This is the third in a series that looks at the various departments, boards and committees that make the town function, offering thumbnail sketches of their duties and responsibilities. This week: The Building Official.
Want to build a new home, a home office or perhaps create an apartment for aging family members? Before you do, you must consult the town building official
With a wave of building upgrades sweeping the Northwest Corner towns, local communities have suffered from a dearth of building inspectors to handle the brisk pace of business. Norfolk was lucky enough this summer to name not one, but two new building officials, John Papp and his assistant, Jonathan Abbott.
Papp and Abbott took over their roles in July when they replaced James Clarke, who retired in April after serving the town for nearly nine years.
“I became a building official after spending many years in the building industry,” Papp said this week. “I enjoyed the technical side of construction and saw becoming a building official as an opportunity to use that experience to serve the community, help people navigate the building process and ensure that projects are completed safely and in accordance with the code.”
To accomplish this goal, he must review building applications and construction plans before issuing permits and work with property owners, contractors, architects, engineers and other town departments to help residents and contractors understand code and permitting requirements.
As projects progress, he visits the sites to perform required inspections and enforce the Connecticut State Building Code to certify that foundations, framing, electrical wiring, plumbing and the like match the approved plans. He also inspects old or damaged buildings to determine that they are safe.
If necessary, he investigates unsafe conditions and work performed without permits, addressing code violations and taking enforcement action when necessary.
When projects are deemed complete, he issues certificates of occupancy and certificates of approval, allowing the applicants to use their properties.
The building official also maintains building and permit records.
Papp and his assistant collaborate in covering the office on Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and doing inspections. Appointments for inspections can be scheduled during those and other hours.
To ease the crunch for contractors and homeowners, online permitting and payments can now be made through Permitlink, an online service that houses all Norfolk’s relevant forms.
To ask questions or for assistance with ongoing building permits or inspections contact Papp at 860-846-5506, 860-542-6986 or via email at buildingofficial@norfolkct.org. His office is located in Town Hall, 19 Maple Avenue.