But department director Bobbie Shields says hiring more inspectors isn't the answer. Shields said hiring more inspectors might also put the department in the uncomfortable position of having to lay off people if the pace of construction slackens. Shields and his colleagues say technology and good management allow Mecklenburg's inspectors to handle large workloads. Equipped with mobile phones and computer terminals in their cars, Mecklenburg's inspectors rarely go to the uptown office. Instead, they spend most of their working hours in the field, inspecting buildings.
Inspectors focus on specific geographic areas, an arrangement that minimizes driving time.
In some neighboring counties, inspectors are responsible for multiple trades, which can make the work more challenging. Mecklenburg's inspectors are highly trained and experienced, and almost never miss dangerous problems, Shields contends. For instance, county inspectors rarely check whether sheet metal flashing, a waterproofing material, has been installed properly, or whether the roof deck has been put on correctly. What's more, the roof sheathing was almost an inch too short, so the only water protection on the very edge of the roof was a layer of shingles that could easily be damaged by ladders. Private home inspectors say Mecklenburg's public inspectors are simply too busy to catch everything in the building code.