New Jersey recently passed a law that will allow towns to supplement construction code enforcement with help from the private sector.
The legislation, which received bipartisan support, also allows municipalities to enter into shared service agreements with neighboring towns for construction inspections. The new law also requires towns to complete inspections within three business days of the date requested by a developer. If a town doesn’t meet the deadline, builders can pay for their own private-sector inspection.
The measure requires local governments to submit annual compliance reports to the state Department of Community Affairs and notify the department if they are cannot keep pace with the new timetables. The department can levy penalties on municipalities that consistently fail to meet the new deadlines.
State officials will also look to make additional reforms to state code enforcement, including adding electronic permitting.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Thom Mayne unveils 'floating cube' design for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas
Calling it a “living educational tool featuring architecture inspired by nature and science,” Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and leaders from the Museum of Nature & Science unveiled the schematic designs and building model for the Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park. Groundbreaking on the approximately $185 million project will be held later this fall, and the Museum is expected to open by early 2013.
| Aug 11, 2010
American Concrete Institute forms technical committee on BIM for concrete structures
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announces the formation of a new technical committee on Building Information Modeling (BIM) of Concrete Structures.
| Aug 11, 2010
Former Colorado Governor Bill Owens retained by PCL Construction as senior advisor
Bill Owens, former Colorado Governor, has been retained by PCL Construction as senior advisor for the company’s U.S. operations, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The PCL family of companies collectively form the seventh largest contracting organization in the U.S. with major offices in 29 locations across North America, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Caribbean.
| Aug 11, 2010
10 tips for mitigating influenza in buildings
Adopting simple, common-sense measures and proper maintenance protocols can help mitigate the spread of influenza in buildings. In addition, there are system upgrades that can be performed to further mitigate risks. Trane Commercial Systems offers 10 tips to consider during the cold and flu season.
| Aug 11, 2010
Reed Construction Data files corporate espionage lawsuit against McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge
Reed Construction Data (RCD), a leading construction information provider and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reed Elsevier (NYSE:RUK, NYSE:ENL), today filed suit in federal court against McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge, a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MHP). The suit charges that Dodge has unlawfully accessed confidential and trade secret information from RCD since 2002 by using a series of fake companies to pose as RCD customers.
| Aug 11, 2010
NAVFAC releases guidelines for sustainable reconstruction of Navy facilities
The guidelines provide specific guidance for installation commanders, assessment teams, estimators, programmers and building designers for identifying the sustainable opportunities, synergies, strategies, features and benefits for improving installations following a disaster instead of simply repairing or replacing them as they were prior to the disaster.