Building Inspection Division
At Your Service!



Mission Statement

The Building Inspections Division is dedicated to the enforcement of the community's standards for safety, health, and durability of buildings constructed, altered, or maintained within the City. The Division enforces these standards through a program of providing information to the public, and through plans examination and on-site inspections by specially qualified personnel.


Building Inspection location:
City Hall, 555 Walnut, Room 100
Abilene, TX

Office hours:
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
We are open through the noon hour.
The office is closed from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for staff meeting on Wednesdays.

Inspectors may be contacted between the hours of:
7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
and
4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.



"Attention Contractors"

Expired Permits to be closed by January 1st 2010


After January 1st, 2010 contractors with expired permits will not be able to renew their contractor's registration or their registration will be revoked and no new permits will be issued until the contractor's registration is reinstated.

As stated in Chapter 1 of the International Codes and Chapter 3 of the Abilene Electrical Code, it is the responsibility of the permit holder to notify the Building Inspection Department when such work is ready for inspection and to obtain a final approval on each permit.

Every Permit issued shall become invalid unless the work on the site authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after it's issuance, or if the work authorized on the site by such permit is suspended or abondoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced.


Requirements to close open permit:

1. Contact owner of property where permit has expired.

2. Explain to property owner that an inspection has not been previously requested, and/or final inspection has not been obtained.

3. Any correction notices must be corrected.

4. Arrange a date with the property owner for an inspection and notify Building Inspections to make the inspection request.

5. Do not call more than 3 inspections in, on expired permits, on any given workday.

6. Note: Re-inspection fees will be charged where previous corrections have not been made and/or where property owners have not been properly notified.

 

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. We appreciate the professionalism of the contractors who have been diligent in closing out permits.


*** News and Information***


1. The 2009 International Residential Code and the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code are now being reviewed.

2. The 2009 International Fuel Gas Code review is complete and will be sent to the Board for review.

3. The review of the 2009 International Plumbing Code and the 2009 International Mechanical Code are now complete and will be sent to the Board for review.

4. The 2008 National Electric Code has been adopted and the effective date was May 6, 2009.

5. Effective September 10, 2008 the City of Abilene adopted the new State Standards for Swimming Pools.



To further the goals of providing information to the public, the Building Inspection Division web site has six main areas of interest.

Permit & Inspection Data
Data on all permits issued by Building Inspection and the status of those permits can be retrieved using this form by owner name, permit number, contractor, and address. The following reports can also be viewed:



Hand Outs
Documents, diagrams, specifications, permits needed, licensing requirements, construction guidelines, procedures, installation manuals, checklists and much more.

Permit Fees
Includes tables of the permits and inspection fees required by the City of Abilene Building Inspection Division. These are also published in the related amendment booklets which are available for purchase from the Building Inspections Division.

Permit Holders General Information
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Building Inspection Division.

Permit/Voucher Program
The Permit/Voucher program allows a contractor, licensed in his/her trade, to replace and/or modify certain mechanical and plumbing equipment or re-roof existing buildings by installing a voucher sticker and filing the appropriate follow-up paperwork in lieu of obtaining a permit prior to installation and scheduling of an inspection.

Contractor Information
Standard bond forms in Adobe Acrobat Format that can be printed out from your computer and filled out. Also includes links to information regarding contractor licensing, registration, and other requirements.

Local Amendments to the codes are available in booklet form for purchase from Building Inspections. Please call us at (325) 676-6273

Building Inspection Overview
The Building Inspection Services Division is responsible for ensuring that all buildings constructed, altered, or maintained in the City meet recognized standards for quality and safety. The staff is a diverse group of construction experts each trained and certified in one or more building trades. Activity of the Division is service-intense, and much of the focus recently has been on streamlining the permitting process, improving call-response procedures, and increasing the level of communications with customers. The Division staff is highly involved in the formulation and interpretative development of the national codes that govern the construction industry. Personnel also respond to customer complaints regarding dilapidated structures and work with property owners to maintain neighborhood property values.

As the need for customer communication continues to increase, the Division looks to technology, particularly the Internet, as the means for disseminating information and creating an interactive forum for permit approval.