The Miami County department handles inspections locally as well as under contract in Darke, Shelby, Mercer and Auglaize counties.
The program will help save time in a busy construction atmosphere, particularly with rural locations, said Rob England, the Miami County’s chief building official.
“It saves time, it saves money, it saves gas,” he said, explaining the program has some limits.
The types of inspections that can be done by video so far include concrete slabs, light pole bases, foundation walls, insulation, ice guard, re-inspections for specific items and above ceiling inspections.
Under the program, the inspection is scheduled at contractor request. Once a connection is made via smart phone or tablet at the scheduled inspection time, the inspector needs to have access to the project approved drawings via video. The contractor representative will walk the inspector along on the electronic device to view anything needed.
If the project passes inspection, approval can be done remotely.
Rich Osgood, Miami County development director, said to his knowledge the virtual inspection program is the first in the state. The process has been used in other states including Colorado and California.
“The foresight by our building official, Rob England, to utilize technology in this manner is a major leap in customer service and demonstrates our ongoing assessment of policies and procedures to maximize best practices,” Osgood said.
Seven of the area’s largest contractors were asked to participate in the pilot program. Among inspections during the VIP pilot were underground electric at Honda of America in Anna, a commercial slab in Darke County and a re-inspection of insulation on a commercial building.
They provided feedback on improving the program before it was decided to continue offering the service in March, England said.
“We will be using emails, phone calls, social media as well as the new Miami County website to promote the ‘VIP’ program. Word of mouth will also play a huge part in spreading the word across our jurisdictions as builders look to use any advantage they can to be more productive,” England said.
The program did not require state approval, but all inspections meet criteria set by the Ohio Building Codes, he said.
England said he’s interested in using technology wherever possible to help improve the department’s processes. Future additional tools likely will include drones, he said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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