Public commenter accuses DBI of finaling expired downtown permits and issuing TCOs without required inspections

During general public comment at the July 16 Building Inspection Commission meeting, speaker Jerry Dretler said the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) improperly issued administrative finalizations and temporary certificates of occupancy (TCOs) on several permits he says were expired or lacked required special inspections.

Dretler said an application issued in June 2017 for a building valued at $43,000,000 at 2177 Third Street expired on May 18, 2021 and ‘‘was null and void,’’ yet DBI allowed temporary occupancy certificates after the expiration. He also identified an ‘‘2018 tower permit’’ and two 2018 permit revisions that he said had no DBI or special inspections and therefore should not have been finaled. In his remarks he called for revocation of the administrative permit that finaled three expired building permits and requested DBI explain how the TCOs were issued without confirmed special inspections.

Dretler provided a summary table (he said he had handouts and a PowerPoint) and repeated multiple times that required special inspections were missing and that an inspector recently performed a pre‑final inspection despite permits he described as expired. He said the projects at issue were ‘‘null and void’’ and that owners and occupants should not rely on prior certificate actions if required inspections were not completed.

DBI staff did not provide a response during the public comment period recorded in the transcript; commissioners moved on to the next agenda item. The transcript records Dretler's allegations but does not show any DBI statement, follow‑up action, or verification of his claims during the meeting.

Ending: The commission did not take formal action on the public comment item at the meeting. Any DBI review, response or enforcement action would need to be confirmed through the department's public records or future agenda updates.