Special Orders set forth Bureau policies, practices, and procedures which have an indefinite life value and become a continuing reference or instruction for future actions.

Examples of Special Orders are: reporting of expenditures to influence legislative or administrative action, policy concerning services rendered to other City departments, emergency erosion control procedures, Bureau policy regarding absence from duty without loss of pay to attend conventions or seminars held outside the City, guidelines for computing sewerage facilities charges, public information and copying of City records, etc.

Any Special Order which affects or amends an existing manual section or an active Special Order, will contain a reference directly below the subject of the Special Order, referencing the manual section so affected or Special Order superseded.

Although Special Orders have an indefinite life value, they are intended to be superseded as soon as practical by their being incorporated into the Bureau of Engineering Manual. The division/district office which initiated the Special Order will be responsible for submitting to the Engineer of Design, a suitable draft, Manual Revision Transmittal, Engineering Form 5.911, and Manual Change for incorporating the substance of the Special Order in the Bureau of Engineering Manual. It will be the Bureau's objective to issue a manual revision within 90 days of issuance of the Special Order. The Engineer of Design, who is responsible for coordination of manual preparation and maintenance, will monitor compliance of the 90-day limit.

In lieu of preparing a Special Order, to be followed later by a manual revision, whenever practical division/district offices shall prepare and submit a suitable draft Manual Revision Transmittal and Manual Change, to the Engineer of Design. When this procedure is followed, the Manual Revision Transmittal is signed by the City Engineer and constitutes approval of the manual changes and provides background or explanatory information regarding the changed policy, procedures, etc.