Bureau of Development Services (City of Portland)'s Notes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2009
Contact: Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services 503.823.4268
(Portland, OR) Recognizing our business and community partners reliance on the services and resources we provide, the Bureau of Development Services has outlined its Holiday Closure schedule as follows:
November 26th & 27th:
The Bureau of Development Services Offices, as well as all City Offices, will be closed November 26th (Thanksgiving Day). The Bureau of Development Services will re-open the day after Thanksgiving, Friday November 27th, but the Development Services Center (1st Floor) and Permitting Services (2nd Floor) will be closed. All other Bureau of Development Services Offices will be open and requested daily inspections will be performed.
December 25th thru January 1st, 2010:
The Bureau of Development Services Offices, as well as all City Offices, will be closed December 25th (Christmas Day) and January 1st 2010 (New Year's Day). In addition, the Development Services Center (1st Floor) will be closed December 28th, 29th, 30th & 31st All other Bureau of Development Services Offices will be open and requested daily inspections will be performed.
__________________________
If you are not already aware, the Bureau of Development Services has had to make a substantial reduction to its workforce due to the current economic environment and construction activity slowdown. In order to keep customers up to date, we have developed a communication plan to regularly communicate changes through Service Level Updates. You can access these updates on line at www.portlandonline.com/bds by clicking on "Service Updates".
Plans Examiner (November/December 2009) - a bi-monthly publication to inform the building-design and construction community about development procedures, policies, procedures and events affecting their work with the City of Portland. Archived Issues.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2009
Contact: Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services 503.823.4268
(Portland, OR) In order to maintain the highest possible service level with limited resources, the Compliance Services Section and the Neighborhood Inspections Section have combined to maximize available resources in order to respond to as many complaints as possible. The newly combined Neighborhood Inspections & Compliance Services Section will operate Zoning, Noise, Work without Permit, Dangerous Buildings, Signs & A-Boards, Nuisance, Housing, Derelict Buildings, Exterior Maintenance Requirements on non-Residential Structures and Chapter 13/Systematic Inspection enforcement programs.
Due to the high reduction in enforcement inspection staff, it is also necessary to prioritize the various types of complaint investigation and enforcement cases. This will allow the workgroup to focus on the most critical violations relative to fire, life safety, health, sanitation, environmental and neighborhood livability.
“I understand the importance of our enforcement programs, which provide safety and livability services for our neighborhoods and commercial business,” said Paul Scarlett, Bureau Director, “and we will do our very best to continue addressing as many code complaints with the resources available at this time.”
A detailed list of enforcement / complaint operational changes and priorities is available at http://www.portlandonline.
- Elimination of live phone coverage for the BDS Enforcement Hotline (503-823-CODE) for reporting complaints.
- Elimination of Nuisance Abatements, except for the most severe Fire/Life/Safety and Health/Sanitation cases.
- Suspension of investigations for disabled vehicles on private property and zoning inspections for passenger vehicles and recreational vehicles.
- Suspension of investigations and abatements for storage of Non-trash items and debris.
- Increased timelines to investigate assigned cases.
- Suspension of investigations and abatements for tall grass and weeds and overgrowth along property lines.
If you have questions about the Bureau’s enforcement program please visit the Bureau website or contact Mike Liefeld at (503) 823-7332.
The Fall Landlord Training classes will be on November 9th, 14th, 18th and 21st. Class sign in begins at 8 a.m. and starts promptly at 8:30 a.m. The class lasts a full 8hrs, with a one hour lunch break mid day. Please see the Fall 2009 Class Schedule for locations below:
Fall 2009 Class Schedule
Date Location Monday, November 9 Portland Building - Auditorium, 1120 SW 5th Ave., Portland OR 97204 - 2nd floor Saturday, November 14University of Portland – Buckley Center Auditorium, 5000 N Willamette Blvd.
Wednesday, November 18Multnomah University – Travis-Lovitt Seminary Bldg., Rms. 111 & 112, 8435 NE Glisan St.
Saturday, November 21 PCC Cascade Campus, Terrell Hall Rm 122, 705 N Killingsworth (This class sponsored in part by Metro Multi Family Housing Association)Sign in begins at 8 a.m., with the class promptly starting at 8:30 a.m.. The class lasts a full 8 hours with a 1 hour lunch break.
You can also register at our website using the following link Online Registration or (Printable Version - PDF). If you would like to be added to the mailing list for future classes, please call the Landlord Training voice mail line at (503) 823-7955; leave your name, mailing address, phone number and a message that you would like to be added to the mailing list. Thank you for your interest in the Landlord Training Program.
You may include all, or part of the pre-approved design standards and details in this guide with your building permit plans for decks that are:
- For one- and two-family dwellings
- Single-span
- All on one level
- Not supporting a hot tub or spa
- Not attached to house overhangs, bay windows, brick, stone or concrete block
- Not more than 10 feet above the ground
- Not bearing on ground with a slope greater than 2 feet horizontal for every 1 foot vertical
For more information to help you design your deck, see Brochure 3a - Deck Design Guide.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2009
Contact: Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services 503.823.4268
(Portland, OR) The Bureau of Development Services is acting on its commitment to provide regular and timely information to customers on service level adjustments during this economic downturn.
