Run a code-
compliance check.
Scope that wrecks bids lives in the code, not the plan. Here is how to run the compliance check and read the PASS/FAIL table it produces.
Beyond quantities
A takeoff tells you how much. A compliance check tells you whether what is drawn actually satisfies the code. Pilars runs an NEC/IBC code-compliance check across the set and returns a table that compares the fire rating each partition is required to have against the rating its drawn assembly delivers — then marks each row PASS or FAIL.
Run the check
From the home screen, click Check code compliance, or type a request such as check fire ratings on all rated partitions. Pilars uses the same understanding of the set it built during the scan — the wall types, the legend, the schedules — to evaluate each partition against code.
Reading the PASS/FAIL table
Each row is a partition type, with four things you care about:
- Partition type — the assembly, tied to your legend.
- Fire rating required — what the code (and the occupancy/use) demands for that wall's role.
- Assembly rating — what the drawn assembly actually achieves.
- PASS / FAIL — whether the assembly meets or exceeds the requirement.
A PASS means the drawn wall satisfies the code requirement for its role. A FAIL means the required rating exceeds what the assembly delivers — a gap you want to catch in preconstruction, not in the field.
The value of having this as a table, rather than a buried note, is that it makes the whole rated scope reviewable at a glance. Instead of flipping between the partition schedule, the code-analysis sheet, and the life-safety plan to confirm a single corridor, you read down one column. That is also what makes it defensible: when you hand a number to a GC or a design team, you can point to the exact partition type, the rating it needed, the rating it has, and the verdict — all in one place, all traceable back to the set Pilars scanned.
Step by step
- Click Check code compliance after the set has scanned.
- Let Pilars evaluate every rated partition against NEC/IBC requirements using the wall types and schedules from your set.
- Scan the FAIL rows first. They are where the drawn assembly falls short of the required rating — the rows that change scope or cost.
- Confirm the required ratings make sense for each wall's role: corridors, shafts, exit enclosures and demising walls carry the heaviest requirements.
- Use the result in your bid or RFI. A documented FAIL is exactly the kind of thing to flag to the design team before you commit a number.
Pro tips
- Run the compliance check after the takeoff so the wall types are already classified and the table is complete.
- Treat FAIL rows as RFI candidates — catching a rating gap early is cheaper than rework.
- Confirm corridor and shaft walls every time; their required ratings are the ones that most affect assembly cost.
- Keep the compliance table with the BOQ export so your bid carries both the quantity and the code basis.
Frequently asked
What does the compliance check compare?
For each partition type it compares the fire rating the code requires against the rating the drawn assembly delivers, then marks the row PASS or FAIL.
What should I do with a FAIL row?
Treat it as a gap to resolve in preconstruction — typically an RFI to the design team — because the required rating exceeds what the assembly achieves.
Which codes does it check against?
It runs an NEC/IBC code-compliance check, evaluating rated partitions against the applicable requirements for their role in the building.