Join the Planning and Development Service Department in celebrating Building Safety during the month of May! This month-long campaign recognizes all aspects of building safety and reinforces the need for adoption and implementation of modern, regularly-updated building codes. These codes help individuals, families and businesses by creating safe, sustainable structures constructed in a manner that minimizes risk of injury and property damage.

All communities need building codes to protect their citizens. Model building codes, adopted and enforced by well-trained, professional officials are society’s best way of protecting homes, offices, schools, stores and entertainment venues. The City of Southlake recently adopted the latest International Building Codes in April of this year.

“Our staff members: Permit Technicians, Code Enforcement Officers, Fire Officials, Building Inspectors and Plans Examiners are also known as First Preventers, whom play a major role in protecting property and making sure Southlake families and the community is safer and more resilient,” stated Senior Director of Planning and Development Services Ken Baker. “Success is measured as a non-event; therefore, their mission is to prevent harm by ensuring compliance with building safety codes before a disaster occurs.”

During 2020, the Planning and Development Services department developed and implemented ways in which residents and customers can interact with staff virtually through e-services. The building inspections division created a process to provide virtual building inspections to residents and contractors for certain types of inspections (water heaters, roofs, and HVAC systems). The virtual inspections process allows photos and videos to be submitted to the City in lieu of an inspector physically visiting a home or site to perform the inspection, which results in eliminating the need for a homeowner or contractor to stay at home or on the site to meet the inspector. This virtual process also allows the City to improve efficiency and save money by reducing travel time and cost.

Additionally, the building division upgraded their EnerGov Customer Self-Service portal, which is a multi-faceted site used for permitting and scheduling inspections. The site allows customers to pay fees, check inspection results, apply for all building permits and upload plans. By accepting applications online, our department has reduced paper waste and continues to streamline our submittal process.

The International Code Council identified four core themes that will be highlighted throughout the month of May:

The Planning and Development Services Department made a presentation to City Council on May 4 to commemorate the occasion.

To learn more about Building Safety Month, please visit International Code Council’s website.

For more information about Southlake’s best practices for building safety, visit www.CityofSouthlake.com/BuildingInspectionsandCodeEnforcement or give us a call at (817) 748-8621.