May 12, 2020 - Daily Update

Building Safety & Permits
Good morning, Building Safety & Permits has 73 inspections for today, May 12, 2020.

Note that our office is closed to the public until further notice.

The James City County PermitLink system will be getting an upgrade on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Please be aware that the site will be down on Tuesday, May 19th while the upgrade is taking place. Keep an eye out for new user guides and instructions for requesting inspections while the site is down, which will be distributed later this week.

We recommend requesting inspections for Wednesday, May 20th in advance on Monday, May 18th. If you need to schedule an inspection on Tuesday while the site is down, you may contact the Building Safety and Permits Division at buildingsafetyandpermits@jamescitycountyva.gov or 757-253-6626 and Press Option 1
When accessing your account following the upgrade, you will notice several new features including a new home page with links to commonly used actions and contact information for the Building Safety and Permits, Planning, Zoning, and Stormwater and Resource Protection Divisions, as well as a new Applicant Assistant feature to help you identify the proper application type for your projects. Within your plans and permits, you will also find a new Summary tab with updates on recent actions taken on your case, providing you increased visibility into the status of your application, as well as quick links to pay invoices or request inspections.

We are also happy to share that we will have a new and improved user guide for the upgraded JCC PermitLink system. This user guide can be found on the James City County website at jamescitycountyva.gov/permitlink or in JCC PermitLink under "Supplemental Documents".

Should you have a follow-up question or if we can provide additional assistance, here are some frequently requested contact numbers:

Building Safety and Permits: 757-253-6882
Stormwater and Resource Protection: 757-253-6670
Planning/Zoning: 757-253-6685

Re-inspection Policy

Please note that all re-inspection fees must be paid PRIOR to requesting a re-inspection.

Modified Inspection Protocols as a result of COVID-19
To enhance the safety of Building Safety & Permits (BS&P) inspectors and our customers, we will triage inspections based on the ability to limit person-to-person contact according to the best available data and the following protocols.

When and where there is the greatest opportunity to limit person-to-person contact, inspections will continue with minimal changes. These are inspections that are performed outside in open air environments; such as, footings, foundations, floor framing, decks, temporary power poles, underground utility trench inspections, and similar. Most often these inspections may be performed without anyone else present.

When and where there is a moderate ability to limit person-to-person contact (those inspections that typically occur in environments where the work area is enclosed), BS&P inspectors will evaluate each situation and may take any of the following measures: 1) request that those present temporarily leave the space until the inspection is completed; 2) request to use approved video or photographic means to verify code compliance; 3) request that the inspection be rescheduled for a different time (possibly the same day); or 3) recommend to the permit holder that he or she request a waiver of the inspection, as allowed by USBC Section 113.1: “when the construction cost is less than $2,500 the inspection may, at the discretion of the inspecting authority be waived.” Examples of these inspections may include framing and insulation inspections, trade rough-in / final inspections, and building final inspections.

When and where there is limited to no ability to limit person-to-person contact, the inspectors will review appropriate actions with their supervisor and then coordinate with the permit holder prior to initiating the inspection. These may be inspections in occupied homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In occupied homes, the inspectors and their supervisor may choose to use options 2 or 3, as noted above. For nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the inspector’s supervisor may suggest that the permit holder seek approval of a third-party inspector, in accordance with the building official’s written policy (https://va-jamescitycounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/6494/Policy-Regarding-Approval-of-Third-party-Inspectors-and-Agencies-PDF).

Requests to submit video and/or photographs in lieu of work area visits by BS&P inspectors must be pre-approved by the Director of Building Safety & Permits or the Inspections Section Chief. Such exhibits must include a way to verify the date, time and location as well as the identity of the person taking the video or photograph.

Please see this link regarding 3^rd Party Inspections which REQUIRE pre-approval by the Inspection Chief. https://jamescitycountyva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6494/Policy-Regarding-Approval-of-Third-party-Inspectors-and-Agencies-PDF You may email Allen Turner allen.turner@jamescitycountyva.gov to request pre approvals

Board of Supervisors Update
Due to COVID-19, and in order to help applicants complete as many transactions as possible remotely, the JCC Board of Supervisors has waived all credit card and e-check convenience charges through June 30, 2020.

Contact: 757-253-6626
https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/406/Building-Safety-Permits