Building Inspections forum - University of South Carolina



Building Inspections Forum

USC’s Institute for Public Service and Policy Research has sponsored two Building Inspections Forums in which fifty-two city and county managers/administrators, council members, and city and county building inspections staff members attended. The discussion included a wide range of topics which are summarized below.

Technology

Web-based

One of the areas the participants discussed related to technology was internet-based services. The cities of North Charleston, Hardeeville, and Hilton Head are using software that allows the departments to use web-based services. Spartanburg and Richland counties are also using this type of software. The Town of Mount Pleasant will be using this type of software in the near future. BUILDERadius, Intergov, and InspecTrac were a few of the inspection software programs mentioned by participants. These programs allow for all permitting and inspections activities to be done on-line, including plans submissions and payments. The software enables inspectors to submit inspection results using cell phones, laptops or Blackberry devices. Contractors pay a subscription fee to access immediate inspection results for up to three jurisdictions. Other programs mentioned for permitting or permit results were Permits Plus and Velocity Hall.

One important factor mentioned during the technological discussion was linkage between the software and other systems such as financial and property tax information programs. The jurisdictions using these systems indicated that this is possible. Data can be tracked and linked to various departments by street address. This avoids the problems that arise when using parcels, which may change over time.

GIS overlay

A few jurisdictions use GIS capabilities in their permitting and inspections processes. In addition to the typical mapping data, these systems include information on floodplain, wind, and seismic conditions. Rock Hill has inspector territories mapped in its GIS system.

Funding

The question was raised as to how to pay for technology improvements. Several jurisdictions stated they had introduced user/impact fees such as permit processing fees, issue and filing fees, and infrastructure fees. An additional funding strategy being considered by North Charleston is Homeland Security grants given that building plans could be made available on-line to police and fire departments.

Chapter 17

• Steve Landrith, who is serving on a LLR task force, updated the group on the status of licensing specialty inspectors. The task force will present its recommendation to the Building Code Council in August on licensing all specialty inspectors. The only exceptions will be architects and engineers. Licensing will be for an individual or an entity.

• Charleston County maintains a database of specialty inspectors, once they are qualified. All jurisdictions in Charleston County have access to this database.

• A majority of the jurisdictions represented require designers to indicate which specialty inspections are needed prior to issuing permits. Certain jurisdictions require the complete building plan to be prepared on-site, so inspectors can refer to it for any unusual or complex building components.

Builder Compliance

Re-inspections

All of the participants agreed that re-inspections are an issue. Inspection failure rates among the departments represented have been as high as 40%. Some of the contributing factors for the high number of re-inspections are:

• Lack of vocational training for trades people

• Lack of building code awareness among engineers and architects

• Lack of understanding of building codes by contractors

• No continuing education requirement for contractors

• Lack of supervision by contractors of sub-contractors and their workers

• Language barriers

• High turnover among building superintendents

• Inconsistencies on building code interpretation

• Contractors that were grandfathered into licensing requirements

In order to address these issues, participating jurisdictions have employed the following strategies:

• Charging re-inspection fees – the fees charged by jurisdictions represented ranged from $5 to $50.

• Requiring stamped and sealed plans -especially those with wind and seismic requirements

• Discontinuing the inspection once a certain number of violations have been noted

• The cities of Myrtle Beach and North Charleston require the builder to meet with the building official after several re-inspections, either at the construction site or in the building official’s office.

• A few of the jurisdictions require a licensed contractor to remain on-site while any work in their licensing area is being done.

• Conducting continuing education sessions for contractors – Spartanburg County hosts an annual training session where all Spartanburg inspectors are required to attend. The logistics of the training are handled by the Homebuilder’s Association. The County provides instructors and materials. Approximately 100 contractors and inspectors attend these sessions. The City of Anderson holds similar training sessions in conjunction with Anderson County on a quarterly basis. Other jurisidictions conduct similar training sessions.

• Jasper County encourages employees to take Spanish courses at the Technical College of the Lowcountry

• Spartanburg Technical College is placing an emphasis on trades programs and is working with an advisory board to develop more programs.

Participants agreed that although these strategies are important, they have not had a significant impact on the re-inspection issue. Some contractors depend on re-inspections as a “punch list.”

Consistency

The matter of consistency between inspectors and jurisdictions was discussed. Factors impacting inconsistencies included:

• Building codes have a certain level of subjectivity and leave room for interpretation.

