Title
Introduction to the Regional Building Department
Presenter:
Roger Lovell, Regional Building Official, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department
Body
Summary:
Mr. Lovell will provide an introduction and overview of how the Regional Building Department operates and the services provided.
Previous Council Action:
N/A
Background:
The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department was created by an Inter- governmental agreement (IGA) between the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners and the City Council of Colorado Springs in 1966. RBD now services the Cities of Fountain, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, and Town of Monument and Palmer Lake and the Town of Woodland Park. The Department is administered by the Regional Building Commission, and is designed to be self-supporting and nonprofit making.
Departments within RBD include the following:
Contractor Licensing: Processes license applications and registrations for contractors working within our jurisdictions.
Plan Review: Review of construction documents, for code compliance. Departments within are Enumerations, Floodplain, Construction, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing
Permitting: The front counter departments work with the industry and outside jurisdictions to permit the approved projects.
Inspections: Our inspection department works daily to perform Construction, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing & Elevator Inspections for compliance.
RBD’s comprehensive website (www.pprbd.org) provides full service access to nearly all functions of the building department. These features range from electronic plan submittal, purchase of permits, inspection request and document download. A visitor to our site can gain access to our archives of plans, permits and other development information.
The Licensing Department averages 30-50 applications for new licenses or licensing changes a month. RBD issues licenses for Building and Mechanical. We also process Registrations for Plumbing and Electrical. All applicants must submit applications which prove experience and get final approval through our licensing committee and Board of Review made up of contractors and individuals within the industry. We currently have a total of 7,719 active licensed contractor throughout the 8 jurisdictions that we serve.
The Plan Review Department reviews all drawings submitted for both commercial and residential. Our Plan Review department now offers electronic plan review, which streamlines the process for the customer. Of the 8,728 submitted plans in 2017, 3,730 of the plans were electronically submitted.
The Permit Department’s counter on average took between 350-450 calls daily in 2017. Walk up traffic averaged 120 a day in 2017. The permit counter serves as a point of contact for the many outside jurisdictions that are involved with plan approval and permitting. The building department on average issued 300 permits a day in 2017. Permits can range from a water heater replacement to a new hospital. All projects requiring drawings must be reviewed and scanned into permanent record. Once scanned, the documents are available in real time in office, online or in the field.
The Inspection Department performs site visits throughout the time of the build to insure that the project is built to code and per the approved drawings. In 2017, Regional Building had a total of 54 inspectors across 5 disciplines, and we performed 288,134 inspections and an average of 1,153 inspections per day. Each inspector conducts an average of 23.9 inspections a day. In 2017, we experienced the highest single inspection day to date of 1,748 inspections. We offer same day inspections with real time result notifications.
Beyond the departments mentioned, Regional Building also performs Dangerous Building Inspections, handles contractor complaints, performs floodplain reviews, addressing and variances. Our goal is to ensure life safety and welfare of our citizens through efficient & consistent application of adopted codes and standards.
Financial Implications:
N/A
Board/Commission Recommendation:
N/A
Stakeholder Process:
N/A
Alternatives:
N/A
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
N/A
Summary of Ordinance Language
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