Fire Marshal to weigh in on building inspector deal

A potentially huge cut in the cost of building in Terrebonne Parish is riding on the state Fire Marshal.

Representatives of the South Central Planning and Development Commission and Terrebonne Parish Department of Planning and Zoning are waiting to hear if Fire Marshal Henry Fry will accept or deny a regional plan to implement new building codes throughout the Bayou Region n a move that could save builders hundreds of dollars.

The commission is seeking the go-ahead to implement permitting, review building plans, conduct inspections and overall enforce the International Building Codes, which were approved last year by the state legislature.

Act 12 of 2005 sets out a series of codes intended to ensure stronger and safer home construction.

With Fry’s approval, six parishes n including Terrebonne and Lafourche n would be included in the regional plan.

According to Patrick Gordon, of Terrebonne’s Planning and Zoning Department, if Fry turns down the regional plan, the parish is prepared to pick up the load.

Although Gordon said the chances of SPLD plan passing are good, the parish will be prepared with additional building inspectors and plan reviewers trained and ready to work.

Four additional parish inspectors and one plan reviewer will be trained if the regional proposal fails. The state is granting funds to parishes to train inspectors and plan reviewers on the new codes and will award money on an as-needed basis, he said.

However, if Fry gives his OK to the regional deal, the state will award the SCPD $1.5 million to train and implement 20 inspectors and three plan reviewers, whose job it would be to assess all future home building under the commission’s jurisdiction.

The proposed regional plan has earned the support of area home builders.

Erich Ponti, president of the Louisiana Home Builders Association, said in a news release “the LHBA supports Act 12, Uniform Statewide Building Codes, for the safety and welfare of our fellow citizens.”

LHBA, which represents 5,800 members associated with the home building industry, also approved SPLD’s regional approach.

According to the release, the regional code office will help keep costs low to contractors and homebuilders by implementing and funding the program regionally. This approach, LHBA officials say, would directly benefit rural communities by regional implementation and funding regulation, directly benefiting rural building.

Louisiana has issued an $8 million grant to assist municipalities in creating and operating code offices. In addition, the Federal government has pledges $18 million, which should be released by mid-February. The monies were intended to help Louisiana create uniform building codes statewide.

Right after lawmakers approved Act 12, LHBA immediately began to educate and train builders, code officials, architects and engineers in the implementation of the new code, Ponti said.

Locally, training is under way as well.

Gordon said parish inspectors will be trained on international mechanical codes, national electric codes. Parish inspectors will bypass additional training in state plumbing codes, which include gas, because they were always enforced in Terrebonne Parish, he said.

A not-for-profit agency, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety will further educate inspectors around Louisiana with state funding, said Gordon.

“If South Central takes over I think there would a quicker response. We try to make a one-day turnaround and get inspectors out the next day, but I think with the centralized plan, there will be more inspectors to work with,” he said.

If the commission gets the go-ahead, residents and contractors would still apply for building permits through the parish. Once the parish approves a permit, it would then transfer to the hands of the regional planning group, Gordon said.

The SCPC has estimated the total cost n including permitting, plan review, inspections and enforcement n to be 46 cents per square foot.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, a proponent of the uniform building code, has said, “The statewide code is a vital piece to our future ability to attract insurance companies to our market. It is a major, major step in reforming our state’s image on a national level.”

Ponti noted, “The availability and affordability of insurance for our citizens and our businesses, across the state, are imperative for continued economic development in our state. Without a statewide uniform building code, current rebuilding efforts and future economic development could be adversely affected in all areas of Louisiana.”