***NOTICE TO OWNERS, DESIGN PROFESSIONALS & CONTRACTORS***

The Bal Harbour Building Department has instituted temporary measures due to the Novel COVID-19 virus, which will allow customers to continue making progress through the building development process during this time.

PERMIT APPLICATION AND PLAN REVIEW PROCESSING:

Effective July 6, 2020 the Building Department will begin scheduling virtual meetings with customers interested in discussing their permit applications. 

The Village will continue to accept permit applications and plans via drop-off at the bins located outside of the Building Department.

Click here for the temporary process: Permit Application-Plans Processing During COVID PANDEMIC-5-15-2020

Virtual Appointments with Permit Technicians

If Customers wish to discuss Project Issues directly with a Permit Technician, you may schedule a Virtual Meeting via Calendy.

Virtual Appointments with Design Professionals & Chief Building Inspector/Plans Examiner

The Building Department is offering a “Design Professionals Day” (every Friday) to meet with the Chief Building Inspector/Plan Examiner for the purpose of discussing Project Specific concerns. Virtual meetings can be scheduled via Calendy, and Design Professionals will receive a link with instructions once their appointment is confirmed.

New Village Inspections Procedures

Please be advised that effective Monday, July 6, 2020, the Village of Bal Harbour will resume Building Department Inspections for the Single Family Residential District for new construction of unoccupied properties only, with certain precautions to safeguard both Building Department staff, as well as the public due to the Novel COVID-19 virus.

FOR UNOCCUPIED NEW SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTIES

Permit holders must complete the following steps in order to schedule their inspections:

1. The permit holder must request an inspection(s) online.
2. When requesting the inspection, the permit holder must provide a contact name and phone number in the comment line.
3. The designated Contractor or Sub-Contractor that will meet with the Village Inspector is required to wear a mask and gloves. Social Distancing is required to be maintained between the Contractor and Village Inspector.
4. The Village Inspector will send a text 15-30 minutes prior to the inspection to allow the contractor to relocate all Contractor personnel from the single-family home.
5. The Village Inspector will call the Contractor upon arrival to the single-family home and confirm with the Contractor that the home is empty prior to entering the single-family home to perform the inspection.
6. To ensure the health and safety of Village staff and the public, only the Village Inspector and the Designated Contractor/Sub-Contractor can be present during the inspection appointment.  If anyone else is present at the site, the inspection will be cancelled. 
7. Contractor/Sub Contractor are required to have the Job copy of the permit drawings and permit card onsite.
8. Contractor needs to maintain a safe and healthy job site environment and follow the CDC’s best practices regarding social distancing.
9. Inspector will perform inspection (s). All inspection results can also be found through the Village Inspection Portal.

To schedule your inspection appointment, please visit our SmartGov portal.

THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT INSPECTION SCHEDULE

Building Trade Inspections: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Chief Emmanuel “Manny” Agbenohevi: Cell 786-897-8813

Email: eagbenohevi@balharbourfl.gov

Mechanical Trade Inspections: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Chief Luis Blanco: Cell 305-505-0723

Email: lblanco@balharbourfl.gov

Plumbing  Trade Inspections: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Chief John Cronin: Cell 786-201-7557

Email: jcronin@balharbourfl.gov

Electrical Trade Inspections: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Chief Alan Kramen: Cell 786-202-1130

Email: akramen@balharbourfl.gov

The Building Department will respond to any emails received regarding the Building Development Process.  To contact any Building Department staff member via email, please see their contact information below:

Village Building Official: Graciela Escalante (gescalante@balharbourfl.gov)

Chief Building Inspector: Manny Agbenohevi (eagbenohevi@balharbourfl.gov)

Senior Permit Technician: Brian Garces (bgarces@balharbourfl.gov)

Permit Technician: Nidia Barriga (nbarriga@balharbourfl.gov)

Permit Technician: Olga Kalogeropoulos (okalogeropoulos@balharbourfl.gov)


INSPECTION BY AFFIDAVIT PROCEDURES -REVISED JULY 6, 2020

The Bal Harbour Building Department is accepting Inspections by Affidavit, if the Owner and Contractor wish to take advantage of this program.

