Mecklenburg County Considering Inspection Teams Realignment

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In an effort to improve efficiency and respond to concerns raised by the building industry, Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement is planning a reorganization of its inspection teams that could launch as early as June 29th, with a second phase set to begin in March of 2016.

At a recent meeting of the Building Development Commission, Code Enforcement Director Jim Bartl offered several reasons for the realignment:

To provide specific focus on different customer groups and construction types (multi-family, residential, general commercial);To improve consistency of service delivery;To create an improved alignment between field inspections and plan review;To allow the department to better communicate code changes and interpretations; and,To give the department improved ability to hire and train for specific inspector strengths

Mecklenburg County’s Code Enforcement division performed 251,000 inspection tasks last year. Of these, 165,000 were for residential projects and 86,000 were for commercial projects.

Under Phase 1 of the proposed reorganization, a team of 12 inspectors (4 building, 4 electrical, 2 mechanical, 2 plumbing) would be directed to work on “mega” and multi-family projects of five stories or more. The proposed North and South Teams, with 34 – 36 inspectors each, would work on residential projects, as well as smaller commercial and multifamily projects.

Under Phase 2 of the plan, the Mega/Multi-Family Team would gain 5 additional inspectors. The North and South Teams would then be merged and then separated into two new teams, one targeting residential projects with 51 inspectors and one targeting other commercial projects with 19 inspectors.

REBIC will continue to track the impending reorganization, and the impact it has on projects through the review and inspection process.

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