Email Notification Archive




10/01/2024 – **Inspection Schedule Update**

Our Building Inspectors are still finishing up damage assessments from the storm. Any inspections scheduled for today that are not completed will be rolled to tomorrow. Thank you for your patience as we work to ensure Alachua County residents will be eligible for any available disaster relief funds.

Other items of Interest from the Alachua County Building Division for all permit applicants:

  • A webpage has been created for installation instruction(s) links. It will contain links to commonly used products where we have seen or anticipate failed inspections. Please forward any links you recommend that we add to the page. We are providing this page to assist you and your subcontractors. We are not recommending or endorsing any of the products. This will be on the Growth Management website (growth-management.alachuacounty.us) under Forms/Building General Information.
  • We have created a window attachment inspection checklist which is listed on our Growth Management website under Forms/Building General Information.
  • The use of blocking under lights, receptacles, dryer vents, electrical equipment, etc. will start being enforced on permits pulled on or after November 1st 2024. This is for Hardi-Board siding.
  • House wrap - There are several different manufacturers of house wrap with different nuances to their installation instructions. One example is a requirement for window sill seal tape to be installed directly to wood while another manfuacturer requires the tape to be installed directly to the house wrap on the window sill. I am attempting to schedule customers representatives for a meeting with installers to demonstrate products installed according to installation instructions and will provide more information on this when ready. If you have any suggested contacts for customers representatives, please send them to me.
  • Effective October 1st the discount for using private providers will be reduced from 50% to 25%.
  • Notice of Commencements need to be uploaded individually and labeled as NOC.
  • Roofing Contractors- Please upload the Florida Product Approval numbers or PDF’s at the time of application. This is for the roof material, underlayment and skylights.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dan Gargas Building Official

dgargas@alachuacounty.us

352-672-3877

05/20/2024 – Alachua County Building Division Updates

Items of Interest from the Alachua County Building Division:

  1. Applicants building or remodeling single family homes may now schedule a structural framing inspection and separate MEP inspections if they so desire. There will be a $70 charge for each additional inspection if not bundled together.
  2. Insulation - Please make sure insulation is cut to fit and not compressed
  3. Contractors using private providers- the County's private provider policies and procedures are now available on the Growth Management Department website. The results of our inspection confirmations will soon be posted on our website as per changes in the Florida Statutes.
  4. House wrap - There are several different manufacturers of house wrap with different nuances to their installation instructions. One example is a requirement for window sill seal tape to be installed directly to wood while another manfuacturer requires the tape to be installed directly to the house wrap on the window sill. I am attempting to schedule customers representatives for a meeting with installers to demonstrate products installed according to installation instructions and will provide more information on this when ready. If you have any suggested contacts for customers representatives, please send them to me.
  5. ZIP board - Review the installation instructions with your installers. Nails cannot be over driven, spacing is required between the panels and proper flashing is required.
  6. Hardi-Board - Review the installation instructions with your installers. Key areas are proper fastening, flashing and providing spacing between the Hardi-Board and windows and doors and the siding itself.
  7. If you have an inspection that requires attic access a properly sized ladder is required to be onsite and located at the area to be accessed. Examples are solar permits, final inspection on new homes to view the attic and mechanical inpsections where attic access is required.
  8. Stem walls are required to be inspected prior to pouring the cells.
  9. For stand-alone permits, please schedule a 9000 Final Inspection. For example, do not schedule a final electrical, final plumbing, or final mechanical on stand-alone permits.
  10. Please include an accurate work description and scope of work on all permits. Limited work descriptions and scopes such as 'reroof' or 'rewire' do not provide sufficient detail and lead to delays in permit processing.
  11. Residential electrical permits for adding or modifying the system require submittal of a plan that indicates the location of the work.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dan Gargas Building Official

dgargas@alachuacounty.us

352-672-3877

10/31/2023 – Alachua County Building Division Updates - General Updates

Items of Interest from the Alachua County Building Division:

  1. The 2023 Florida Building Code goes into effect December 31st. All applications submitted on or after that date must be certified for compliance with the 2023 Code.
  2. The Building Division website has a new page 'Analsyis of Changes 8th Edition (2023) FBC' with helpful information indicating changes in several of the new codes, including FBC Building, FBC Residential, and FBC Energy Conservation. This page will be updated with more information as changes to the other FBC codes are made available.
  3. A meeting/workshop of the Building Division for swimming pool contractors is scheduled for December 6 at 1:00 PM in room 207 on the second floor of the County Annex Building at 10 SW 2nd Avenue. Limited seating will be available as well as the ability to attend virtually. The purpose is to review our plan review and inspection process, identify common reasons why inspections and plans are not approved, and to discuss ways to improve the process.
  4. At the suggestion of one of our pool contractors, we have added checkboxes when applying for an inground pool to identify when footings for a future pool enclosure and/or rentention walls are being installed by the pool contrator as part of their permit. Plans for those features will be required to be uploaded when these boxes are checked.
  5. Mechanical contractors should take note that the more efficient furnaces have MOCP of 15 amps. When completing an installation please confirm the correct breaker size.
  6. I was contacted by a mechanical contractor who has had issues with duct sweating, light cans sweating and general condensation in teh attic. He noted that the contributing issues were inadequate roof venting, missing insulation, and homeowners who wanted the cooling temperature to be 70 degrees.
  7. Construction can be a frustrating process. I have received comments from my staff of construction workers getting upset about inspection results. I will not give examples of what is being said, but do encourage anyone who reaches that level of frustration to call me rather than express their frustration to the inspectors.
  8. When scheduling an inspection there is an option to request an AM or PM inspection. Although we try to satisfy these requests, it is not always possible. We do attempt to prioritize inspections such as mechanical and water heater change outs where homeowners are present. It is always helpful to have the homeowner's contact information provided in the notes on the inspection request so that we can be in direct contact.
  9. I recognize that the Division can improve our quality of service. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your suggestions.

