Inspector/Building Official or Contractor/Tradesman

[Rider Rick]

"Show me in the code".....Oh the many times I've heard that. They have the right to ask. I almost always give them the answer. Some sooner than others. It's all in the asking. Often enough, as I am thumbing through the book looking for that code they scowled about, I'll find a few more that I can tell them about.

Now that I have the code in a laptop and ipad I can do a word search and find stuff pretty easy. Not so much with the ipad but the laptop is cool. In a few years Siri will take over.

I have on occasion said no. More like Hell no. Instead of a code section I give them the fair warning that if I see them again I will contact the license board and maybe, just maybe, the sheriff. I get my share of bandits. If they have a knack for sales they become plumbers. Easy marks abound if your a plumber. Had one today that was a sewer liner for 15' of 4" pipe that cost $10,000.00. A few months ago a couple with a one bathroom house paid $17,000.00 for a copper re-pipe.

I just wish that you were working as a Building Inspector for the City where I was building my house. The Building Inspectors I had just over looked a lot of very important things that I am still correcting after 20 years after final. Keep up the good work.

 

[rnapier]

If asked we must cite the code section here. I strongly recemmend doing so when teaching. I find that 90% of the guys out there are trying to do the job right and if I fail them and they don't think they can approach me with a question then they will simply do it as I requested and go back to the way they were doing it every where else. But if they can ask me the code section and I can convince them of the requirement they will do it correctly from then on. Most of the contractors I deal with want to do it right.

 

[fireguy]

If asked we must cite the code section here. I strongly recemmend doing so when teaching. I find that 90% of the guys out there are trying to do the job right and if I fail them and they don't think they can approach me with a question then they will simply do it as I requested and go back to the way they were doing it every where else. But if they can ask me the code section and I can convince them of the requirement they will do it correctly from then on. Most of the contractors I deal with want to do it right.

Most contractor do want to do a good job. Most B/O want to do a good job. Knowing the code is part of the solution, we need to know the reasons for the codes. Tell me the code section so I can make notes in my Code Books, including the reasoning.

 

[ICE]

Sometimes the reason isn't obvious.... or logical

 

[mjesse]

Effective Jan. 1, 2013 Illinois Building and Code Enforcement Officials MUST include the Code section of the "alleged" violation -

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 097-1088

 

[Mark K]

The fact that the legislature had pass a law mandating disclosure suggests that there is a problem. I suggest that the applicant has a right to be told what the code section is.

 

[fatboy]

I agree, if the applicant asks for the section, they should be told, but just because lawmakers felt the need to justify their existence and pass another law, it does not prove there was a legitimate problem. JMHO

 

[ICE]

Effective Jan. 1, 2013 Illinois Building and Code Enforcement Officials MUST include the Code section of the "alleged" violation - Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 097-1088

This is the full text of the Illinois law. It is obvious that it is directed at code enforcement inspections and not new construction inspectors.

(65 ILCS 5/11-31.1-4) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-31.1-4) Sec. 11-31.1-4. Instituting code hearing proceedings. When

a building inspector finds a code violation while inspecting a

structure, he shall note the violation on a multiple copy

violation notice and report form, indicating the name and

address of the structure owner, a citation to the specific code

provision or provisions alleged to have been violated, a

description of the circumstances present that constitute the

alleged violation the type and nature of the violation, the

date and time the violation was observed, the names of

witnesses to the violation, and the address of the structure

where the violation is observed.

The violation report form shall be forwarded by the

building inspector to the Code Hearing Department where a

Docket number shall be stamped on all copies of the report, and

a hearing date noted in the blank spaces provided for that

purpose on the form. The hearing date shall not be less than 30

nor more than 40 days after the violation is reported by the

building inspector.

One copy of the violation report form shall be maintained

in the files of the Code Hearing Department and shall be part

of the record of hearing, one copy of the report form shall be

returned to the building inspector so that he may prepare

evidence of the code violation for presentation at the hearing

on the date indicated, and one copy of the report form shall be

served by first class mail on the owner of the structure, along

with a summons commanding the owner to appear at the hearing.

If the municipality in which the structure is situated has an

ordinance requiring property owners to register with the

municipality, service may be made on the owner by mailing the

report and summons to the owner's address registered with the

municipality. If the name of the owner of the structure cannot

be ascertained or if service on the owner cannot be made by

mail, service may be made on the owner by posting or nailing a

copy of the violation report form on the front door of the

structure where the violation is found, not less than 20 days

before the hearing is scheduled.

(Source: P.A. 86-1039.)

I think I would be upset if someone nailed a notice to my front door.

Of course this is Illinois. During a civil disobedience (Fatboy, that means a riot), Mayor Daley decided to stop the looters. He instructed the police to shoot to kill. Daley went on TV with that. I wonder if any of the cops followed the order. Imagine the uproar today if the cops killed a guy for running down the street with a flat screen....well maybe not in Chicago but that wouldn't go unnoticed in Los Angeles.

 

[David Henderson]

It's pretty simple to create a cheat sheet of the most common misses with the code section, and brief description of said section.