SCDLL&R

The governing board for registration of professional engineers in SC, South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SCDLL&R), doesn't have a problem with Pulte's engineer's role in substituting inferior toe nails for superior hurricane clips in valley truss connections in Sun City houses, despite the fact that experts say that toe nail connections shouldn't be used in a hurricane-prone area and that hurricane clips have been the industry standard since the mid 1960s. Pulte's engineer concurred with Pulte's substituting inferior toe nails for superior hurricane clips. As a result, over 2,000 homes built in 2004, 2005, 2006, and early 2007 lack hurricane clips at valley truss connections.

They also don't have a problem with Pulte's engineer making public statements that the houses in Sun City are "robustly constructed" even though Pulte's engineer had not inspected the houses in question. In many Sun City houses more than half of the valley truss connections didn't meet Pulte's spec of two 3.5 inch long, 16d nails, properly driven and properly spaced, in unsplit wood. All these houses lack hurricane clips at valley truss connections. Clearly, they are not "robustly constructed".

In my thirty years as a professional engineer I understood that protecting the public is a PE's #1 responsibility. The SC PE board doesn't see it that way.