/ Field knowledge · IMC 115
A verbal lift is not a lift.
IMC 115: a verbal “you can keep going” is not a lift. Work past a Stop Work Order, except to remove the hazard, and the AHJ can fine and keep going.
Educational 2024 IMC 115. Confirm adopted edition and local enforcement. This is not legal advice and not a representation that Masterbuild can lift an order.
- 115.1: if work is unsafe or not per code/approved plans, the code official can issue a Stop Work Order.
- 115.2: written, given to the owner/agent/installer. Cited work stops immediately. The notice explains why and what must be done to resume.
- 115.3: in an emergency, the official can halt work without prior written notice.
- 115.4: working past an SWO — other than work to remove a hazard/violation — can trigger fines and further enforcement.
Most SWOs: (1) installing something different than the stamped set without a revision; (2) ignoring manufacturer/listing limits; (3) concealing before inspection. Restart: stabilize, diagnose with photos and MI pages, email a one-page abatement plan, resume only after written lift.
Verbal lift
Get the release in writing. Partial fixes fail reinspection. Inspectors look for the root cause, not just the cited item.
Source: DCT 115 · inspections: 111 · comments: comment response.
What to send
The written order, photos of the cited work, the approved detail, and whether anyone kept working.
If a Stop Work Order is on the job
Send the notice. Masterbuild will say whether 115 is a concealment issue, a listing miss, or a set that was never revised — and what belongs in the abatement plan.
Send Project Background+1 (786) 398-6940 · osmany.portal@masterbuildconsulting.com
Masterbuild provides engineering services under a written scope. Nothing on this page is project-specific engineering advice, a code interpretation for your project, or a representation about permit approval.