Search results

  1. Kimberly L

    Inspection AM or PM request

    Good morning, City of Medford Oregon has always offered AM or PM slots. AM is between 8-12 and PM 12-3. If they need a more specific time frame they will need to call the morning of the inspection and speak with the inspector directly. It works out pretty well.
  2. Kimberly L

    Most common building code permit violations?

    Hello from Medford Oregon. Residential: We see lots of garage, basement, attic conversions and enclosing covered porches without permits to habitable space. Sinks outside of the bathroom is another one, a couple years later is now a second dwelling. Wet bars and second kitchens now have...
  3. Kimberly L

    Scaled Surveys/Plats

    A garage conversion or change of use would be the only reason a site plan should be needed in my opinion. Our jurisdiction requires two paved off-street parking spaces, so the site plan would be reviewed as part of the garage conversion to confirm this condition is still being met. Change of...
  4. Kimberly L

    Inspections taking ages

    City of Medford Oregon is 1 day turnaround time for inspections. Plan review is electronic so that all reviews/departments can complete at the same time. Residential plan review is 10 days, Commercial 15 business day increments. Some projects qualify for express review which is...
  5. Kimberly L

    Sign Inspections

    In the City of Medford, Oregon signs on structures or freestanding 20' or less do not require building permits or building review per 2021 OSSC. If the signs are to be illuminated, the sign companies or electrician obtain their electrical permit from the Building Department after their sign...
  6. Kimberly L

    Old Home - Reissuing C of O

    Our readily available permit history including inspection history begins in 1961, and we have had a few instances where the home was not final inspected for a C of O. We will not issue a C of O but if needed will have the applicant pay for a Fire Life Safety inspection which states the...
  7. Kimberly L

    Automatic issuance of CO's?

    We receive a report each morning of all the final inspected projects from the prior day and then issue the C of O or Completion notice. It is then emailed to the applicant and uploaded to the electronic portal. The email sent to the applicant makes them aware they need to forward to the...
  8. Kimberly L

    Permits and HOA's

    Very well said, thank you. If a project is located in a "known and active" association, we ask for a copy of the approval. We have had a few instances when the HO did not approve the addition, etc. Our big "what a way to find out" was when we issued a permit for a second story and the HO...
  9. Kimberly L

    What is your building permit turn-around time?

    We are completely electronic for review. Residential is 10 days and commercial review cycles run in 15 business day increments. We also offer express review for simple projects. Residential 500sqft or less, garage conversions, patio covers, etc. Commercial simple remodels, racking, etc.
  10. Kimberly L

    How many Permits Tech?

    We have 2 permit techs and one specialist in our office. The specialist does mostly commercial, but all are crossed trained. We are completely electronic for review, so we work out of a general email box. Counter customers are shared.
  11. Kimberly L

    Software for tracking permits through their lifecycle

    David, you completely nailed it with your response. We currently use Avolve ProjectDox for our electronic review, input is thru Central Square Technologies Community Development , they work well together for the most part. ProjectDox is very good with communication, problem solving and...
  12. Kimberly L

    Gifts to permitting staff

    Agree completely.
  13. Kimberly L

    Building permit self-certification program

    When wildfires swept thru Southern Oregon in 2023, numerous local jurisdictions volunteered and assisted with inspections and plan review which greatly reduced the overall time frame. There are also third-party plan review and inspection companies that they should be able to hire to assist...
  14. Kimberly L

    Certificate of Completion

    I have attached a recent Certificate of Completion for solar. It was needed for their rebates. We always issue a Certificate of Completion on shell buildings with a condition that a tenant improvement permit will be required for occupancy.
  15. Kimberly L

    Documentation for Sunroom Project

    We traditionally have found that over time and owners "sunrooms" turn into family rooms, etc. A permit is not required to enclose an existing porch into a sunroom. We do log that property for future reference, disclosure and permitting. If it is new construction, it is noted on the plans...
  16. Kimberly L

    Solar Refund

    Good Morning, We have a refund request form and if no inspections have occurred AND the permit is not expired, we issue the refund minus an admin fee. The admin fee needs to be adopted by your jurisdiction and part of the municipal code. The refund request form is located at...
  17. Kimberly L

    Should you pull a permit for a basement remodel?

    A property recently listed for sale had a newer basement conversion without permits. The ceiling height is just over 5' and there are no windows/doors for egress. Checking with the local jurisdiction would have prevented them from spending money on remodeling an area that cannot be used as...
  18. Kimberly L

    How do I bring unpermitted work up to code?

    There is not a clear-cut answer, depends on what type of work was completed without permits, conversion (garage, basement, attic, patio) or full addition. I always advise potential buyers check the local jurisdiction for the permit history. If the seller and/or agent is marketing the...
  19. Kimberly L

    Should you pull a permit for a basement remodel?

    If there are not permits and inspections obtained your insurance company can terminate your homeowner's insurance and disallow claims. Even if this is your "Forever" home, you are leaving the unpermitted mess for your heirs to deal with.
Back
Top