DCD Operations Changes in through April 30
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Submitted by San Juan County Department of Community Development
General Questions and Assistance
Our counter is closed to in-person walk-in traffic. We are still available during normal business hours by phone, email or the “Ask a Planner” or “Ask a Building Plans Examiner” forms. You can also apply for permits and make payments through our online permit center. A more comprehensive summary of our services is found on our department’s home page.
Building Inspections
We will continue to provide building inspections services upon request because exempted construction activities, and work by homeowners, both require inspection. We will not determine whether the activity is exempt under the Governor’s Stay at Home Proclamation (20-25) because that is the responsibility of the construction contractor. The following inspections WILL NOT be performed for non-essential facilities while the proclamation is in place:
Foundation/footing/setback inspections for new or replaced structures or additions and commercial burn permit inspections. Our inspectors will maintain six feet of distance from others on the job site and offer Skype Building Inspections for inspections that will occur within an occupied building. Our inspectors will not inspect on a job-site where anyone is visibly ill or symptomatic or within an occupied building.
Permit Submittal, Review and Issuance
San Juan County is still accepting, reviewing and issuing permits, however you may not be able to start construction on your project while the Governor’s Order is in place. The following permits are impacted:
Vacation rental permits will not be issued during the duration of the San Juan County Health Officer’s order limiting transient accommodations.
Commercial burn permits will not be issued while Proclamation 20-25 is in force because enforcement of these permits falls to our emergency responders who are needed to respond to medical emergencies at this time.
Electronic Submittal and Skype Inspections
We now offer electronic submittal of permit applications and inspection via Skype. We highly recommend that submit electronic documents to us to ensure that review can continue in the event that our staff are required to work from home during this uncertain time. Instructions for electronic submittals are found here and instructions for Skype inspections are found here. Once you have your electronic documents ready, we recommend that you email us at dcdpermits@sanjuanco.com and we’ll make an appointment to help you through the process.
Commercial and Residential Burning
Commercial Burning is closed for the time being so that our emergency responders, who also enforce outdoor burning, are not pulled away from medical emergencies during this time.
Residential burning remains open, however we ask that citizens voluntarily keep burn piles smaller and burn them hot. These measures allow for better smoke management, less smoke production, and an easier pile to extinguish if the weather changes in such a way that the neighborhood is negatively impacted. It will also keep non-essential phone calls to our emergency responders to a minimum. We recognize that spring is here and San Juan County Citizens are using this downtime to work in the yard, we just ask that you modify burning to lessen the impact on our neighbors. Thank you.
Other Useful Information
Construction guidance under COVID-19 can be found here www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/20065/Hot-Topic-8-Construction-Guidance.
If you have other questions and concerns about COVID-19, including enforcement, check out the COVID-19 webpage.
