The term “deemed to satisfy” is often used by builder’s site supervisors to excuse poor workmanship or other faults within a building; this is a total misuse of the term and is purely used to blur the issue.
Deemed to satisfy provisions are in place so a new or different method or design feature can be used in lieu of the building code provisions whereby the end result is at least as good as the intent of the code. The use of this provision is designed to provide advancement of ideas and methods to make the building industry more efficient or improve the quality of workmanship and/or the end product.
To use the deemed to satisfy provision the method or deviation from the code the plan must be resubmitted to the local authority for approval as a variation to the approved plans.
“Deemed to Satisfy” is not an excuse for anything that is below reasonable expectations, normal code requirements or manufacturer’s specification.
