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Board hears complaints about county water-heater permit; staff to review building-code requirements
Summary
Citizens protested Mohave County's permit requirement for water heater replacements; development services staff said permits have been issued historically, inspections are done in person and the fee is $72.15. The board directed staff to examine code provisions and return as a future agenda item.
Mohave County's development-services permitting practice for replacement water heaters drew public comment April 21 from residents who described the permit as unnecessary and burdensome and from county staff who said the permit is longstanding, inspections are performed in person and any change requires the county's code-adoption process.
Why it matters: Permit requirements affect homeowners, small contractors and costs for routine maintenance or replacement work in unincorporated areas. Speakers said most residents were unaware a permit existed for water-heater replacements.
Public comments: Local resident Chuck DeShazer called the permit a potential "money grab" and said a public Freedom of Information Act review produced relatively low permit counts in recent years compared with his sense of how many replacements take place.
Staff response and details: Scott Holtry of Development Services told the board the county has required a water-heater permit historically (records traceable back to the 1990s). He said the county issued 54 water-heater permits in the April-to-April year the department examined and that the permit fee is $72.15, which covers the permit and an inspection. Holtry said inspections are conducted in person; the department has discussed but not yet implemented video-inspection software. He said safety reasons for inspection focus on gas hookups, venting, temperature/pressure-relief piping and electrical connections, and that manufactured homes have distinct requirements.
Code-change process: Attorney Davis and staff explained that removing or changing an adoption of the International Plumbing Code provisions is possible but requires a formal amendment process: review by the Building Code Advisory Board, Planning and Zoning Commission and a subsequent board hearing. Supervisors suggested staff prepare a future agenda item to evaluate which portions of the adopted model codes are required in Mohave County's unincorporated areas and whether some provisions should be made optional.
Outcome: The item was for discussion only. The board directed staff to return with a formal agenda item that analyzes the current code adoption, the permit's scope, inspection practice and options for making the permit optional or revising the code-adoption language.
