# SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: App for virtual building inspections gets OK



## mark handler (Sep 28, 2015)

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: App for virtual building inspections gets OK

Officials approve making permanent a pilot program enabling inspectors to work remotely

http://www.pe.com/articles/county-781763-wert-program.html

San Bernardino County’s pilot program to provide virtual building inspections to residents in remote locations worked so well the county has decided to make it permanent.

County inspectors used an app to examine such things as roof repairs, ground-mounted and roof-mounted solar panels, patio covers and water heater installations, according to county spokesman David Wert.

County building official Jim Sowers analyzed results from 31 virtual inspections conducted in May, June and July, Wert said. Sowers recommended to County Chief Executive Officer Greg Devereaux that the program be made permanent and Devereaux agreed, Wert said.

The county expects to implement the program this fall, Wert said.

“Customer comments from follow-up interviews and surveys were very positive,” Sowers said, “especially with respect to the benefit to customers in outlying areas such as Baker, Trona, and Kramer Junction.”

The county, at 20,105 square miles, is larger than several U.S. states and covers more square miles than Denmark (16,638 square miles) or Switzerland (15,940 square miles).

Saving money wasn’t the primary goal of the program, Wert said, although the county did save on drive time for inspectors and wear and tear on vehicles.

The new technology, however, created challenged for the IT professionals who helped set it up. One was to use GPS and other techniques to counter the potential for fraud by verifying inspected properties.

The bigger priority was to provide inspections at a more precise time for residents of the large county, Wert said.

As the program becomes permanent, Wert said, the county expects to see savings in staff hours and equipment costs.

No other county departments have so far proposed implementing such a program, Wert said.

Getting governments to take their functions online has been a goal of such advocates as the Inland Empire Regional Broadband Consortium, one of 16 consortiums in the Calfiornia Emerging Technology Fund.

The challenge has been approached by companies in the private sector such as Esri, the Redlands GIS firm, which is seeking innovative ways to combine cartography and crowdsourcing in a collection of maps and apps called ArcGIS for Local Government.

San Bernardino County

Number of inspectors: 10

Farthest-away inspections: Trona (135 miles) and Baker (133 miles).

County population: 2.1 million

Total inspections per year: 22,000


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## cda (Sep 28, 2015)

I have been telling my boss for years I can work from home,,

With live cell phones all the contractor has to do is beam me a walk through of the work,

And I email approval or write ups


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## mark handler (Sep 29, 2015)

So now you don't even have to do a so called"drive by" inspection. ...


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## mtlogcabin (Sep 29, 2015)

Anybody know of any grants for getting a drone.


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## mark handler (Sep 29, 2015)

mtlogcabin said:
			
		

> Anybody know of any grants for getting a drone.


For law enforcement


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## cda (Sep 29, 2015)

mark handler said:
			
		

> So now you don't even have to do a so called"drive by" inspection. ...


Don't even have to take the jammies off!!


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## ICE (Sep 29, 2015)

mtlogcabin said:
			
		

> Anybody know of any grants for getting a drone.


A drone would be a cool tool but alas and alack, it will never be legal.


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## mark handler (Oct 10, 2015)

Pima County offers remote building inspections

http://tucson.com/business/local/pima-county-offers-remote-building-inspections/article_afd8bc20-8143-5e44-9858-bf6ff9d8e8e5.html

By Gabriela Rico0

The days of waiting for the building inspector’s visit may be over.

Pima County’s Development Services Department has started a remote inspection program that uses Skype to connect inspectors with clients for same-day approval, said Rich Franz-Ünder, green program manager for the county’s development services department.

The program, which rolled out Oct. 1, works for all types of building permits if electronic copies of the plans have been filed with the county. The city of Tucson does not have a comparable program.

But Jim Mazzocco, planning administrator for the city, said the planning department will be monitoring the county’s initiative.

Franz-Ünder said two of the eight county inspectors are dedicated to the remote program.

He explains the program:

Q: How does it work?

A: Using the online calendar, customers can schedule a time for a remote inspection, available in 30-minute increments.

Q: How much notice must I give?

A: Appointments can be scheduled within the hour, if there’s availability.

Q: How will the inspector know it’s the correct house?

A: The inspection will begin with a street view of the property in which the address must be visible.

Q: What technology is required?

A: 4G wireless service or Wi-Fi is required for the remote inspection. Instructions for creating a Skype account are on the site.

Q: What tools are required?

A: Items such as a tape measure, level, GFCI tester and stepladder for ceiling close-ups will be required, depending on the work.

Q: How soon will an inspection be approved?

A: The inspector will inform the customer at the conclusion of the remote inspection if it has passed.

Q: What if it fails?

A: The inspector will notify the customer if a second inspection can be done remotely or if it will require a site visit.

Q: Is there a fee?

A: The cost of inspections varies, depending on what’s required. There’s no additional cost for a remote inspection.

Q: Where can I find more information?

A: Find detailed instructions at pima.gov/remoteinspections


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## ICE (Oct 10, 2015)

I can see how this would work for some inspections.  There is the other side of a site visit which is what I see beyond why I am there.  Now and then it's some blatantly obvious dangerous condition.  That won't happen if I'm not there.


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