If you like what we are doing, tell others. If you do not, tell me.

Dan Gargas Building Official

dgargas@alachuacounty.us

352-672-3877

09/26/2023 – Alachua County Building Division Updates - Fee Schedule Update

With the County's new fiscal year beginning October 1st customers will see some small adjustments in permit fees for any applications submitted on or after that date.

The County recently conducted a fee study for our building permit fees, and for the first time since 2010 adopted some minor fee changes that can be found on our website here (see Building Permitting beginning on p.31):

http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/OMB/Budgets/FY23-24%20Fee%20Schedule.pdf

Any open permits or applications already in Citizenserve prior to October 1st will not be affected by these changes.

Thank you,

Alachua County Building Division


07/24/2023 – Alachua County Building Division Updates - General Updates
  1. All Contractors CODE CHANGE

    2. Effective December 31st 2023, the 2023 Florida Building Code and 2020 NEC go into effect. The different Florida Building Codes are available online and can be found by searching for the Florida Building Code

  2. All Contractors

    3. Site tubes are no longer accepted for trench inspections. If you want a virtual inspection please indicate it in the notes and include an onsite contact person, their phone number and an estimated time. Please download the Skype app to the phones being used.

  3. All Contractors

    4. We have added three checklists to our website:

  4. Single trade permits

    5. Single trade permits such as water heater replacements, HVAC replacements need to have a 9000 Final Inspection scheduled so that it closes the permit.

    (THIS NOTICE WAS ORIGNALLY SENT IN JANUARY AND THIS SERVES AS A REMINDER)

  5. Swimming Pool Contractors

    6. Please name your electrician and gas contractor on the swimming pool permit at the time of application. They are not required nor do we want them to get a separate permit. Permit applications will not be forwarded for review until the subcontractors are named. Effective immediately.

  6. General Contractors

    7. Please name all subcontractors at the time of application for residential projects. Permit applications will not be forwarded for review until the subcontractors are named. Effective immediately.

  7. Electrical and Solar Contractors

    8. To all contractors involved with electrical work requiring the utility provider to disconnect/reconnect power at the customer's building/structure:

    • To ensure a prompt reconnection of the electrical service for the customers dwelling/structure, which may require utility shut down, please complete the electrical work within the electrical meter enclosure to the first main disconnect(s) as a priority, including any/all wiring from the meter enclosure to the line side connection(s) of the main service equipment and the grounding electrode system.
    • Please include a phone contact name/number of the field technician on site for the project within the scheduled inspection notes so that the field inspector may coordinate the allotted time for arrival once the work has been completed and is ready for inspection.
    • Any electrical work remaining on the load side of the service disconnect, after the utility reconnection has been made, may be completed with an additional inspection as needed. The contractor/technician may utilize the main disconnect to de-energize the electrical system for safety reasons for the remaining work to be completed as needed.
    • Thank you for prioritizing this coordination to implement the customers power to be re-energized in a timely manner.

Please email any questions or comments to dgargas@alachuacounty.us

Dan Gargas

Building Official

03/22/2023 – New Payment Options for Alachua County Permitting

Good Afternoon,

We are excited to announce that starting tomorrow, March 23rd, you will now be able to pay by e-check in Citizenserve, as well as PayPal, Venmo and Apple Pay! We are transitioning to a new version of the Civitek payment processing interface, so it may look a bit different but will still function as you are used to only with these additional options available.

All e-check payments will have a flat $5 processing fee for Civitek regardless of the payment amount, instead of the 3.5% fee you see for credit card payments. We hope this will be beneficial to users for payments on larger items like commercial permits and impact fee payments, and for those who pay by check but want faster service rather than waiting on a check to arrive to us by mail or delivering it in person. We love to see you of course, but want you to have the option not to come downtown if it is an inconvenience!

All e-pay options (PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay) will have the same 3.5% processing fee as with credit card payments.

As always, please let us know if you have questions or need assistance Have a great day!