The downturn has resulted in sustained reduction in workload and permit fee revenues for the bureau over the past year. By the middle of October 2009, the staffing level at BDS will have been reduced by approximately 50% due to the economic crisis.
These staffing reductions have necessitated changes to the current level of service in the permit inspection program. This update focuses on the changes to the permit inspection programs aimed at assisting our inspectors in providing the highest possible level of service to our customers. Following is a brief summary of the most significant changes to Inspections Program during this interim time:
- Suspension of two-hour time certain inspection requests.
- Required “bundling” of related inspection requests.
- Ranked Inspections with the highest priority going to fire and life safety, structural integrity and neighborhood livability. Some lower priority inspections will be suspended, such as “consultation” inspections, until further notice.
- Re-inspection fees, to ensure cost recovery, will be charged as allowed per code and as deemed appropriate.
The following link will take you to a detailed list of the changes: http://www.portlandonline.
“I realize that these changes may cause some inconvenience to our customers,” said Paul Scarlett, Bureau Director, “but we will monitor closely and make adjustments where and when necessary to maximize our resources during this challenging time.”
Permit inspections will continue to be performed five days a week. The automated Interactive Voice Request (IVR) procedure remains unchanged. The inspection division recommends walk-in customers call for an appointment if they need to meet with permit inspections staff.
If you have questions about the bureau’s permit inspection services please contact Inspections Manager Jim Nicks at (503) 823-1054.
Please join us on September 24th – 27th at the Oregon Convention Center at Bureau of Development Services Booth #2813.
CLICK HERE to print a $2.00 coupon good towards entry to the Home Improvement Show™.
For more information visit http://www.oregonremodeler
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2009
Contact: Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services 503.823.4268
(Portland, OR) The Bureau of Development Services is committed to providing the highest level of service to the City’s development community and citizens through an effective and coordinated development review and inspection program.
Over the last year, the Bureau has experienced its most drastic workload and revenue decline in recent history due to a steep and sustained decline in construction activity. In response to the revenue decline, the Bureau has laid off 150 employees in three phases, with the final stage effective September 30, 2009.
Bureau management and staff continue to work on implementing organizational changes and efficiencies that will maximize our ability to provide customers an acceptable level of service despite reduced resources. We have already made a significant change: closing the Development Services Center (DSC) on Mondays. Please see the August 28, 2009 Press Release on the front page of our website at www.portlandonline.com/bds.
We will be working closely with our customer groups on developing and finalizing additional adjustments to services. We have developed a communication plan to regularly communicate any significant bureau organizational and service level changes to our customers, industry stakeholders, community organizations and citizens.
“The Bureau of Development Services is focusing all of its energy on maintaining the highest level of customer service possible in this extremely difficult situation,” said Paul Scarlett, Bureau Director, “We remain committed to working with our customers in an open, collaborative and productive manner.”
The Development Services Center (DSC) continues to provide a wide range of services to professionals and citizens interested in development regulations and policies, including the submittal of land use reviews, building permits, trade permits and street use permits. Document Services, located on the 2nd Floor, remains open Monday through Friday for building permit corrections and issuance.
Permit inspections will continue to be performed five days a week. The automated inspection request procedure remains unchanged. Effective August 31st, building inspections division telephones will be staffed from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Customers are encouraged to call for an appointment if they need to meet in person at the 1900 Building with inspections staff.
The Bureau of Development Services 5th Floor Reception desk remains open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
News - Plans Examiner (September/October 2009) - a bi-monthly publication to inform the building-design and construction community about development procedures, policies, procedures and events affecting their work with the City of Portland. Archived Issues.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2009
Contact: Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services 503.823.4268
(Portland, OR) Today, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Development Services released a list of approved leaf blowers that meet noise levels established in the City’s Noise Code Title 18 for use in the City of Portland. All leaf blowers used for personal and/or commercial activities inside the City limits must be on the certified list of approved leaf blowers.
For the past several years, the Noise Control Program has conducted extensive outreach to leaf blower manufacturers to add their products to the approved leaf blower list. To qualify for the list:
- Leaf blowers must not exceed 65 dBA (decibels) at 50 feet from the devise during the summer months (March 1st – October 31st)
- Leaf blowers must not exceed 70 dBA at 50 feet from the devise during the rainy winter months (November 1st – February 28th), when leaves are likely to be heavy and wet
- Each leaf blower must be certified by a third-party testing laboratory, using American National Standards Institute (ANSI) methodology, ANSI B175.2-2000
- Currently, the list includes electric and gas powered leaf blowers, but does not include battery powered devices.
“This code change was adopted by the City Council in response to concerns expressed by the community about leaf blower noise,” said Paul van Orden, Noise Control Officer for the City of Portland. “It is intended to limit noise levels during the summer months when people are likely to open windows or be outdoors.”
Please note that the general operating restrictions for all leaf blowers prohibit use between the hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM with some limited exceptions.
The Bureau of Development Services will be updating this list annually, or as additional certifications for leaf blowers are received. To view a copy of the approved leaf blower list, visit: http://www.portlandonline.
If you have questions about the approved leaf blower list, please contact the Noise Control Office at 503-823-7350.