# Building inspection hot-line



## Bootleg (Apr 19, 2010)

In your building Department who takes the inspections for the day, off the inspection hot-line?

Administrative Assistant

Building Inspector

Building Official

Director of the Building Department


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## fatboy (Apr 19, 2010)

Any of the first three. Most of the time it's my permit tech (admin), but when she's gone.......who ever is available needs to do it.


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## cboboggs (Apr 19, 2010)

Here it is the administrative assistant, unless she is gone, then it is me.


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## Mule (Apr 19, 2010)

Permit Tech, if gone then Inspector, if both gone then me.


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## FredK (Apr 19, 2010)

Goes like this:

1. Permit techs

2. Fellow inspector

3. Code ( ladies) enforcement

All are in the office at 7:00 AM.


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## FredK (Apr 19, 2010)

All these are in before I get here.

1. Permit techs

2. Fellow inspector

3. Code enforcement ladies

4. The Boss.

They all start at 7-7:30 when the office opens.


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## Bryan Holland (Apr 19, 2010)

I personally feel some-sort of "supervisory" person over the inspectors should be posting and routing inspections.  How else will they know who is doing what and what is going on out there.    During the previous day, permit techs take inspection requests from the phone and places them into a generic category based on inspection type.  The next morning, the chief inspector moves all the inspections from the permit techs, overnight phone system, and click-to-gov online system to the appropriate inspector.  My department is also responsible for posting the inspections for engineering, utilities, public works, Fire, and zoning.


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## cda (Apr 19, 2010)

normaly the inspector, then vocie mail, and sometimes administrative assistant,

prefer to set on schedule


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## mtlogcabin (Apr 19, 2010)

Small department only 3 inspectors, Permit tech assigns commercial to 1 inspector and residential to the 2nd inspector. 3rd inspector or my self will pick up over flow or inspection with specific times to meet on the jobsite. We use the Microsoft calendar to post our daily schedule and everyone has access to each others calendars. Works well for a small department


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## texas transplant (Apr 19, 2010)

One of our inspectors is delegated to take the calls off the hotline each day.   When he is not there it falls to another inspector.  Each morning I seperate and assign who makes what inspections.   We have certain projects that are assigned to one inspector, others are assigned along the routes that they will travel thru the city.   We use all multi-disipline inspectors so everyone can do any of the inspections (only two inspectors are commercial certified).


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## JBI (Apr 19, 2010)

Holy framing inspections Batman! What hotline? Around here, Commisioner Gordon just calls when someone is in the office.

No voicemail, no hotline, just one clerk (remember when they were called 'secretaries'?) and two inspectors. Whoever is NOT busy answers the phone.


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## brudgers (Apr 19, 2010)

If only there were some sort of machine which could take and store requests for inspections 24 hours a day, and then each morning, print out a list of requests.  I know I'm a dreamer, but I even imagine a day when such a machine might be accessible from almost anywhere in the world...part of an interconnected communications web.


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## JBI (Apr 19, 2010)

Yes, Ben. And that 'web' of yours might get so popular it could become a world wide phenomenon.


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## texas transplant (Apr 19, 2010)

brudgers,

There are computer programs that do a lot of what you are dreaming about. However they start in the high 5 digits left of the decimal and are out of reach of a lot of departments.   They are internet based.   Looked at one thinking this was really cool, and I cooled down when they quoted the price.  For the intial cost of the software and yearly maintenance I can have live body that does other tasks as well.


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## fatboy (Apr 19, 2010)

Hey brudgers! Maybe you could get Al Gore to help you invent and launch it!


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## texas transplant (Apr 19, 2010)

You mean Al Gore didn't invent the internet?


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## Mule (Apr 19, 2010)

John Drobysh said:
			
		

> No voicemail, no hotline, *just one clerk* (remember when they were called 'secretaries'?) and two inspectors. Whoever is NOT busy answers the phone.


Uhhhh John!!! they're not called clerks anymore! They are Permit Technicians!


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## JBI (Apr 19, 2010)

Uhhhhh Mule!!! Not here they're not. Our clerk is not a permit tech, she is a 'clerk' (aka secretary).


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## jacs (Apr 19, 2010)

Ours come through an automated system that the applicant calls. Then the inspection is automatically scheduled and assigned to the inspector's permit case in our system. No one has to wait by the phone!


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## Kao Chen (Apr 23, 2010)

The calls get routed through one of City clerks to the Building Dept. The Dept. clerk (me) takes the initial contact and then transfers it to the permit tech (me). They will schedule the inspection and then give the schedule to the inspector (again, me). The Building Official (you guessed it, me) will review the schedule and then finally the inspection logs. Thats one of my favorite "lines". "I have a full staff, they just happen to have the same first and last name as myself."

One of the perks of a small town. You only have to rely on yourself.


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