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City staff proposes taking electrical permits in-house; staff cites efficiency and revenue potential
Summary
At the April 27 workshop, codes staff proposed the city assume electrical permitting previously handled under the state deputy electrical inspector program, estimating $250,000–$300,000 in potential revenue and saying the change could speed permits and improve fire-safety coordination.
City staff told the Board at the April 27 budget workshop that the codes department is proposing the city take over electrical permitting and inspections currently handled through the state deputy electrical inspector program.
Bruce introduced the new fee-section proposal and invited Joe from the codes department to explain. Joe said the state program serves jurisdictions that do not perform their own electrical inspections and described differences between the state fee structure and a municipal schedule. He said the proposed local fee schedule is comparable to Smyrna’s. ‘‘The 1 that’s proposed is very comparable to what Smyrna uses,’’ Joe said. He added that conducting permits and inspections locally would make the city more of a one-stop shop and could improve turnaround time for customers.
Joe addressed liability: performing electrical inspections would not expose the city to greater liability than existing building, plumbing and mechanical inspections, he said. He estimated, based on permit activity in 2025, that the city might generate roughly $250,000–$300,000 annually from electrical permit fees if it begins issuing local electrical permits; staff cautioned that revenue estimates would firm up after one to two years of implementation.
Board members asked about staffing, certification and workload; Joe said the city’s inspectors could pursue certification and the permit fees would support any additional staffing. The board did not take final action at the workshop but staff said an ordinance authorizing fees and a June/July Board item would be required to implement the change.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language and fee schedules for consideration at upcoming BOMA meetings and return with implementation estimates and revenue projections.
