Green Tags

[aaronm]

Codeman:

Is there an official definition of green, red, yellow tags in the ICC literature, or are these simply accepted general practice? Further, does the issuance of a green tag necessarily mean that a phase of the inspection has been properly accomplished?

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Aaron,

Many places do not issue green tags, they simply sign the permit, which, without additional notation to the contrary, means that phase is good to go. With green being customarily associated with 'good to go', those places which do issue a sticker or other paperwork (other than simply signing the permit where indicated) the color chosen is usually green.

Likewise, red is customarily associated with stop, so red colored tags means you failed inspection and to stop further work on that phase on that project. Most places (AHJ) do issue rejection notices and those rejection notices are usually red, thus the phrase 'the work was red tagged', which actually means to stop working on it, but that is usually ignored until a STOP WORK order is issued, however, a STOP WORK order typically applies to the entire job, not just the trade which was red tagged.

If a trade continually ignores red tags and keeps on working, the other trades get rather perturbed at that trade when a STOP WORK order has been issued. I would not want to be the trade which caused a large job to receive a STOP WORK order as that cost everyone lots of time and time is money.

As far as other colors, I personally have not seen other colors used. I have worked at places where green tags were issued and at places where you simply signed off on the permit. The green tag basically states that the work inspected as passed the code inspection and additional work is authorized to proceed, including covering the inspector work up.

All the places I've worked, the red tags actually stated STOP WORK, and various wording to the effect that no further work on that trade is to be performed unless and until the non-compliant work has been corrected, and that no other trade is to cover over or conceal such work - for another trade to do so would put them on the wrong side of the inspector on the re-inspection. MOST (one would think "all' but some don't seem to get it) workers know that you do not keep working once a red tag has been issued and that you do not cover up that work until it has been re-inspected and signed off.

A green tag may be issued for part of the work, with specifics stated on the green tag as to which part of the work, then, when all of the work is completed, the permit is signed off for that work. An example of this might be for a large high-rise, say plumbing rough-in, where parts of floors are rough-in and parts are not, when all is said and done, the green tags should show that all work was okay, therefore all work on all 26 floors (as an example) would be signed off. In fact, before the last rough in work may have been completed, trim-outs and finals may be in process on previous units on other floors.

[aaronm]

Codeman:

So then, I assume you are telling me that there is nothing in the ICC literature regarding tags of any color.

More specifically, does a "green tag" received on an engineered residential foundation constitute the municipality's approval of an engineer's design and implementation?

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Aaron,

So then, I assume you are telling me that there is nothing in the ICC literature regarding tags of any color.

No, there may be something(s) about red tags and green tags in the ICC literature and probably has been discussion about their use in various circles, what I am saying is there is nothing about them in the ICC codes.

More specifically, does a "green tag" received on an engineered residential foundation constitute the municipality's approval of an engineer's design and implementation?

Again, no, that is not what I am saying.

You would need to read what the green tag says in order to determine what it means. SOME AHJ use green tags as their way of indicating something has passed inspection, *in addition to* signing the permit off, or may use green tags as their way if indicating staged work as passed to that staged, *but the permit is not yet* signed off as the work is *not yet complete*, only one or more stages of it.

I am saying that it depends on the AHJ's use of green tags, if they even use green tags. I have worked in an area (AHJ) where we issued a green tag for every inspection passed, *and signed the permit off* at that same time. The green tag was left on the work inspected, in the permit box, depended on the project, *but what counted* was the permit was signed off, the green tag was for the convenience of the contractor. They could walk up or drive up and see the green tag, instead of having to go to the permit. In those cases, I could not understand the reason for the green tag - the contractor could walk to the permit as easily as we (the inspectors) could.

In that same AHJ, another use of the green tag, one which I understood the value of, was for high-rise buildings. We would inspect, for example, the electrical in units A, B, and C on the 3rd floor, and issued a green tag specifying same. *The permit*, however, did not get signed off until all units had been inspected, and, if the permit did not get signed off, the developer had all the green tags for the approval of each stage or phase of the inspections, *should have* them, and, if they did, we (the AHJ) could review the green tags and sign the permit off based on the green tags.

Do not, however, try to extrapolate that to mean that a green tag means anything other than what is written on the green tag. If you want to know if it has been signed off, that would be done by looking at the permit - IF signed off, then it passed inspection; IF not signed off, then it either did not pass inspection or the inspector forgot to sign it, could not find the permit, will sign it later. In one AHJ I worked we also indicated on the permit when it failed inspection, then signed it off after corrective work was done.

If you see a red tag, that indicates SOMETHING was "not good enough". You need to read the red tag to see what it says was "not good enough".

If you see a green tag, that indicates SOMETHING was "good enough". You need to read the green tag to see what it says was "good enough".

The answer to your question is: It all depends on the AHJ and their practices.