City Of Kansas City: City Reviews Building Inspection Process To Ensure Public Safety

Press release from the City of Kansas City:

07/13/2021 5:30 PM

NEWS RELEASE The tragic building collapse in Surfside Florida has City officials looking for even more preventative ways to ensure buildings, public and private, remain safe for our community. This month, the City Council will consider a resolution that looks at policies related to the inspection of City-owned or leased building structures. The City is already taking steps out of an abundance of caution to repair the City Hall garage. The City Hall south plaza was closed to the public last week and parking will be closed to all access by the end of the month while structural repairs inside the parking garage are completed. In addition, the City is looking at ways to ensure private property owners are compliant with City inspection requirements. “We are reviewing our rules and regulations to ensure the highest level of safety for all occupants of any building structure in our city. Our building codes and requirements are already in alignment with all national and international building regulations, but we can always find ways to improve,” said City Manager Brian Platt. One preventative measure already in place is the City’s requirement that owners of private, multi-level parking structures, radio and T.V. communication towers and occupied cave structures must send an inspection report to the City every five years. A staff review of this process found there were many property owners that were delinquent in providing their inspection reports. The City is following up with owners to ensure they provide their most recent inspection report or immediately conduct inspections if they have not done so in more than five years. “The owners of these structures have a responsibility to send us these reports and the City has an obligation to ensure property owners are following city requirements. We are immediately sending notices to all owners who have past due reports and conducting on-site visits, with priority given to those whose most recent report indicated any limitations or need for repairs,” said City Planning and Development Director Jeffrey Williams. If a property is found to be out of compliance and unsafe, the City has the authority to prevent occupancy if deemed appropriate. This city is not aware of any structures that pose an immediate risk. The City can also deem a structure a Dangerous Building if already unoccupied. The City plans to streamline the periodic inspections process for these private buildings and work has begun to update owner contact information databases and automate the inspection submittal process through the City’s online planning and permitting platform, Compass KC. Furthermore, the City will convene a group of stakeholders to consider whether there is a need for adjustment on frequency and scope of the city’s current inspection requirements, for both private and public buildings. The Administration will be presenting options for improvement at the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee meeting on July 21. For more information, please contact: Maggie Green, Media Relations Manager, at 816-379-6562.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.