These following procedures will be utilized for Florida Building Code (“FBC”) inspections (“Emergency Procedures”) by the Village of Bal Harbour Building Department (“VBH BD”) during the COVID-19 State of Emergency (the “COVID-19 Emergency”). These Emergency Procedures will be effective on May 18, 2020, the effective date of the Amendment to Order No. 09-20, “Bal Harbour Emergency Measures and CDC Best Practices on Construction Sites.”

These Emergency Procedures are not intended to modify the requirements for special inspectors of threshold buildings contained in Section 553.79 of the Florida Statutes, or the provisions of Florida Law relating to Alternate Plans Review and Inspections contained in Section 553.791 of the Florida Statutes. Further, these Emergency Procedures are not intended to limit the authority of the Building Official to issue any interpretation or take any actions consistent with the FBC or with any of the expressed provisions below. Note, this notice does not set forth procedures for Fire Code inspections.    

INSPECTION BY AFFIDAVIT PROCEDURES

These Emergency Procedures allow for three types of inspections, which will be presumed to satisfy FBC requirements: (1) inspections performed by architects, engineers and accredited laboratories (“Qualified Professional Inspection”);(2) inspections conducted by Village personnel in person (“On-Site Final Inspection”); and (3) Virtual Inspections.These inspections will be performed in the manner and subject to the procedures and limitations set forth below. Please note that certain inspections are required to be an On-Site Final Inspection.  

The Contractor must request the inspection online via the Village’s online inspection scheduling system and state in the inspection Comment Section; “this inspection is an Inspection by Affidavit and state the Name and Florida license number of Qualified Design Professional”, who will be performing the inspection during the COVID-19 Emergency. 

1. Qualified Design Professional Inspection

The permit holder may opt to have inspections performed by a State of Florida licensed and registered architect or engineer who has no financial interest in the construction. Inspections by TAS301 accredited laboratories are also acceptable, provided they are signed and sealed by the qualified independent professional.  This procedure does not supersede or otherwise limit other inspection procedures currently provided for private providers, threshold and special inspectors.

Qualified Professional Inspections must be submitted on the VBH BD STATEMENT OF INSPECTION REPORT COVID 19 (“Report”), attached as Exhibit 1, along with a signed and sealed inspection report, including details of inspection, permit number, date of the inspection, address, type of inspection and photographs with date and time stamp (collectively, “Report”). Reports with “approved” or “rejected” without complete documentation will not be accepted. VBH BD requires the use of photographs or other documentation that supports the inspection result and can be attached to the Report.

A signed and sealed report must be completed for each master building permit and associated sub-permits. The individual providing the statement must perform and record all inspections for the permit number and upload the Qualified Design Professional signed and sealed report to the Building Department Online Permitting system.  

2. On-Site Final Inspections Performed by Village Inspectors for Residential Single Family and Multi-Family Condominium Alterations

An On-Site Final Inspection shall be required for FBC inspections and flood inspections of new construction that require a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion and for alterations, repairs and residential additions 1,000 square feet or larger or as otherwise determined by the Village Building Official.  

On-Site Final Inspections shall not be required to be performed by Village Inspectors for alterations, repairs, residential additions under 1,000 square feet, accessory structures such as pool, fence and shed or other miscellaneous permits, such as metal awnings and shutters. (These Final Inspections may be performed by the Qualified Design Professional)

Additionally, On-Site Final Inspections shall not be required to be performed by Village Inspectors for roofing, electrical, plumbing or mechanical work associated with a master permit or any single trade (standalone) permits.  (These Final Inspections may be performed by the Qualified Design Professional)

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the VBH BD may require an On-Site Final Inspection in any instance where the Village, in its sole discretion, determines that the public interest requires the physical presence of a Village inspector.

