Inspection Requirements from Bonney Lake, Auburn, and Gig Harbor as Construction Resumes

Bonney Lake and Auburn have reached out to Master Builders Association of Pierce County to alert us of their requirements for inspections going forward under Phase 1 construction allowance, approved by the Governor on Friday, April 24th. If you are looking for resources to best comply with the Governor’s Phase 1 requirements, please review BIAW’s site as a one stop shop for all pertinent information.

>> Visit Resources from BIAW

Nevertheless, these cities have sent Master Builders Association of Pierce County the following:

BONNEY LAKE

Bonney Lake is requiring that a copy of the COVID-19 Safety Plan be provided to the City before the inspection will be schedule. If you would please submit a copy of your Plan before you call in an inspection request, that would be very much appreciated. All you have to do is email it Jason Sullivan at SullivanJ@ci.bonney-lake.wa.us, along with the associated building permit number.

AUBURN

As you may be aware, Governor Inslee’s Phase I Construction Restart was implemented on April 24,2020. This addendum to Proclamation 20-25 allows for all construction activities that can meet a low-risk threshold of six foot distancing to resume. Along with the addendum, specific Job Site Requirements were also issued which include the requirement for contractors to develop and post a comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plan. Currently operating projects are required to be in compliance by no later than Friday, May 1, 2020.

In support of these recovery efforts, the City of Auburn will continue to provide inspection services for most commercial and previously unoccupied residential construction projects that are able to meet the job site requirements and have a COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plan in place. In order to for us to provide those services, we will need each job site to confirm for us that they are meeting these requirements and have a plan in place by completing the attached health safety plan submittal form. >>View the Submittal Form

Note that we will continue to suspend inspection services for previously occupied, habitable spaces and commercial areas associated with medical care at this time. However, we will accommodate requests for virtual inspections in cases where appropriate and feasible.

For projects requiring inspection starting the week of Monday, May 4, 2020, the completed form and a copy of the plan will need to be submitted prior to, or with the inspection request before 4:00 p.m. the prior working day. Once the above documentation has been received, it will be attached to the corresponding records in our permit tracking software and linked to the job site. Future inspection requests will be scheduled as normal and will not require plan or form submittals.

Inspectors who visit job sites will continue to wear personal protective equipment and conduct a no-contact inspection process as much as possible. We will continue to ask that inspection areas be sanitized and vacated prior to inspection to ensure the minimum 6-ft distancing is always maintained. Upon arrival, our inspector will call the job-site contact to let them know they are there and ask where they should go to sign the daily attendance log. Inspection corrections and guidance will continue to be provided in writing and by phone to limit direct contact.

Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties has prepared a toolkit with some great resources and guidance information to assist contractors prepare their job sites. The toolkit includes plan templates, checklists, job site posters, and more. >>Please feel free to consult the information here

GIG HARBOR

In response to the Governor’s April 24, 2020, Phase 1 Construction Restart COVID-19 Job Site Requirements, Gig Harbor will operate in accordance with the Phase 1: Low Risk guidelines.

“Restart existing construction projects with COVID-19 Safety Plans that allow work which only can be performed meeting social distancing requirements. These activities would be able to be performed meeting the requirements of the “COVID-19 Construction Industry Emergency Requirements – Version 4 -22020” or the “Residential Construction COVID-19 Job Site Requirements” without additional planning.”

Inspections Services updated 4/27/2020

Per guidelines issued by the Governor, the City of Gig Harbor will begin accepting requests for construction and land use inspections on Monday, April 27, 2020. In order to qualify for an inspection, the job site must be in compliance with the Governor’s Phase 1 Construction Restart COVID-19 Job Site Requirements. Job sites that are deemed to not be in compliance with the Governor’s guidelines will not be inspected.

All complaints regarding construction activity and job site compliance with the Governor’s guidelines should be directed to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry Call Center (1-800-423-7233) or via e-mail to adag235@lni.wa.gov, or visit this website to submit violations.

City staff will continue to respond to code enforcement complaints about any unpermitted development activity but will not attempt to enforce the Stay Home Order. If you have questions, please call  253-851-6170.