Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement manages approximately 25,000 to 30,000 inspection requests per month, or roughly 1300 per day. Many construction projects will benefit from the ability to schedule inspections after hours and weekends. The "Overtime Inspections Program" is a premium service, using existing staff on a volunteer basis for a premium fee. This fee would be over and above the normal permit fee. This program is intended to be used for Commercial projects only.

Overtime Inspections Program

1.  The Department will charge a premium fee of $115 an hour for each trade used for Overtime Inspections (OTI).
2. There are no guarantees on inspector availability.
3. The customer should request an OTI from the Program Coordinator.  The Program Coordinator will submit an Overtime Inspections Request Form to the customer, which must be signed and submitted back to the Coordinator.
4. The coordinator will set up the OTI request based upon the customer's requested dates and times. The OTI request must be submitted two weeks in advance in order to have sufficient time to coordinate the inspection team to cover the request.  The Program Coordinator will advise the customer on OTI availability.
5. The Program Coordinator will provide the Trade Supervisors' requests for OTI with dates and times.  The Trade Supervisors will circulate a voluntary sign up sheet among the inspectors to fill the time requested.  A completed list, including the inspector's contact number and time, will be returned to the customer.  The OTI field log sheet must include "key" contact numbers for the General Contractor.
6. Inspection assignments must be approved by the Trade Chief or Supervisor.
7. Special project information (based upon size, if possible):
   1. We recommend that a locked staging area be provided within the building footprint dedicated to OTI Inspectors for plan review and log book entry.
   2. We recommend that copies of the floor plan be kept to document inspections performed and to keep a visual inspection trail.
      The Program Coordinator should determine any other special provision that would assist the OTI and help set-up the jobsite, specific to that project. Special project criteria should be addressed and discussed at the initial meeting stages.
8. Field Inspectors will perform the OTI based on customer needs and inspector availability.
9. Code interpretation issues that arise during an OTI will be discussed with the assigned Field Inspector for resolution.
10. Work must be code compliant; inspectors are not to be used to provide lengthy code compliant punch lists.

How to Schedule Your Overtme Inspections

Requested Inspection Times

1. The inspection will be performed as scheduled, with the results entered electronically.
2. The OTI Inspector will enter the request for inspection based upon the permit information provided by the contractor on site and enter the results at the end of the assigned time.
3. A log book for each trade must be kept on site so information can be relayed from the OTI Inspector to the assigned Field Inspector.  The Program Coordinator will set up the log books.
4. OTI Inspectors are assigned to the project and will remain on site for the duration of the time requested and their hours will be charged to the customer.
5. If the customer has inspection issues or concerns, those should be addressed to the Program Coordinator and then should be brought to the specific Trade Supervisor or Core Process Manager for resolution.
6. The Program Coordinator will set up a field log for the inspectors to document their OTI arrival and departure times. The owner's on site representative who is responsible for signing the field log must approve the number of hours received. This approved field log will be collected weekly by the Program Coordinator for processing.
7. OTI requests are limited to a minimum of 60 hours per project.
8. A minimum of three hours per trip is required for each project (including inspector travel time).
9. If travel conditions cause the inspector to be late, the inspector will advise the assigned contact person.
10. County approved construction documents, including revisions and critical documentation (i.e., sealed truss drawings, engineering letters, and test reports), must be on site for the duration of the inspection.

Payment

1. A minimum of 60 hours of OTI is required.
2. The first 60 hours of OTI will be charged upfront; any additional hours will be billed monthly to the contractor's account.
3. Only contractors with active accounts with Mecklenburg County are eligible.
4. Charges will be billed monthly to the contractor's account, based on the approved field log sheet. The contractor pays for all requested OTI time, whether it is used or not.
5. Cancellations must be made 72 hours prior to the scheduled OTI, or the responsible entity reserving inspection time will be charged.
6. The hourly charge rate will incorporate full program costs (i.e., full burden including travel time, Program Coordinator cost, miscellaneous support, Department overhead, etc).

Miscellaneous

1. The following is a clarification of the July 21, 2004 Department Policy On Added Service Overtime Inspections Voluntarily Requested By Customers:

a) The Inspections by Appointment/Overtime Inspection Task Force reviewed this document.
b) OTI is a voluntary program; therefore, the Overtime Inspections Qualification List is not required, as it is related to FY05 overtime funds.
c) This document serves to validate the OTI program.