The following procedures will be followed during On-Site Final Inspections performed by Village Inspectors:

1. The permit holder must schedule inspections online. 
2. When scheduling the inspection, the permit holder must provide a contact name and phone number in the comment line.
3. Inspector will call thirty (30) minutes prior to the inspection to allow the contractor to relocate all personnel from the inspection area.
4. When inspector arrives on-site, one contact person who is assigned to accompany the inspector can approach the vehicle.  If more than 10 workers are present within the inspection area, the inspector will cancel the inspection. 
5. Contractor must maintain a safe and healthy job site environment and follow the CDC’s best practices regarding social distancing. 
6. Inspector will perform inspection and inspection results will be published via the Village Inspection Portal.

3. Virtual Inspections Performed by Village Inspectors for All Permit Applicants and Projects:

Beginning on July 16, 2020, the Village will be performing virtual inspections via the Zoom App, Whats App or Face Time calls. The Contractor is required to have one of these apps installed on the iPad, tablet or iPhone.

The procedures for  “Virtual Inspections” are as follows:

The permit holder must request an inspection(s) online via the SmartGov portal.

When requesting/scheduling the inspection, the permit holder must provide a contact name and phone number in the comment line. The Contractor must also state his preferred virtual inspection type and must be familiar in using one the following applications:

• Zoom App
• Face Time Call
• Whats App Video Call

The inspector will call or text the Contractor 15-20 minutes prior to the inspection to confirm the inspection time and make sure that the Contractor is able to connect via Zoom, Whats App or Face Time.

The Contractor must have the following documents available for visual observation of the inspector during the video call:

1. Permit Card
2. Job Copy of Drawings
3. Any pertinent approved revisions or approved shop drawings applicable to the inspections.

The Inspector will direct the Contractor to the areas which require inspection and the Contractor must be ready to show the inspector during the video call.

If for any reason the Inspector is not satisfied with the video call and cannot determine if the work meets Code solely on the basis of the video call, the inspector will require the Contractor to obtain an Inspection by Affidavit.

The inspector will perform the video inspection and inspection results will be posted on the SmartGov portal.

Building

The Building Department is responsible for permit issuance and Florida Building Code related plan review and inspections, which safeguards the public health, safety, and general welfare of our citizens.

Permit Application and Plan Review

A Building Permit is required for most types of construction work within Bal Harbour Village. Download Do I Need a Permit? to determine which types of projects do not require a Building Permit. If your project is not listed, a Building Permit is required. There are two types of permits:

1. For proposed work affecting the exterior of the structure such as awnings, driveways, fences, paint, signs, windows, doors, additions, new construction, etc., the Village requires review and approval by the Architectural Review Board prior to review by the Building Department. Upon approval by the Board, a Certificate of Appropriateness is issued to the owner. The Certificate of Appropriateness and Architectural Review Board Application for the form and application requirements are forwarded to the Building Official.
2. For proposed interior work only, the Building Permit application is submitted directly to the Building Department for code compliance review, including, but not limited to, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, zoning, public works and other Village Departments

Currently, permit applications can only be submitted in-person at the Building Department located in Village Hall - 655 96th Street. Download the Permit Submittal Checklist for a complete list of required documents and information.

After submitting your permit application, you may track the status of your permit through the Online Permit Center using the Access Code provided by Building Department staff.

Inspections

Once the Building Permit is issued, a list of required inspections will be outlined on the Permit Invoice. To ensure the work is done according to the approved plans and applicable Building Codes, the appropriate discipline will inspect the work. The permit holder (owner/builder or contractor) is responsible to request each inspection. All inspections for permits issued after February 1, 2017 must be scheduled through our Online Permit Center.

Upon approval of all inspections and submittal of additional required documents, such as final survey, the permit status will change to "Final" and a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued where applicable.

Schedule Inspection

Planning & Zoning/Land-Use

For Planning & Zoning/Land-Use information, please send an e-mail to mmiller@michaelmillerplanning.com or epolski@michaelmillerplanning.com