The DSA 5 inspector qualification forms are the four documents California’s Division of the State Architect uses to vet and approve every inspector on a public school, community college, or essential services construction project before work can start. The Design Professional in General Responsible Charge named on the DSA 1 application submits them, and DSA must sign off on each inspector before a Project Inspection Card issues.1Department of General Services. DSA Procedure PR 13-01 Construction Oversight Process
Which Form You Need
The four forms map to four distinct inspector roles. Pick the one (or the combination) that matches how your project is staffed.
- DSA 5-PI — Project Inspector: Every DSA project needs at least one. This is the on-site inspector responsible for continuous inspection of the work.2Department of General Services. Project Inspector Certification
- DSA 5-AI — Assistant Inspector: Used when the project inspector needs help covering a large or complex job. The assistant works under the project inspector’s supervision and must hold a valid Class 1, 2, 3, or 4 certification with at least three years of experience in the construction types being inspected.3ICC. 2022 California Administrative Code Title 24 Part 1 – Section 4-333
- DSA 5-IPI — In-Plant Project Inspector: Used instead of a 5-PI when permanent modular or relocatable buildings are being fabricated at a factory. The in-plant inspector must be either a DSA-certified Relocatable Building Inspection Program (RBIP) inspector or a Class 1, 2, or 3 project inspector whose class matches the building type. The design professional identified on the DSA 1-MR application submits it.
- DSA 5-SI — Special Inspector: Required only when a special inspector (for structural steel welding, masonry, concrete placement, and similar technical tasks) contracts individually and directly with the school district or design professional. Special inspectors employed by the project’s Laboratory of Record do not file this form.4Department of General Services. Masonry Special Inspector Certification
A small renovation might take only one 5-PI. A new campus with steel structures, factory-built classrooms, and independently contracted welding inspectors could need a 5-PI, one or more 5-AIs, a 5-IPI, and several 5-SIs.
One boundary worth stating up front: the DSA 5 series is not the DSA 1. The DSA 1 is the plan review application that opens DSA’s review of your building design. The DSA 5 forms come after plans are approved, to qualify the people who will inspect the work. Submitting a 5-PI when you actually need to file a DSA 1 will not move your project forward.
Who Fills Out Each Section of the DSA 5-PI
The DSA 5-PI is the form most readers are looking at, and it is a collaborative document. No one person completes it alone. It has eight sections split among the Design Professional, the proposed inspector, the district or owner, and (when structural work has been delegated) the structural engineer.5Department of General Services. DSA 5-PI Project Inspector Qualification and Approval
Section 1 — Project Information
The Design Professional in General Responsible Charge fills in the district or owner name, DSA file number, DSA application number, project class, and estimated construction start date. These entries must match the project’s DSA 1 application exactly. Mismatches between the two forms are a common reason processing stalls.
Section 2 — Inspector’s Information
The proposed project inspector enters personal details, certification class, and contact information.
Section 3 — Experience Record
The inspector lists prior projects that demonstrate qualification for the specific work ahead, with construction costs, employer names, and contacts DSA can call to verify. Choose projects whose structural materials and building types resemble the proposed work. Vague entries are a frequent cause of rejection.
Section 4 — Time Commitment and Workload
The inspector documents current assignments and the hours available for this project. DSA caps cumulative hours across all simultaneous projects at roughly 60 per week without additional justification.6Department of General Services. IR A-8 Project Inspector and Assistant Inspector Duties This section exists because California Administrative Code Section 4-342 requires continuous inspection — personal, continuous knowledge of every stage of construction, with constant physical presence during concrete and masonry placement. An inspector whose other commitments make that implausible will not be approved.7ICC. 2022 California Administrative Code Title 24 Part 1 – Section 4-342
Sections 5 through 8 — Affidavits
The project inspector, the school district or owner, the Design Professional in General Responsible Charge, and (when structural work has been delegated) the structural engineer each sign their own affidavit. Each party attests the information is accurate and accepts their Title 24 responsibilities. A missing structural engineer signature in Section 8, when applicable, will come back to you.
