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Staff cite unpermitted work, doubled fees and safety incidents in push for stricter enforcement
Summary
Staff described examples of unpermitted renovation (including a gas explosion), their enforcement approach (double permit fee, required corrective work), and said frequent field presence helps detect violations in a built‑out city.
City building officials described routine enforcement actions and enforcement tools they plan to retain under the 2024 code amendments. Brian recounted a recent unsafe renovation that led to a gas explosion and said much of the department's day‑to‑day work is identifying unpermitted or unsafe work.
“We will often drive by somebody that's got a dumpster ... and we'll find out that there is now a building permit pulled for that address,” Brian said. “At that point, we tell them that the permanent fee is now double. That's essentially their penalty for doing work without a permit.” He said if work is performed incorrectly, owners must correct or remove noncompliant work and bring the structure up to the code standard.
Staff explained inspection steps (a sequence of inspections leads to a certificate of occupancy once work meets code) and said building inspectors regularly visit sites — Courtney and Devin were cited as spending substantial time in the field — which increases the chance of catching unpermitted work in a smaller community like Mission.
