Franklin BOC to Hold Public Hearing on Proposed Changes to Permit and Inspection Process

Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners continues efforts to make life easier for those in the County who are building residential homes to pay for permits and inspections.

The move comes in response to complaints about the high fees charged by a third-party inspection firm hired by the County compared to what neighboring counties are charging.

At their February work session, Commission Chair Jeff Jacques outlined three proposed changes to the current ordinance he believes will help ease the process.

The first proposed change would be to allow individuals building their own home to have the option of signing a waiver stating that they take full responsibility for adhering to state building codes.

Jacques added that the builder, however, would still have to have one setback inspection and sign for a permit.

The second change he said would involve third-party inspections.

“If somebody comes in and is building a house for themselves or a subdivision they will have the option to be able to go through the current process and use the county-approved inspector of record,” he said. “You will also have the option to utilize a third-party inspector that could be included in a list that we will compile. And also, if there is another licensed-approved inspector that can provide all of the needed documentation, then that can be submitted for review and potential approval.”

A third proposed change would remove the requirement to have accessory buildings inspected that require plumbing or electricity.

At their meeting Monday night, Jacques asked County Attorney Bubba Samuels what their next steps would be to implement the proposed changes.

Samuels said he hopes to have an outline for the Board on the process required by the March work session.

“Just like any amendment to the development code, we’re going to treat it as a zoning decision, which requires compliance with the zoning procedures law. That basically means that we’ll advertise for a public hearing for the regular business meeting and you should be able to take action on it then,” Samuels said.

Originally, the Board had wanted to suspend the current inspection and permitting system until a new system could be put together but Samuels said did not follow state regulations.