02/17/2023 – New Prepay Beta Test for Roofing Permits

Good afternoon,

Effective Monday, February 20th, we are going to begin beta testing a prepay option for roofing permits where the applicant is offered an opportunity to pay their permit fee at the time of application. Our goal is to reduce the time it takes to issue the permit by eliminating the 'Payment Due' step. If this test is successful, we expect to roll this out to other 'over the counter' permit types that do not require a plan review in the future. There will still be an option to submit the permit without payment for those that do not wish to pay up front, or that prefer to pay by cash or check. Let us know if you have any trouble submitting your permit applications. We will keep you posted on our progress and hopefully will have more permit types with this option available soon.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Holly Banner

hbanner@alachuacounty.us
01/24/2023 – Update to Building Division Improvements and New Roofing Item

Good afternoon,

  1. First a new item to clarify - kickout flashing is required on all new and replacement roofs effective January 24th, 2023. New home roofs that have passed an 1180 Roof Flashing and Underlayment inspection are exempt. Reroofs will be required to have it installed on all permits issued on or after January 24th, 2023.
  2. Form board surveys shall be uploaded prior to any inspections of vertical construction being completed. The slab inspection will be failed indicating that a form board survey is required, proceed at your own risk. The form board survey takes the place of a finished floor inspection as well as confirming the location on the lot. Form board surveys are only required in subdivisions served by sewers for the new home being constructed. This inspection is for residential structures up to 3 units. Accessory structures do not require form board surveys.
  3. We had a request to determine if NOCs could be filed electronically. This is the response I received from the Clerk of Courts. Please investigate the link and determine if it can be helpful to your company: The Clerk's Office offers e-recording through several third party vendors. Information about e-recording and links to the vendors can be found at http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/Clerk/Pages/e-Recording.aspx.
  4. We also had a request for staff to indicate the permit number when responding to Citizenserve messages. That suggestion has been implemented.

Please call or email me with any suggestions or questions.

Dan Gargas Building Official

dgargas@alachuacounty.us

352-672-3877

01/10/2023 – Updates from the Alachua County Building Official

Please be advised that the Alachua County Building Division is making some changes to improve the process for a more efficient operation. These changes will allow us to respond quicker to inquiries and ensure we have time to complete inspections.

I would also like to acknowledge that we have hired an Assistant Building Official Chris Hall who can be reached at chall@alachuacounty.us or 352-756-6063 and a new inspector Prince Johnston pjohnston@alachuacounty.us or 352-213-4958. Prince replaces Mike Nixon.

On another note I do look at all permits as partnerships between the contractors, designers, homeowners and the building division. We all want the same outcomes - a project that meets or exceeds code and I desire to not hear that the Building Division held up a project needlessly.

I also want you to be aware that if you like what we do tell others, if you don’t, tell me.

Dan Gargas Building Official

dgargas@alachuacounty.us

352-672-3877

Improvements as follows:

Effective date February 1, 2023. Unless otherwise noted

  1. Reroof in-progress inspections. The roofers do not need to leave a section open for inspection. The homes are occupied and the contents and finishes need to be protected. Roof Inspection Affidavits are required to be uploaded and onsite for finals. Final inspections where the affidavit is not uploaded will be failed with a reinspection fee. Effective immediately.
  2. Interior backer board inspections are no longer required. Effective immediately.
  3. Single trade permits such as water heater replacements, HVAC replacements need to have a 9000 Final Inspection scheduled so that it closes the permit. Effective immediately.
  4. Contractors will have to schedule their own inspections online. Building division staff will no longer be scheduling inspections for contractors. Please go to FAQ on the building division site for instructions on how to schedule an inspection and how to add your superintendents to a permit to allow them to add inspections. Do not schedule an inspection and ask for additional inspections in the notes. Schedule separate inspections.
  5. We will be working with Citizenserve to require payment at time of application for stand-alone permits that have a set fee. This will reduce the number of times a permit has to be touched, with the intent to reduce time in processing and process permits quicker. TBA
  6. Upload termite treatments and density test documentation prior to scheduling a structural slab inspection.
  7. Form Board surveys shall be uploaded prior to any inspections of vertical construction being completed. The slab inspection will be failed indicating that a form board survey is required proceed at your own risk. The form board survey takes the place of a finished floor inspection as well as confirming the location on the lot.
  8. Inspectors are not to be used for completing contractors punchout lists. Inspectors will not be canceling inspections by department nor saying inspection stopped unless approved by the Building Official. If it is determined that there is a pattern with a contractor or superintendent of using inspectors for punch out lists or scheduling inspections that are not ready, further inspections will be completed by appointment with the Building Official or Assistant Building Official, the zone inspector and the qualifier for the company.
  9. Please upload your NOC when required prior to permit issuance to prevent delaying inspections.
  10. When applying for a permit, plans prepared by an architect or engineer are required to have a verifiable digital seal and use the provided identifiers in the submittal documents. Do not load single pages of plans or the submittal will be rejected.
  11. Please use the message feature in Citizenserve to contact the Building Division administrative staff. Log in to your Citizenserve account and go to “view my requests.” From there, click on the permit file you want to go to, then there should be an option to leave a message. You can leave a message there and we will respond in the order received.
  12. We are working on preparing a list of common violations by inspection for one, two and three family homes. We hope to have this complete by late spring or early summer.






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