Dallas Green Building IAQ Indoor Air Quality Clearance Testing Post-Construction for 804.2 Certificate of Occupancy

Dallas IAQ Green Building Clearance Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Testing for the 804.2 Ordinance and a Certificate of Occupancy 214.912.4691

Appointments for Testing Available 7 Days a Week *

214.912.4691

NEED A DALLAS GREEN BUILDING CLEARANCE INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ 804.2) QUOTE ?

Please provide the following information:

1) Physical address of the site including Suite # if applicable and nearest major intersection as often these are new builds that are not on Google Maps

2) Square footage and number of floors and AHU (Air Handler Units)

2) Nature of the facility (office building, restaurant, etc.) and the NAME (such as First Citizen’s Bank, Valero gas station, etc.) so it can be more easily located upon arrival

3) How soon you need the survey and how soon your site will be ready for a Green Building IAQ Survey (see next # 4)*

4) How far along the construction is as far as the punch list is concerned. This is IMPORTANT because if you only have half the electrical working, no HVAC, the place is swarming with subcontractors then performing the test correctly may be impossible

5) Who will be onsite as certain kinds of work (sanding, drilling, etc. ) can either interfere with the results or impede the ability to assess the indoor air quality. It would be unfortunate to have to be charged twice because some of the above was overlooked

6) Access logistics such as key combos, meeting with the onsite superintendent, where to park, enter the building etc.

7) Who your 3rd Party Green Provider is as the report needs to be emailed to them and you will be cc’d / copied on the results

8) Path to payment (check, credit card, etc.) and for TCO / CO jobs ScanTech typically gets paid at the time of service because a later date could be difficult because of travel, etc.

* Rush fees may apply depending on amount of notice and project load.

Please indicate what kinds of finishes have been applied such as oil stain, epoxy, low VOC latex, etc. and WHEN they were applied because that could push the VOC levels too high to pass.

Dallas Green Building Post-Construction IAQ Clearance Testing for 804.2 Certificate of Occupancy

* TIPS TO PASSING THE DALLAS GREEN BUILDING CLEARANCE POST CONSTRUCTION INDOOR AIR QUALITY TEST:

Use low-VOC paints and in cases where you have to use oil based paints and stains, try to do those earlier in the construction phase so that they have more time to outgas.

When it is warmer outside, run the HVAC system to help flush the air (particularly if you are able to dilute it with makeup air) and / or keep at least two doors that are diagonal from each other in the facility to create a cross draft through the building. Depending on what phase of construction you are in, how easy it is to access the building, the local neighborhood, etc. it is good to balance this with necessary physical security measures to protect your workers and the property.

When it is cooler outside, running the HVAC on heat can help as well. In general, outgassing happens faster the WARMER and DRIER the air.

In rooms that have heavier use of epoxy paints, stains on wood, oil base on trim or other strong odorous solvents, keep the doors open when possible to assist in flushing out the room.

Time the survey so that you have the best chance of passing. If it has been a few weeks or more since the finish out, the chances are very good.

Try to schedule the survey when no subcontractors are on site as they may be performing activities (touch up paint, mixing solvents) that can artificially raise your TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compound Levels)

Dallas IAQ Green Building Clearance Indoor Air Quality Testing for the 804.2 Ordinance and a Certificate of Occupancy

We work with the following list of Dallas Green Third Party Building Providers: (latest update June 2021)

Dallas Green Building Clearance IAQ Third Party Green Providers List June 2021

Dallas Green Building Clearance IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) Table of VOCs, Ozone, Dust, CO

Back in September of 2011, Dallas established a Green Post Construction Indoor Air Quality test for new and renovated buildings which pertain to the VOC levels and general indoor air quality in accordance with Ordinance 804.2 for Post Construction & Pre-Occupancy Baseline IAQ Testing. This has been slightly updated in the IGCC 2012 Chapter 8: Indoor Environmental Quality & Comfort Section 804: Specific Air Quality & Pollutant Measures Paragraph 804.2.

