stop 24, Tallahassee, Florida 32308, or from the Agency’s website at http://ahca.myflorida.com/plansandconstruction, and a valid certificate of need, if required pursuant to Chapter 408 F.S. This information must accompany the initial submission. Approval will not be granted for any project without a Certificate of Need as required by Rule 59C-1.004, F.A.C.

(6)(5) Plans and specifications submitted for review shall be subject to a plan review fee pursuant to section 400.967(5), F.S. A non-refundable initial fee of $2,000 will be charged for all projects. The agency will also collect a fee, not to exceed one percent of the estimated construction cost or the actual cost of review, whichever is less, for the portion of the review which encompasses initial review through the initial revised construction document review. Additionally, the Agency will collect its actual costs on all subsequent portions of the review and construction inspections. All fees must be paid by check made payable to the Agency for Health Care Administration, with the notation of check noted with the Office of Plans and Construction facility log number and identified that it is for the Agency’s Health Care Trust Fund. Plan review fees must be included with the application.

(7)(6) Plans and specifications shall be submitted in for review at any of the three stages of development described in this rule. Approval of a Stage III submission is required to begin construction (except as permitted by subsection 59A-26.017(2), F.A.C.). These stages are as follows:

(a) through(c) No change.

(8)(7) No change.

(9)(8) For projects involving only equipment changes or system renovations, only Stage III, construction documents need to be submitted. These documents must include the following:

(a) through (c) No change.

(10)(9) No change.

(a). Single-line drawings of each floor showing the relationship of the various activities or services to each other and the room arrangement in each, which shall include:

1. through 3. No change.

4. A schematic life safety plan showing smoke and fire compartments, exits, exit passageways, and gross areas of smoke and fire compartments; and

5. Information as to which areas are sprinklered sprinkled, both new proposed and existing.

(b) through (c) No change.

(11)(10) No change.

(a) through (b) No change.

(c) Architectural plans that include:

1. through 4. No change.

5. Equipment which is not included in the construction contract that requires mechanical or electrical service connections or construction modifications shall be identified to ensure coordination with the architectural, mechanical and electrical phases of construction Identification of equipment, which is not included in the construction contract, but which requires mechanical or electrical service connections or construction modifications, to ensure its coordination with the architectural, mechanical and electrical phases of construction; and

6. No change.

(d) Life safety plans that include:

1. No change.

2. All sprinklered sprinkled areas, fire extinguishers, fire alarm devices and pull station locations;

3. Fully developed life safety plans must be submitted if the project is an addition to or the conversion of an existing building;

4. through 5. No change.

(e). Mechanical engineering plans that include:

1. through 3.No change.

4. If the building is equipped with fire sprinklers, the location of the sprinkler system risers and the point of connection for the fire sprinkler system.  State the method of design for the existing and new fire sprinkler systems The location of the sprinkler system risers and the point of connection for the fire sprinkler system if the building is equipped with fire sprinklers, including the method of design for the existing and new fire sprinkler systems;

5. through 6. No change.

7. Locations and relative sizes of major items of mechanical equipment such as chillers, air handling units, fire pumps, medical gas storage, boilers, vacuum pumps, air compressors, large storage batteries, and fuel storage vessels;

8. through 9. No change.

(f) No change.

(12)(11) Stage III, construction documents.  Stage III construction documents will be approved by the Agency upon successful demonstration that the construction will comply with all applicable codes and standards as evidenced by a thorough examination of documents submitted as required by this subsection.

(a) The Stage III, construction documents must be an extension of the Stage II, preliminary plan submission and must provide a complete description of the contemplated construction. Construction documents must be signed, sealed, dated and submitted for written approval to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction by a Florida-registered architect and Florida-registered professional engineer. These documents must consist of work related to civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering, fire protection, lightning protection, landscape architecture and all architectural work. In addition to the requirements for Stage II submission, the following must be incorporated into the construction documents:

1. through 4. No change.

5. Mechanical engineering plans to include fire and smoke control plans that include:

a. No change.

b. A clear and concise narrative control sequence of operations for each item of mechanical equipment, including but not limited to air conditioning, heating, ventilation, medical gas, plumbing, and fire protection and any interconnection of the equipment of the systems;

c. through e. No change.

6. through 8. No change.

9. A complete set of specifications for all work to be undertaken.

a. All project required contractor supplied testing and/or certification reports shall be submitted in writing reviewed and accepted by the engineer of record prior to presenting to the Agency for Health Care Administration for review must be legible, identify the testing and/or certifying entity, reviewed and accepted by the engineer of record prior to presenting to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction for review.

b. The specifications shall must require a performance verification test and balance air quantity values report with the specified air filters installed for each air handling unit system operating in the minimum pressure drop condition (clean filter state) and at the maximum pressure drop condition (dirty filter state) for a minimum of two operating conditions for each air handling unit system. One operating condition must be with the specified air filters installed in the minimum pressure drop or clean state. The second operating condition is to be at the maximum pressure drop and/or dirty state. The air quantities reported are acceptable if they are within 10 percent of the design value and the space relative pressures are maintained. This requirement must apply to any air-handling unit affected by the construction to be performed.

(b) No change

(c) Signed, sealed and dated subsequent addenda, change orders, field orders and other documents altering the above must be submitted for review to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction. All subsequent addenda, change orders, field orders and other documents altering the above must also be signed, sealed, dated and submitted in advance to the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction review.  The Agency will either approve or disapprove the submission based on compliance with all applicable codes and standards and shall provide a listing of deficiencies in writing.

(13)(12) The initial submission will be acted upon by the Agency’s Office of Plans and Construction within 60 days of the receipt of the initial payment of the plan review fee. The Agency will either approve or disapprove the submission and shall provide a listing of deficiencies in writing. Each subsequent resubmission of documents for review on the project will initiate another 60-day response period. If the Agency does not act within 60 days of receipt of a submission, the submission will be considered approved. However, All deficiencies noted by the Agency must still be satisfactorily corrected before final approval may be obtained for the project.

(14)(13) Additions that increase the scope of the project by greater than fifty percent or revisions that change greater than fifity percent of the original scope of a project will be required to be submitted as a new project. Additions or revisions that substantially change the original scope of the project or are submitted by different design professionals will be required to be submitted as a new project.  A substantial change is one which deviates from the approved documents or additions.

Rulemaking Authority 400.967 FS. Law Implemented 400.967(2), (5), FS. History–New________.