Tennessee developers can now hire their own building safety inspectors

A new law in Tennessee allows developers to hire their own building inspectors to check for environmental, safety, and construction violations.

The law is intended to streamline the building process, particularly in rapidly growing communities. Privatizing inspections allows developers to bypass city codes departments and Tennessee’s Fire Marshal’s Office. The new law also allows builders to hire their own wetlands consultants to conduct reviews of permits if delays by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation exceed 30 days.

Critics charge that privatization has the potential to overlook key safety and building standards. Paid by the builder, the third-party inspector has incentive to ignore code violations, they say.

The new law requires city or state officials to review permits and inspections submitted by private contractors, but how those paper reviews will take place has not been determined. A conflict-of-interest provision prohibits anyone with a business or familial relationship with a contractor to perform the reviews.

In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Fred Pierce, CEO of Pierce Education Properties, developer and manager of off-campus student residences, chats with Rob Cassidy, Editor, MULTIFAMILY Design + Construction about student housing during the pandemic and what to expect for on-campus and off-campus housing in Fall 2021 and into 2022.

Swinerton moves into New York City with new branch

Contractors | Jun 1, 2021

Swinerton wants a bite of the Big Apple

The California-based construction firm opens an office in New York City that is positioned to become its Northeast hub.

Building Technology | Jun 1, 2021

Orro Announces Google Nest Integration for the Orro Switch

Orro, creators of the professional-grade top-of-the-line Orro Smart Living System, today announced the integration of Nest products to Orro. As a certified partner in Google’s Device Access program, this latest Orro integration allows homeowners to have seamless control and access to Nest thermostats and doorbells from any Orro Switch throughout the home – creating a single unified smart home system with advanced, intelligent ambient control.

Contractors | Jun 1, 2021

Swinerton to open its first New York City office

Andrew Pearl will head up the New York City Office.

The rooftop deck at The Net tower in Seattle, designed by NBBJ

High-rise Construction | May 27, 2021

The anti-high rise: Seattle's The Net by NBBJ

In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Ryan Mullenix, Design Partner with NBBJ, talks with BD+C's John Caulfield about a new building in Seattle called The Net that promotes wellness and connectivity.