Bluff council creates local building department, hires permit technician and building official

Bluff, Utah — The Bluff Town Council on March 20, 2025, unanimously approved hiring Kristen Bushnell as the town's building permit technician and Corey Coleman as the building official as the town moves to create a municipal building department to issue permits and inspections.

Town Manager Erin Nelson told the joint meeting of the Bluff Town Council and the Planning & Zoning Commission that the move followed an early-February resignation by San Juan County's building inspector and the county's subsequent statement that it lacked capacity to continue issuing permits for Bluff. "Clearly, this is a health and safety issue," Nelson said, describing the staffing gap that prompted the town to act.

The hires are part of a short, draft building-code ordinance the town is developing to give Bluff formal authority to issue building permits and to identify who can sign and stamp permits. Nelson said the town is referencing the Utah State Building Code so the local ordinance can be concise while relying on state technical standards. "If we are referencing Utah building code, that is encapsulating all of the legal technical requirements that need to be in the building code," she said.

Why it matters

Local permitting will shift the initial front-door review and inspection workload from the county to Bluff staff and contractors and is intended to keep projects moving during the busy building season. Nelson said the council's goal is for the ordinance and related fee schedule to be cleaned up before Bluff's April 1 council meeting, and the town will reevaluate staffing every four months.

Details of the change and outstanding issues

- Background: Nelson recounted efforts dating back to early 2024 to formalize an interlocal agreement with San Juan County after the town had operated under a more informal arrangement since 2019. An earlier interlocal draft was not approved by the county commission after public objections tied to zoning changes, she said.

- Immediate action: "As of Tuesday night, the town council unanimously approved hiring Kristen Bushnell as our building permit technician and Corey Coleman as our building official," Nelson said. The town described Coleman as qualified for both commercial and residential inspections; Bushnell will perform permit-technical and administrative duties.

- County transition: Permit applications and paid permits already in the San Juan County system will remain the county's responsibility for the life of those projects, permit technician Kristen Bushnell said: "Anybody who has paid for a building permit with the county, the county has a duty to follow that through the life of the project." New permit activity paid for in Bluff will be handled by the town.

- Code and references: The draft ordinance will reference the Utah State Building Code (the state's adoption of the International Building Code) rather than reproducing the full technical standards. Commissioners and staff discussed adding a prominent link to the state code and whether to keep certain definitions in the ordinance or in a centralized town glossary.

- Fees and budget: The council held a public hearing on a proposed master fee schedule. Nelson said written public comment will be accepted through Friday, March 28. Town staff told the meeting they had modeled fees on the county's current schedule so the new department should roughly break even and cover administrative costs.

- Definitions and exemptions: Planning commissioners and staff pressed for clearer definitions that distinguish repairs, remodels, reconstruction and structural changes, and for a concise list of exemptions (items that do not require a permit). Staff proposed an approach that places exemptions on the permit application (a fluid document that can be updated) while keeping core definitions in the ordinance.

- Planning versus building responsibilities: Commissioners and staff discussed where planning and zoning reviews should sit in the workflow. Several participants said most routine permits could be handled administratively by the building department, with Planning & Zoning receiving only items that raise questions, variances or setbacks. Amanda Podmore, chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and others agreed the building official should not be required to attend every commission meeting but should be available when an issue arises.

- Inspections, right of entry and enforcement: The draft ordinance includes the building official's powers and duties and a right-of-entry provision. The group debated when inspectors may enter private property, what notice is required, and how to balance inspection authority with property-owner protections. Nelson said the town could refine language on notices and emergency entry with the town attorney. The commission also discussed enforcement steps (stop-work orders, notices, fines) and noted that some remedies (criminal citations or court processes) depend on broader municipal enforcement infrastructure.

- Permit duration and owner-builder rules: Participants noted the International Building Code allows a six-month permit duration while the county commonly uses one year; the meeting flagged the need for local language on permit expirations and on owner-builder limitations.

What was decided and next steps

- Formal action: The council approved the two hires to staff Bluff's building-permitting effort and directed staff to continue drafting the short building-code ordinance and related application materials.

- Timeline: Staff aim to finalize the ordinance text for the April 1 council meeting and to tie the permitting process and fee schedule together so applicants will have a single, streamlined application.

Public comment and contact

The town accepted written public comment on the master fee schedule through March 28; information and links to the draft ordinance and the Utah State Building Code will be posted on the town website once the draft is ready for council review.

Ending

Council and planning commissioners said they would continue refining definitions, enforcement language and the application form over the next few weeks, with the town revisiting staffing and operational procedures on a recurring basis as the new department begins work.