• Although inspectors are certified, there are varying levels of expertise among inspectors.

• Holding weekly staff meetings to discuss issues in the field and ways to increase consistency

• Workload of and mileage covered by inspectors

• Better communication needed from ICC regarding legacy reports

Issuance of C.O.

Forum participants discussed the challenges they face when issuing COs. The Town of Hilton Head notifies the owner 30 days prior to a permit expiration date. Clarendon County charges a $200 fine if a house is occupied without a CO.

Licensing of Contractors

Several topics were discussed regarding state licensing. Differences exist in licensing requirements of contractors and sub-contractors. Recent changes do not require sub-contractors to be licensed when working in the same trade of the general contractor. However, certain jurisdictions noted that they still require all contractors to be licensed. Both North Augusta and Hilton Head require contractors to pass licensing exams.

Staffing/Workloads

Staffing levels of the participating jurisdictions varied by number and function. Some of the jurisdictions indicated they rotate inspectors by trade and territory. Some departments assign inspections by trade, while others assign by geographical area. Participants stated that the national standards range from 8-12 inspections per inspector per day. However, most of the jurisdictions represented had a greater workload than this standard.

Other staffing/workload issues included:

• Strategies for illustrating to management/council that the projected revenue associated with growth and development will cover the costs for additional staff

• Giving out cell phone numbers of inspectors to contractors. This is sometimes helpful when a contractor needs to postpone an inspection.

• Difficulty getting inspectors certified - recent changes in the exams have decreased the passing rate. ICC provides sample tests on-line that can be accessed for up to a month.

• Challenges of providing training for inspectors - a number of the training opportunities currently available focus more on the certification tests, as opposed to the trades being inspected.

• Scheduling of training and the need for a central location were also mentioned as issues. The group discussed holding sessions on Saturdays to minimize having all of a department’s inspectors out of the office on a workday.

• Horry County and Leon County, FL were mentioned as allowing inspectors to download inspection data and schedules from home. This enables the inspectors to spend more time in the field. Management can track the inspectors’ work on the computer.

• Starting salaries for entry level inspectors in the jurisdictions represented with no certifications ranged from $27,000 to $36,000.

• Participants discussed the growing need for technological skills as part of an inspector’s job description.

• Some of the jurisdictions pay bonuses for passing certification exams.

Miscellaneous Issues

• Condemnation and demolition of structures was one of the issues discussed by forum participants. Listed below are strategies used by some of the jurisdictions:

• The City of Anderson is currently working to remove 50 condemned structures. The Building Inspections department has received dedicated monies for this purpose. The City has contracted with an independent contractor for asbestos inspections. Owners sign a consent form to pay for tipping fees. The City issues courtesy and uniform summons that can be delivered by other police departments if owner is outside the city. Owners receive 120 days for notification. The municipal court holds sessions specifically for building code cases once a month.

• The Town of Hilton Head conducts asbestos inspections with certified, town inspectors. Employees are certified through a one-week course at MUSC. The Town will pay for all demolition costs for those citizens living at 80% or below poverty level.

• Spartanburg County has an amnesty program where the county landfill will accept mobile homes that are delivered to the landfill and have a clear title. The County recoups a portion of the disposal costs by recycling the steel and aluminum. Since the program began five years ago, the County has demolished more than 300 mobile homes. The success of the program is attributable to the County owning and operating the landfill and the support of county council. Beaufort County had a similar program but discontinued it due to high cost.

• Richland County currently has 60 mobile homes in a mobile home park that are abandoned and in need of demolition. The County is working with a recycling vendor who will set up equipment on-site to disassemble the structures and salvage recyclable material.

• The City of Anderson has an incentive program for removing abandoned vehicles, which are defined as unlicensed and/or inoperable. The city-owned rollback or wrecker is used to move the vehicle to the city lot where the cars are stored until they are sold to junk lots. Citizens participating in the program are given $25 per vehicle. Since the program began in July 2003, approximately 900 cars have been moved and the City has netted $12,500 from the sale of the cars.

• Participants discussed the importance of having top management and council support in addressing blight issues. Funding is necessary in order to have a proactive effort. The group discussed strategies for involving council members. The City of Anderson has a community task force where a council member chairs the group and a council housing and codes committee. Discussions in both of these groups have highlighted the value of inspections for the community. This has worked well for the community and the Building Department.

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