Originally it was much more complicated to perform as shown in the above chart, but later the ordinance was amended to having TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compound) levels at less than 500 micrograms per cubic meter. ( < 500 ug / m^3)

The U.S. Green Building Council LEED Program

This came out of the “Green Movement” in 1998 when the U.S. Green Building Council developed technical criteria for certifying Green Building Construction under the heading of LEED also known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. It was developed in conjunction with ANSI / ASHRAE 189.1 “Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings – Except Low Rise Residential Buildings.” (ASHRAE Standard) The purpose was to develop more energy and resource efficient buildings while maintaining healthy biological standards for the occupants. There are three different LEED point qualifiers for 1) Homes & Multifamily Low Rise 2) Multifamily Midrise 3) High Performance High Rise Buildings. In 2010 the GSA (Government Services Administration) mandated higher green building standards for their structures.

Requirements for the Indoor Environmental Quality Management include strict fresh air intake measures while optional items include the use of low VOC-containing building materials, developing an indoor air quality management plan to include SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association) IAQ guidelines for occupied buildings under construction, the implementation of HVAC filters that are rated at least MERV 8 or better and compliance with LEED’s Maximum Concentration of Air Pollutants (shown in the table below) after indoor air quality monitoring / testing performed after construction is finished.

City of Dallas Green Building Program IGCC 2012 IAQ Testing

Conduct post-construction and pre-occupancy sampling and testing as indicated per IGCC 2012 Chapter 8: Indoor Environmental Quality and Comfort, Section 804: Specific Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Measures, Paragraph 804.2: Post-construction and Pre-occupancy baseline IAQ Testing.

Scope Requirements: To determine the base level air quality in the building at the time of initial occupancy, a series of tests shall be conducted on the specified chemical and other listed airborne contaminants.

Indoor Air Quality Testing: Based on the testing for the “Maximum Indoor Air Concentration Standards” listed in the ordinance documents, the following will be tested:

Total Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Method: PID Electronic Sensor Allowable Levels: < 500 ug / meter cubed

Test Locations: The number of sampling locations depends on the size of the building and the number of ventilation systems. For each portion of the building served by a separate ventilation system, the number of sampling points (or test sets) must not be less than 1 per 25,000 square feet or for each air handler / AHU floor area, or a minimum of 2, whichever is larger. One base level test outside is included as a reference air quality sample.

Procedure: The air quality samples will be collected by qualified technicians according to NIOSH standard procedures for analysis and report. Air samples must be collected between 3 – 6 feet above the floor to represent the breathing zone of the occupants. Sample locations are required to be chosen by the testing technician at random. All interior finishes must be installed including but not limited to millwork, doors, paint, carpet and acoustic tiles.

https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/DCH%20documents/2015_icc/2015_IGCC_Amendments_FINAL.pdf

International Green Construction Code 804.2 with Specific Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Control Measures (note that in Table 804.2 only TVOC is used for the City of Dallas compliance with regard to the Dallas Green Building Ordinance Clearance)

Dallas Green Ordinance Clearance IAQ Guidelines 804.2 NEW IGCC 2012 PDF Format

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IgCC2015/chapter-8-indoor-environmental-quality-and-comfort

https://indoorairqualitytestingdallas.com/

https://indoorairqualitytestingdallas.com/tag/dallas-green-building-clearance/

Dallas Green Building Post-Construction IAQ Clearance Testing for 804.2 Certificate of Occupancy

LEED Indoor Air Quality Standards (Version 4 Autumn 2013)

Contaminant

Particulate Matter (size in microns)	Maximum Concentration LEED v4
PM10	50 ug / m^3
PM2.5	15 ug / m^3
Carbon Monoxide	9 ppm or no greater than 2 ppm above outdoor levels
Formaldehyde	27 ppb
4-PCH	6.5 ug / m^3 (only applies to carpets with SBR latex backing material)
Ozone	75 ppb
Total VOC	500 ug / m^3
Speciated VOCs except Formaldehyde	California DPH Table 4-1