Norfolk now has not one, but two new employees in the building officials’ office: John Papp and Jonathan Abbott who have taken over the roles of building inspector and assistant building inspector. They replace James Clarke, who retired at the end of April after serving the town for nearly nine years.
Papp and Abbott, who will take the state’s examination to be certified as a building official in coming weeks, will collaborate in covering the office on Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and in doing inspections.
In Connecticut, building inspectors review plans to ensure sure homes and businesses conform to the Connecticut State Building Code, visit work sites to certify that foundations, framing, electrical wiring, plumbing and the like match the approved plans and inspect old or damaged buildings to determine that they are safe.
In addition to course work and a demanding state examination, building officials must have three to five-years-experience in construction. At present, there is a dearth of building inspectors in Connecticut and Papp, who lives in Warren, is serving multiple towns
The Norfolk office is open Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and appointments for inspections can be scheduled during those and other hours. To ease the crunch for contractors and homeowners, online permitting and payments must now be made through Permitlink, an online service that now houses all Norfolk’s relevant forms.
For assistance with ongoing building permits or inspections contact Papp at 860-846-5506, 860-542-6986 or via email a buildingofficial@norfolkct.org.
The Building Official’s office is located in Town Hall, 19 Maple Avenue.