The City of Tulsa is setting up a program that would allow licensed third parties to review building plans and perform some inspections.
It’s intended to help developers finish projects faster by getting inspections done sooner than the city can do them now with the staff it has.
The city's development services department, however, still has the final say.
"The provider would not have the authority to issue permits on behalf of the city. Likewise, for a certificate of occupancy, the city still has to issue the CO. The provider would not have the authority to do that, either," said City Attorney Jeff Stephens.
Providers must be licensed by the state for the work they’re doing. There are also some things they can’t review, like fire sprinkler systems, projects that need rezoning approved or work that affects a public right of way.
"There are also a procedure for sanctions for noncompliance by the providers. They can be, in effect, disciplined or suspended from the program or even removed from the program for misconduct or malfeasance," Stephens said.
City Councilor Ben Kimbro has been one of the third-party review plan’s main backers.
"So, there’s still a lot of controls lawfully given to the city in this. It’s not the Wild West of unqualified or under-qualified folks going out and inspecting things they don’t know what they’re looking at," Kimbro said, noting that several Oklahoma cities, including Broken Arrow, Sand Springs and Bixby have used similar programs.
The third-party review program has been delayed for a couple years because of a now-resolved issue in state law. The city council could give it final approval next week.
