different doesnt mean wrong. If you call it out and an engineer comes out and says the shear strength of the bolts meets or exceeds minimum deck lbs/ Sq ft ratings, you have cost someone(s) undue expenses and headaches. I am not an engineer and dont pretend to be one but these are tough calls to make.
That’s an interesting take on it. I’m not an engineer and that’s not an approved connection by any standard so I call it out every time. I suppose it’s possible an engineer would approve it. It would be cheaper to have it fixed though.
true. I would probably state it as unconventional and let them decide. your are coorect is almost always cheaper to fix then talk about the fix. 
i should also mention I wouldnt build it that way. I was tought the half lap
Just a quick note to all of the above, if the municipality did not adopt the IRC deck guide as a referenced standard, then 6 x 6’s are not required for every deck. Just remember that.
The IRC deck guide is a 3rd party publication and is a GREAT tool, jut be careful citing something as a code that is actually just a standard that may or may not be adopted.
The shear strength of the bolts isn’t the issue (the wood will split before the bolts shear). The bolt holes are too close to the ends of the girders (should be at least 5" from the ends) for the girders to also not rest on the posts themselves. That last sentence is your narrative.
Because it doesn’t violate a code, doesn’t mean it is right (if that were true, everything in every jurisdiction without codes would be right)… and this is wrong.
And engineers are notorious for looking at what load the bolts can carry… then looking at what load the girders can carry… but failing at looking at what happens when you put those two together (as in your example, where the load the two can carry together is less than the parts individually).
I don’t care if the municipality adopted them or not. My job is to advise the client that the latest standards call for something different than what is present and that the AHJ may accept them or may choose to delay or ignore those standards. Advise the client, let them decide. But to not inform the client is what will eventually bite you in the britches.
Are you saying that if a municipality did not adopt the standards that switched from nailing the ledger board to lag bolts you would not call it out? k
Just saying the deck guide is a guide. I only referred to the 6 x 6 requirement. The lags ARE in the IRC, 6 x 6, not so much. Reading comprehension my dear Watson, it’s elementary!