Commissioner Merritt says architect self-certification for ADUs merits consideration; staff flags safety and liability concerns

One optional amendment in the 2026 docket—the proposal to allow architects to self-certify accessory dwelling unit (ADU) plans—drew sustained discussion but no departmental recommendation.

Tiffany Spear, planning staff, told the commission the department "did not wanna come in with a recommendation" on the self-certification option because of liability and life-safety concerns: "There is some concern with self certification due to the fact that life safety issues may or may not have been satisfied if something is a mistake...where's the liability lie?" Spear said the packet presents the option for the commission and council to decide.

Commissioner Merritt, who commissioners and staff identified as an architect, urged the commission to permit the idea to be aired at the public hearing and suggested indemnification language could address city liability. "As an architect, we stamp the drawings...We are liable. We are responsible for that to be taken care of," Merritt said, adding that architects should be held accountable and that the profession could be more diligent.

Commissioners asked whether self-certification would apply when no architect stamps plans and how inspections would work. Staff clarified that the self-certification proposal applies to architect-stamped plans only and that the city's inspection process would still occur during construction. Spear said applicants without stamped drawings would not qualify for the self-certification route.

No formal recommendation was made at the meeting; staff left the issue to be developed further and debated at the June 17 public hearing. Several commissioners requested that the building official or plans examiner attend the next meeting to provide technical perspectives.