Evening star., 1948-12-24
Architects Propose
New System TO Speed
D. {. Building Permits

An overhauling of the Districts
department of building inspections
to eliminate complicated and
lengthy" procedures in obtaining
permits has been recommended by
the architects and builders of the
city.
Present operations of the de-
partment are criticized severely in
a 53-page report made by the Wash
ington chapter of the American In
stitute of Architects. The report
now is in the hands of Engineer
Commissioner Gordon r. Young
Director of Inspections Robert H
Davis also is studying it.
1T Just takes too long to get a
permit" Charles M. Goodman,
chairman of the committee which
drew up the report declared.
Earlier Step Praised.
The Inspections Department went
through one major reorganization
earlier this year, when the Central
Permit Bureau was created. This
was praised by the report as a good
move which did not go far enough
Gen. Young said the report was
being studied at present but his first
impression was that many Of the
things criticized were being elm
mated by the permit bureau.
Major recommendations for ac-
complishing the drastic overhaul
ing" necessary to relieve the situa-
ton, included the following;
l. Establish department of heat
ing, ventilating and industrial sani-
tation.
2. Transfer the regulatory powers
of the Health, Fire, Police and
Smoke Regulation Departments to
the Department of Building Inspec-
tions or, if this is not possible. as
sign representatives to the Building
Inspection Department.
8. Establish an information coun-
ter and prepare brief booklets so the
procedure of obtaining permits
would be in a form readily available
to builders.
Extra Copies Urged.
4. Provide for filing of more than
one set of plans so that several di-
visions of the department can check
an application simultaneously.
5. Establish licensing system fof
architects and engineers to elimi-
nate the need for detailed plan
checking.
6. Segregate permit applications
into two categories, simple and COM
plex jobs. Then give the simple jobs
quick handling. Alterations, addi-
tions, new homes and small apart
ment buildings would come l.. Il
simple" category. Large buildings
such as stores, hospitals and struc-
lures for public assembly would be
classified as complex
7. Establish time limits so that a
permit could be obtained within a
definite period of time after the ap-
plication is filed.
8. Set up workable appeals
board of Government and inuustry
representatives which would meet
regularly. The present Appeals
Board is "unwieldly administra dive
ly" and is so complicated a pro-
cedure as to be worthless, the report
said.
Prepared by Committee.
8. Review the existing building
code to delete ambiguous phrases
and prepare written codes of regula-
tions covering health, fire, police
and smoke requirements.
The report was prepared by COM
mittee of the architects, headed by
Mr.. Goodman, and approved by the
organizations Executive Committee.
Mr.. Goodman said questionnaires
we're sent to architects, engineers,
builders and contractors in the Dis
trict. The survey took nine months,
he said.
Fifteen Other Cities Checked.
Fifteen other cities were checked
the report said. The general aver
age of time to get permit in those
cities was from IL to II days. In
the District it takes from 81 to 1o4
days to get permits, the report
stated.
He said the architects believed
that rs per cent of the applica-
tions for permits should be handled
in one day or right across the
counter" at the permit bureau. Mr..
Goodman pointed out that in Phil
adelphia law requires that all
permits must be issued within Is
days.