Newport is hiring a building inspector to keep up with the “staggering” number of permits that go through the city’s hands.
The city has expanded jurisdiction from the state of Kentucky to do all its own permitting, according to Newport Director of Code Enforcement Brian Steffen. The department’s inspections include residential and commercial development, such as the Ovation project.
Jessica Bolton is joining the city’s code enforcement department, making her the sixth certified inspector on staff. Her level two status will allow her to do commercial field inspections, which Steffen said is a great need for the city with all the construction underway.
Steffen said this hire comes from the many permits that go through the department’s hands.
“We’re almost at 200 permits since January,” Steffen said. “We’re three and a half square miles. This is just a staggering amount of permits.”
Though the department has received 200 permits to review just this year, Steffen said some permits require multiple inspections across the life of the construction project. He said it is a significant undertaking for the city to run this program.
“These commercial projects with the high rises, you could be there three, four times a week, every week,” Steffen said. “I mean, you’re there for an hour or two hours at a time. These larger apartment complexes, you’re there all day.”
The city has noncertified staff that can do other types of inspections, but the certified inspectors are all dedicated to inspecting building permits. The state has a certified building inspection program that is based on tests that the International Code Council (code agency that puts together building codes across the country) administers.
There are three types of certified inspectors: level one, two, and three. Tests are required to become certified, and Steffen said the requirements to get into the Kentucky program had become increasingly more complex, making it harder to find qualified individuals.
“There is a lack of qualified and certified building inspectors across the industry,” Steffen said.
A level one inspector is responsible for residential inspections such as sheds and decks. Level two gives the ability to do commercial field inspections, and level three allows for commercial plan review and the ability to inspect all types of buildings across the state. Steffen said there are four level three inspectors on staff, including himself.
Bolton is joining Newport from a previous municipality, where she served as a level two inspector. She also has an undergraduate degree in architecture, which Steffen said will lend her work as an inspector.
“At our board retreat, there was a long discussion about how important this department is and the work that they do of keeping our projects moving forward,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said. “It has its cost, but it’s a profit center because it covers its own costs, and it makes us more efficient and lets our projects move forward faster.”
