Building division reports 20% rise in inspections, flags state bills to watch

Chief building engineer Phil Wen told the Council that the building division — 10 full‑time city employees and five contractors — handles roughly 800 permit applications per month, issues about 600 permits and finaled more than 500 projects annually, and conducts about 2,700 inspections monthly. "Inspection request has increased by approximately 20%," Wen said, adding that the rise reflects more projects moving into active construction and faster construction timelines.

Wen highlighted several large projects under construction across Garden Grove, from hotel and resort tenant improvements to mixed‑use and storage developments, and said staff is recruiting permit technicians and building inspectors to meet demand. He also described several state assembly bills staff is tracking by the numbers presented at the meeting, including measures related to remote inspections and streamlined permit requirements for small multifamily projects.

Councilmembers asked whether remote or virtual inspections — if required by state law — would reduce local workload and whether reinspection fees and plan‑check contractor costs are being properly recovered. Wen said the bills are not yet law and that, if passed, the department will need to develop technologies and procedures for virtual inspections. On fees, he said the city typically charges reinspection fees only after multiple reinspections and confirmed outsourced plan‑checking costs are billed to applicants; staff promised follow‑up with more detailed numbers.

The presentation concluded with a commitment from staff to return with additional data on code‑enforcement activity, the financial recovery of outsourced plan checks, and implementation plans if state legislation is enacted.

The Council did not take formal action on the presentation; staff answered questions and will follow up with a future report.