At times Jeff Bauer may come off as the bad guy. He doesn’t mean to.
As Iola’s code enforcement officer, Bauer spends much of his workday dealing with building permits of one sort or another. When someone doesn’t follow the rules, it’s his job to intervene — such as requesting part of an interior wall torn out so he can make certain its construction meets building codes, if the job wasn’t preapproved.
“We try to make it as easy as possible” for people to obtain a building permit and do whatever they want with their homes, Bauer said from his office in City Hall. “We don’t want to make it difficult.”
ANYTHING outside of routine maintenance is likely to require a building permit.
“If structural sturdiness of a house, inside or out, might come into question, then a permit is required,” Bauer said. “If a house is being painted, new doors or windows are being put in or siding is being added, those things probably aren’t going to require a permit.”
Inspections are a part of the process.
“If we had a sketch and information about what is going to be done, such as tearing out a wall or reconfiguring a room, we’ll probably be able to issue a permit without making a prior visit,” he said. Once work starts, an inspection is a part of the process, sometimes with follow-up assessments.
Building anew is another matter. Inspections of the site, soil and what might occur with drainage need to be resolved ahead of time. Once construction starts, Bauer or his deputy, Tony Godfrey, drops by occasionally to make sure all is going as intended.
Remodeling is similar, but with fewer inspections.
For example, if a homeowner wants to put on a new roof, a permit is required and an inspection is needed to make sure an additional layer of shingles — a square covers 100 square feet and weighs about 250 pounds — doesn’t put too much strain on the roof’s superstructure.
A simple roof patch, with a handful of shingles or tar, doesn’t require a permit.
Iola doesn’t have zoning permits, but building permits fill the role.
“If you’re going to build a shed or move one on your property, you have to get a permit. We check to make sure zoning regulations (such as setbacks at property’s edge) are met and there’s no interference with utilities,” he said.
Bauer and Godfrey are eager to visit with homeowners about proposed projects, to help them decide whether a permit is needed.
“We welcome calls about permits or anything else at any time,” Bauer said. “If we can’t give an answer from a description of what’s going to be done, it’s easy for us to drive by.”
