The City of Greensburg Adds Building Inspection Agency

GREENSBURG, PA (December 6) The City of Greensburg is pleased to announce that it will move to a two-option system for plan review and building inspections in the City. Starting in November, anyone applying for building permits that require Uniform Construction Code (UCC) plan review, permitting, and inspections can choose between two third-party agencies to work with during their construction process. The two agencies recently engaged by the City include Code.sysTM Code Consulting, Inc. located in Pittsburgh, PA and Code Enforcement Agency located in Jefferson Hills, PA.

For anyone considering building something new or fixing up something old, obtaining a building permit will most likely be necessary. Permits are required for most construction such as a new single-family houses, new commercial buildings, garages, sheds, decks, pools, hot tubs, storage buildings, and alterations or renovations of older homes. Permits are also required for some demolition projects.

“If you are not sure if you need a permit, just give us a call and we can help figure out what’s needed” stated Dr. Jeff Raykes, Planning Director for City of Greensburg.

If a permit is required, Raykes suggests that residents stop by the City’s Planning and Development offices located on the 2nd floor of City Hall. Once there, planning staff will help applicants get the right paperwork and answer questions. Also, many of the required forms and instructions are on the City’s website.

“Right now we are working to improve our application process and making things available via the web will be a big part of that effort” said Raykes.

Early in the application process applicants will be asked to select one of the two third-party agencies for their project. Once selected, they will be committed to that agency for the duration of the project.

“Committing early to one of our third party providers will ensure consistency and predictability throughout the life of the project.” stated Raykes.

Permitting costs should also be considered. Costs consist of fees associated with the inspection agency, the City, and the State. These vary based on the size and scope of the project. When considering a project, applicants are encouraged to contact the City for an estimate of permitting costs.

Outsourcing plan review, permitting, and inspection services is becoming increasingly common across the Commonwealth. In most cases municipalities turn to third party agencies due to a combination of growing demand and lack of internal capacity. According to the Department of Labor and Industry, agencies that provide Uniform Construction Code (UCC) services must be certified by the Department and be under contract with the host municipality. Over the last several years the City of Greensburg has seen an increasing number of both residential and commercial building permit applications.

“This is a good problem to have but our growing list of projects has made adding capacity important” stated Kelsye Milliron, City Administrator. “Our goal is to provide a high level of customer service from start to finish.”

“We are excited about creating choices for our residents” explained Greensburg Mayor Robb Bell. “In the past, the City only had one agency under contract which limited choices for applicants. Under the City’s new system, applicants will be better able to align their project with whatever agency they think best for their individual plan.”

For more information contact Dr. Jeff Raykes at (724) 838-4335 or jraykes@greensburgpa.org.

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