The form also asks whether this is an original request or a replacement inspector submission. A replacement inspector cannot continue work until DSA approves the new 5-PI.
Certification Class the Inspector Must Already Hold
The DSA 5-PI qualifies someone for a specific project. It does not certify them in the first place. The proposed inspector must already hold a valid DSA project inspector certification at the right class for the work:2Department of General Services. Project Inspector Certification
- Class 1: No limitations on building size or structural material. Required for steel, masonry, or concrete projects of any scale.
- Class 2: Wood construction buildings of any size, and also authorized for Class 3 and Class 4 work.
- Class 3: Alterations and small new light-frame wood buildings (usually under 2,000 square feet), and also authorized for Class 4 work.
A legacy Class 4 certification covering relocatable building siting is no longer issued, and no exams are offered for it. Match the inspector’s class to the project. A 5-PI naming a Class 3 inspector for a concrete school building will be rejected on its face.
Timing and Where to Submit
Submit the completed, signed forms electronically to the DSA regional office with construction oversight for your project:8Division of the State Architect. DSA 5-AI Assistant Inspector Qualification and Approval
- DSA Oakland: Oakfielddocs@dgs.ca.gov
- DSA Sacramento: Sacfielddocs@dgs.ca.gov
- DSA Los Angeles: LAfielddocs@dgs.ca.gov
- DSA San Diego: SDfielddocs@dgs.ca.gov
The current forms are available on the Division of the State Architect’s forms page at dgs.ca.gov/dsa/forms.9Department of General Services. Division of the State Architect Forms
Timing matters. The DSA 5-PI and DSA 5-IPI must be submitted and approved before you can request issuance of the Project Inspection Card (Form DSA 152), and no construction can begin until the inspector holds that card.1Department of General Services. DSA Procedure PR 13-01 Construction Oversight Process The DSA 5-AI has its own clock: it must be submitted at least 10 days before the assistant inspector begins work, so DSA has time to review.8Division of the State Architect. DSA 5-AI Assistant Inspector Qualification and Approval The DSA 5-SI is not considered approved until a DSA field engineer has signed it.
What Causes Rejection
DSA checks three things on every DSA 5 submission: that the inspector holds a valid certification at the appropriate class for the building type and structural materials; that the inspector has adequate experience, meaning at least three years of inspection or construction work on similar projects; and that the inspector has enough available time to meet continuous inspection requirements.3ICC. 2022 California Administrative Code Title 24 Part 1 – Section 4-333
Common ways a submission fails:
- Certification class is too low for the project’s structural materials.
- Section 3 experience entries are generic, with no construction costs, employer names, or verifiable contacts.
- Workload disclosed in Section 4 makes continuous inspection implausible.
- An affidavit signature is missing (the structural engineer in Section 8 is a frequent omission when structural work has been delegated).
- Project information in Section 1 does not match the DSA 1 application.
Incomplete submissions can be returned without substantive review, which costs you more time than fixing the issue up front.
What Approval Commits the Inspector To
Signing and getting approved on a DSA 5 form is the start of continuing obligations, not a one-time formality. The project inspector’s code-prescribed duties include maintaining a job file with the DSA-approved plans and inspection records, providing continuous inspection, issuing deviation notices on Form DSA 154 when construction does not match approved plans, filing semi-monthly reports on Form DSA 155 on the 1st and 16th of every month, and submitting verified reports at key milestones.6Department of General Services. IR A-8 Project Inspector and Assistant Inspector Duties
The inspector also sends notifications on Form DSA 151 at least 48 hours before foundation trench completion and before the first significant concrete placement, and notifies DSA when work is suspended for more than one month.1Department of General Services. DSA Procedure PR 13-01 Construction Oversight Process If an approved inspector fails these duties, DSA can revoke the approval and halt construction until a replacement is approved through a new DSA 5-PI.