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Orland building department reports permitting rebound, staffing change and faster plan check turnaround
Summary
City building department leaders reported a post‑pandemic rebound in permit activity, a staff transition in inspections, and a shift to in‑house plan review to speed turnaround and retain fee revenue.
Orland’s building department on Tuesday reported that permit activity has rebounded since the COVID‑era dip, and officials described changes in staffing and the earlier in‑sourcing of plan review to shorten turnaround times and retain fee revenue within the city.
Nicholas Paxton, who said he will take over building inspections later this month while continuing plan-check functions, presented a multi‑year summary showing a spike in permits and project costs in 2022 followed by normalization in 2023–2024. Paxton said faster in‑house plan review shortened contractor wait times and allowed the city to retain revenue that previously went to outside contractors.
The department reported permit-fee revenue of about $459,000 for the most recent fiscal year and project valuations in the $12–14 million range, with 2022 an outlier year of higher activity. Paxton said the International Code Council recommends permit fee levels near 2% of project valuation and that staff had adjusted plan‑review fees to be more competitive and faster to help promote construction activity.
The building official also outlined upcoming projects expected to keep the workload high, including multiple housing developments and commercial projects. Councilors praised the department for faster turnaround and for keeping more plan-check work in-house.
Why it matters
Faster plan review and local handling of permit work can shorten construction start times, help local contractors and keep permit-related revenue in the city budget. The staffing change also transfers inspection responsibilities to a locally based inspector with residential certification.
What’s next
Paxton and staff will continue to report permit trends to council; the department plans to refine fee schedules to balance competitiveness with cost recovery and to improve the city’s tracking of permit and fee data.
