FAQ 5

Q: What is your typical response time on questions and general correspondence?

A: We aim to respond to questions and general correspondence within three business days, and often sooner. If something is time-sensitive, tell us and we'll prioritize it.

FAQ 6

Q: What designations do you possess?  Are they current and up-to-date?

A: I am ICC Certified as a Plans Examiner and a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) which is a certification by the State of California through the Division of the State Architect (DSA).

Both certifications are current and can be verified through the International Code Council (ICC) and through the DSA.

FAQ 7

Q: What type of CASp Inspections do you perform and what type of report do you issue? 

A: There are basically two types of reports, one is a “CASp Report” and one is “Report by a CASP”.

A "CASp Report" is a proactive inspection by a CASp, performed in accordance with the Construction-Related Accessibility Standards Compliance Act (CRASCA), California Civil Code sections 55.51 through 55.545. A property inspected by a CASp and determined to meet applicable standards — or inspected with a determination pending — gives the owner "qualified defendant" status if a construction-related accessibility lawsuit is later filed. That status carries two main benefits. First, under Civil Code section 55.54, a court-ordered stay of the lawsuit and a mandatory early evaluation conference, which pauses the litigation and brings both sides in front of the court early, often settling the matter without a prolonged case. Second, under Civil Code section 55.56, a reduction in minimum statutory damages: California's Unruh Civil Rights Act sets those at $4,000 per offense, and a qualified defendant who corrects the violations within 60 days of being served can have the minimum reduced to $1,000 per offense.

A word of realism about that deadline. Most corrections require a building permit — which means drawings, a contractor, plan check, and scheduling — and that process routinely runs past 60, or even 120, days. The statute accounts for this: under section 55.56, if the repair requires a permit and cannot reasonably be completed in time, you can still preserve the protection by having an active building permit and completing all repairs within 180 days of the inspection date. The clock is real, and it starts before you are sued. An owner who already has a current CASp report and has been working through corrections is in a far stronger position than one who starts the day the complaint arrives — which is the whole argument for getting inspected now rather than later.

There is a trade-off to weigh. A CASp Report must be listed with the Division of the State Architect, so the existence and date of the inspection become discoverable. The report's detailed findings stay between you and your CASp and are not made public. And if your property is already the subject of a lawsuit, the CRASCA benefits do not apply — the inspection has to come first.

A “Report by a CASp” is also a proactive approach and can take a variety of forms but basically it is a report professionally done by a Certified Access Specialist that lists everything about a property that is not compliant with the ADA or the state laws of the California Building Code, (CBC).

This report can be used by the client to implement a plan to make necessary corrections to the site that remove access barriers.

A property owner is more likely to prevail in a lawsuit if they can produce this report and show that over time they have made corrections to the site.  Rather than be involved in a lawsuit and cannot show that they have made any effort to provide access to the commercial property. 

STCI, Inc. performs both interior and exterior CASp Inspections on any building requiring ADA accommodation.  Upon completion, the report we issue details, in plain language and with photos, where you are compliant and where you are not compliant according to the then current ADA Code.  In areas where you are not compliant, we provide a written scope of what you’ll need to do to be compliant. 

FAQ 8

Q: What do you charge for a CASp Inspection?  Do you require a deposit?

A: The fee for services can vary greatly.  It depends on the size of the property and whether the inspection is for interior or exterior or both. 

It also depends upon how out of compliance the property is.  The more out of compliance the property is, the longer it takes to inspect and produce the report.

We do require a 50% deposit to start the project and 50% due at the time the report is delivered.

FAQ 9

Q: Do you provide civil plans to accompany the recommendations in your CASp Report?  Do I need civil plans in order to perform the work outlined in your CASp Report?

A: Most of the time a “Civil Plan” is not necessary. However if it is we work closely with many reputable engineers and can provide recommendations or sub out that type of work.

We do however,  provide permit drawings that you can submit to your local jurisdiction which contain all necessary information in order to permit the work.

FAQ 10

Q: What is the typical turn around on a CASp Report after you perform the on-site inspection?

A: Typically we can produce a report within 5 working days depending upon how complicated the project is and if there is a need to expedite the report we can accommodate faster turnaround times which usually includes additional fees.

FAQ 11

Q: If I have questions about my CASp Report, do you charge to answer the questions and talk me through your recommendations?

A: This depends upon size and duration of the project.  For most small projects there is no charge for questions and discussion of recommendations.  If the project is an ongoing and rather complicated project we can set up a retainer fee.

FAQ 12

Q: How often do I need a CASp Report? Are they valid for a set period of time?

A: You should only need one report. However, a CASp report is kind of a living document because laws change, and properties get altered and are subject to wear and tear.  Therefore, it is a good idea to periodically reach out to your CASp inspector and update your report while working toward fixing all the non-compliant issues established in the report.

FAQ 13

Q: If I don’t have a contractor, who do I call to get the work you recommend in the CASp Report done?  Do you have contractors you work with you know and trust?

A: We do work with several good contractors and are happy to help you find the right contractor for your project. 

FAQ 14

Q: What if I can’t afford to get all the work you recommend in the CASp Report done?  How does that work?

A: It is not uncommon for a property owner or a tenant to lack all the funds needed to provide upgrades to their property.  What is important is that if you are targeted in a lawsuit that you are able to show proof that you have been pro-active regarding this issue by first of all getting a CASp inspection and report thereby being able to prove that you budgeted and have been working towards removing access barriers as funds have become available.  What you don’t want to do is show up in court only to say that you have done nothing.

FAQ 15

Q: Do you come out and inspect the work once it’s done?  Is that included in your CASp Inspection fee or is that additional?

A: We do and highly recommend that you have us re-inspect after the work is done so that we can update your original CASp report and sign off that that work is now compliant.  We also recommend that we provide inspection during certain phases of the construction.  A good example is having us out to inspect the forms for a ramp prior to pouring the concrete.  It is really unfortunate to have to tear out a ramp because it is not compliant when it could have been fixed prior to the pour.

FAQ 16

Q: In the event of litigation, are you willing to act as an Expert Witness on my or my company’s behalf?  If so, what are your fees for trial work?

A: Absolutely and if necessary, we work closely with several ADA attorneys.

FAQ 17

Q: What Code areas do you consult in?

A: STCI (Stephen Twist Consulting, Inc.) is considered an expert in Accessibility for both ADA and California, along with California Building Code, Plumbing Code, Mechanical Code, Electrical Code, Green Code, Residential Code and Energy Code. 

FAQ 18

Q: Can you work directly with my architect, engineer or designer on my project?

A: Absolutely.  We work closely with these types of professionals on a daily basis.

FAQ 19

Q: Do you do any design work or do you just inspect other people’s work?

A: We have our own design department and also great working relationships with many design professionals and can provide full service design and drawings.

FAQ 20

Q: Do you have an area of specialty with regard to code consulting?

A: Even though I work in all California codes, I focus a lot of time on accessibility with regard to ADA and CBC as well as Fire, Life Safety for commercial and residential projects.

FAQ 21

Q: Do you do private and public sector code consulting?

A: Yes, we do contract work as plans examiner and CASp for local government jurisdictions.  One of the services we offer is to be an on-call consultant to other design professionals such as architects, engineers, contractors and government jurisdictions.  Typically, we will do this on a contract or on a retainer basis.