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Lee County building official outlines code adoption, inspection and contractor-registration plans
Summary
At a Facilities and Maintenance Committee meeting, Building Official Joe reported permit activity and described work to draft local building-code updates, implement permit/inspections software, and create a county contractor registry tied to insurance and inspections.
At a Facilities and Maintenance Committee meeting of Lee County, Building Official Joe said the county has seen recent construction activity and is preparing local building-code amendments, a permit-tracking software rollout and a contractor registration program to improve inspections and compliance.
Joe reported that the office recorded "$3,298,388.60 in total valuation permits with permit fees at $5,217.60," and said staff are preparing a draft of code amendments for committee review. He said the county has been evaluating building- and zoning-management software and has narrowed it to a single vendor pending price negotiation, adding that the system would store permit, complaint and special-use history by address.
The change would include adopting the Illinois Energy Code, which Joe described as a state-mandated standard that the county cannot opt out of. He said the code will require higher insulation values and other construction changes — he summarized elements that will increase construction costs for single-family homes, including larger wall framing and required electric-vehicle charger readiness in new garages — while also noting there can be incentives such as tax abatements for energy-efficient construction.
Joe said he has taken over building inspections previously handled by others, and that he is currently performing inspections on a request basis: "I'm doing this as of right now on a, basically, request. I asked the contractor, please notify me. I can't enforce that until we get a code in place." He described change in enforcement power: once local codes are adopted, inspections and enforcement will have explicit legal backing.
Committee members discussed using the new software across departments (sheriff, compliance, animal control) and the utility of keeping inspection and permit records centralized. Joe and other committee members said the county plans to create a registered list of contractors (roofers, plumbers, electricians, excavators) who will provide proof of insurance and will be listed as local, vetted options for residents.
Joe also said a former inspector, Casper Manheim, is no longer doing county inspections and that Jared will continue to check setbacks. The committee emphasized that the registration and inspection changes are intended to protect constituents and reduce shoddy out-of-county work.
No formal code-adoption vote occurred at the meeting; Joe said staff will return with drafts and more detailed proposals for committee action.
The committee also discussed that some trades (electricians) are not licensed at the state level in Illinois and that the county registry would require insurance and documentation of qualifications. Committee members said the building department will aim to reduce inspection fees by folding inspection work into county staffing rather than contracting it out to people who charged fees directly to residents.
Questions from members focused on timing, the cost of the software and the content of proposed code amendments. Joe said a lengthy discussion and review will be needed before adoption.
Looking ahead, the committee expects staff to present a draft code and implementation plan, and to return with software pricing and a timeline for rolling out a contractor-registration program and formalized inspection schedule.
