Digital review a boon for Cape

At city hall's development services office in Cape Girardeau, a new, digital plan-review system has begun to streamline the time it takes to get licenses, officials said, and errors are now easier to spot.

That means time and expense saved for those applying for building permits, said Todd Richbourg, plan reviewer and site inspector for the city.

Building permits are required for new construction or amending existing buildings, and the application process can be a bit complex, said Anna Kangas, building and code enforcement manager for the city.

Residential permits are needed for new single-family homes or duplexes, and for projects including driveways, fences, signs, decks, swimming pools and any home renovation that involves moving or adding a wall, or changing a system that affects life safety: plumbing, electrical, mechanical or structural, Richbourg said.

And residential permits are less complicated than commercial, Kangas said.

Commercial permits require a licensed engineer or architect, Kangas said, because the higher the occupancy load in a structure, the higher the risk of fire.

If egress -- flow of people toward and through exits -- is not planned properly, Richbourg said, tragedy can ensue.

Another consideration with commercial permits: stormwater.

The city's rain flow eventually drains into the Mississippi River, Kangas said, so it's of utmost importance to be sure parking lots have safeguards built in.

Metal grates and gravel-lined trenches help keep litter, oil, even antifreeze out of the river, Kangas said.

Once plans are submitted, Richbourg reviews the plans, then makes notes on needed revisions where a plan doesn't meet code, or has errors.

It's rare that a set of plans will be accepted with no revisions, but it does happen, he said.

Then there's a back-and-forth conversation between builder and plan reviewer, Richbourg said.

"Sometimes, in making a correction, they'll inadvertently create a new issue," Richbourg said, and it's his job to spot that.

Other times, the builder or owner will make a correction that doesn't correspond with a suggestion Richbourg made, and under the old, paper-based system, those were hard to catch. That led to delays and added cost on the builder's end, he said.

But now, with the electronic system, the software has a compare mode to highlight differences between the drafts, Richbourg said.

It color-codes changes, making them easier to notice, he added.

The new system was implemented about six weeks ago, after nearly three years of research and discussion between city departments that also use the software, he said.

"It's a huge savings," Kangas said, not only in time spent on the reviews, but on errors or oversights.

And now, other departments can review the plans without having to come to city hall to pick them up, she added.

The fire department and county health department must review plans for a restaurant, for example, she said. Wastewater management and the assessor's office also need to check plans.

And designers, many of whom don't necessarily keep regular work hours, can review the plans online at their convenience, Richbourg said.

Permit fees can be paid online too, but permits still have to be picked up in person -- for now.

Roughly 700 contractors are licensed to work in Cape Girardeau, Kangas said, but that number doesn't account for contractors who hold multiple licenses -- Cape Girardeau requires a contractor to hold a license for each system they work on, be it electrical, plumbing, mechanical and so forth.

"I hear not every place is like that," Kangas said.

But the plans must adhere to the building codes, which are created by an international committee and adopted by cities, roughly every six years, Kangas said.

Richbourg said he's responsible for knowing everything in those books, and making sure the plans meet the specifications.

Sometimes submitted plans will have used the wrong year's code, and that is a problem easily avoidable by checking with the city before drawing up the plans, Richbourg said.

In fact, a lot of issues can be headed off by calling the department long before the project begins, Richbourg said.

Nationwide retailers often send a person ahead, Kangas said, with a list of questions for the department. That saves them time and effort down the line, she said.

What it boils down to, Richbourg said, is, "If you have a question, call us.

"We appreciate calls," he continued, noting that the department receives calls from people checking to see whether a project they've seen has a permit.

The department can be reached at (573) 339-6327. The office is at 401 Independence St., second floor, in Cape Girardeau, and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. Development Services also has a Facebook page to inform people of new projects and to get input from residents.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630