We would like our readers to understand how these departments really work in their best interest.
Sandy: Hi Tom, once more into the breach! I know we seem to be focusing on building officials the last few articles, but we should do at least one more shout out for our readers addressing common misconceptions about our local building departments.
Tom: You bet, Sandy. I am really up for that! The men and women in our building departments take a lot of undeserved guff from too many folks out there. Let’s put a face, at least verbally, on a few.
Sandy: We would like our readers to understand how these departments really work in their best interest.
We have invited the chief building officials from three of our local jurisdictions to help us educate our readers about how the building departments really work. Welcome Dan Trout, CBO for Chino Valley, Ryan Greene, CBO for the City of Prescott, and Warren Colvin, the new CBO for Yavapai County.
Tom: This is quite the lineup. OK, CBOs, tell our readers about how you and your respective teams see your roles and a little about how you engage the public.
Dan: First off, thanks for inviting me. We like to remind your readers that first and foremost, we as CBOs are here to help people keep their buildings safe.
Ryan: Absolutely agree. I like folks to think of us as a second set of eyes on their projects.
Warren: People need to realize that our building codes are really a minimum safety standard and not designed to be a hardship.
Sandy: That is so important for people to realize you are not the building police and your primary goal is to ensure people’s safety.
Dan: Correct, and I enjoy talking about the building department and all the ways we are changing to not only meet demand, but in making it easier to obtain a permit.
Tom: Tell us a little about your department.
Dan: Well, we are smaller than some of our counterparts locally. Last year, we issued about 500 permits.
Sandy: As you know, YCCA tracks permits, and here are the all-inclusive numbers for your jurisdictions: Town of Prescott Valley: 3,021. City of Prescott: 1,744. Chino Valley: 488. Yavapai County: 4,651. Dan, how much time does it take for your team to turn around the first review?
Dan: We have worked hard at streamlining our process and most often we turn around our first review in two weeks. Also, if you go to our website at www.chinoaz.net, you can obtain permits with only a 48-hour review for simple permits.
Tom: That is fantastic! Kudos to you and your team. Ryan and Warren, can you weigh in on the advantages your departments can provide folks as they contemplate a project.
Ryan: As with Dan and Warren, our departments are here to serve the public. If anyone is thinking about a project, they can come by and we will walk them through the process and not just the code. We can help them understand scheduling and project layout.
Warren: I agree with both Dan and Ryan. Our department is ready, willing and able to talk with anyone about their project. We all are more than just code enforcement – a lot more!
Sandy: The level of service all your departments can and do provide is great and often this service is an underutilized asset in our communities.
It seems all too often people are apprehensive about contacting the building department. There seems to be an unfounded fear that their little project might increase in cost and complexity.
Warren: Our goal is to educate. Your project might change a little to address those minimum safety standards the code represents.
Ryan: Agreed. The goal is to keep people safe, not complicate their lives. What seems like a minor project, if done incorrectly, can become a safety or even property damage problem down the road.
Tom: True, gravity can work fast, or very slowly.
Warren: Dan and Ryan are right on point. Often, getting a permit initially can avoid the bigger problems of not getting one. I am not talking about getting caught, either. When you go to sell your home, you will be asked to provide the permits for any work done.
Dan: Isn’t that the truth! Getting a permit retroactively, like when you go to sell, is typically more expensive and invasive than obtaining a permit outright.
Sandy: I can tell all of our readers from firsthand experience: I get tons of calls complaining about poor workmanship, far more than I do about building departments.
Ryan: I think for all the area’s departments, we are not looking to be punitive. From time to time, we are notified about a project being done without a permit, or more commonly, a seller needs to obtain a permit for work done by prior owners who failed to get a permit.
Warren: When that happens, we will want the current owner to take the steps necessary to substantiate the completed work. Structural work, additions and enclosures, for example, may need to get the certification of an engineer.
Dan: In cases like that, and when honest mistakes are made, we don’t look for penalties or fines. We all just want the work to be safe.
Ryan: We all view citizens as our customers. We want to be part of your construction team, not a hurdle that needs to be overcome.
Sandy: I am sure all of you feel the same way.
Dan: Absolutely!
Warren: Most definitely.
Tom: I can’t tell you how many times we were called in to fix or even complete a project started by usually an unlicensed contractor who told the owner they would save them money by not getting a permit.
Sandy: When that happens, dearest readers, you should RUN!
You three chief building officials have been most helpful and informative. We can’t thank you enough.
Warren: Love the opportunity to reach out.
Dan: Please call us!
Ryan: Thank you. See you all at the YCCA Home Show this year!
Sandy: Thank you, Ryan, Dan and Warren. You are amazing and we so appreciate your hard work and dedication to our community. To our readers, thanks for stopping in to read At Home with Tom and Sandy. You are in good company, and we love sharing educational, fun and important information with you. QCBN
Tom Reilly, Architect, 928-445-8506
Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association. 928-778-0040.
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