6A - State Building Code Discussion

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PROVIDING BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES �. Building inspection services can be provided in a number of ways. One method includes the direct hiring of a certified building official or a building official-limited as an employee. Under this option, the city has direct access to the employee and the responsibility to set up a functional building department right in city hall. Another option is to hire a certified building official or limited building official by contract. This method allows the municipality the flexibility to re-evaluate the services provided on a yearly basis. Yet another option includes the direct contracting of building department services with a private consulting firm that specializes in providing the services of a certified building official and building department staff. This provides all the same benefits of contracting with an individual contract inspector, but is usually used when a more detailed service is desired and when the volume of work may exceed the capability of one individual. An entirely different alternative may be to consider sharing the services of a building official with another governmental entity. This can be accomplished by contracting services through a joint powers agreement. This option can usually be considered when an adjacent municipality has already adopted the code and has adequate staffing levels to deal with the additional workload. There are a number of issues that need to be considered when trying to determine which form of building department service(hiring direct or contracting out) is right for your community. Service expectations, volume of construction, costs, etc., all add to the number of variables that must be considered when making this decision. BUILDING DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION It's not until the start-up of a new building department that the work of an experienced building official can be appreciated. There are many things that need to take place to make the transition into code enforcement a smooth process. Initially, start-up processes include the purchasing of all necessary code books and handbooks, creating permit application and permit forms, developing and adopting local fee schedules,the development of daily and monthly permit and inspection record documents, creating address or project files, creating construction handouts and developing department policy and procedure manuals. This represents just a few of the tasks that must be initiated in a new code jurisdiction. A building official will be directly responsible for the review of plans, issuing permits and making necessary field inspections. In doing so,the building official may also be responsible for coordination of other city activities such as local housing or property maintenance codes and/or local zoning ordinances. Responsibilities will also include regular permit accounting,monthly reporting and coordination of activities with the local fire marshal and/or public works staff. WHAT IS A BUILDING CODE? Practically,..... It's a jurisdiction's official statement on the minimum required level of building safety expected for the community. Technically,... It's a collection of minimum safety standards arranged in a systematic manner for easy reference addressing all aspects of building construction—Fire,Building,Plumbing, Mechanical,Electrical,Energy,Accessibility, etc. 10