Building Permit Changes Coming for Rochester Home Projects
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The City of Rochester is preparing to implement a significant change involving building permits and inspections on certain residential projects.
Rochester Community Development Assistant Director Jerry Norman says the city, over the past few decades, has not required permits to be issued for reroofing, re-siding, and certain window replacement projects on single-family homes, but the State of Minnesota has now directed the city to end the practice. Norman says the policy change to require the permits on those projects will take effect May 1.
He notes that numerous other municipalities throughout Minnesota have required permits and inspections for the work, and many only conduct inspections when the work has been completed. Norman says, for many years, city officials had waived the permit requirement because it was felt that it wasn't justified to charge a fee when an inspection after the work was finished could not adequately certify that it had been done properly.
Norman says that issue can now be addressed through the use of "virtual inspections" and, in some cases, the use of drones. He says "virtual inspections" involve a contractor, using a cell phone or other camera, documenting that the work complies with the requirements of the building code and the product manufacturer's installation instructions while it is taking place.
Norman says the Community Development Department is confident that it will have the personnel and processes needed for the additional inspections in place when the new permit requirements go into effect. He says the city is now working with local contractors to familiarize them with the policy change to make the transition as smooth as possible. The city will also be working to communicate the change to the general public, with Norman stressing that "do-it-yourselfers" are required to follow the same permitting and inspection rules.
With the implementation of the new requirements only a few months away, Norman also notes that the entire process can be taken care of online through the Community Development website and no longer requires an in person visit.
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