Building Criteria Manual - 2021 4th Quarter Rule Changes - Change Out Program and Timed Inspections

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This project has concluded. Thank you.

The Development Services Department (DSD) is proposing adoption of several amendments to the Building Criteria Manual (BCM) in the 4th quarter of 2021. The proposed amendments will expand and improve the Change-Out Program for timed inspections. This program provides a time-specific inspection as an alternative to traditional inspections. The proposed changes for the Change-Out Program will:

  • Update the program to be more expansive, applying to a greater variety of inspections.
  • Formalize the language for the program, moving it from a memorandum into the Building Criteria Manual.
  • Update the language in program documents to reflect the program's expansion.

Enacting these changes will allow more people to benefit from the popular program. At the present time, only replacement of residential HVAC and water heater inspections qualify for Change-Out Program timed inspections. Once the proposed changes are implemented, residential inspections that qualify will include replacement of windows, siding, roofing, and more. Also, some commercial inspections will be eligible for the program.

More detailed information about these changes is available in the Documents section on the right side of this page. Also included in this section are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Important Links and Key Dates.

Please use the Question box below to provide us your comments. We welcome all feedback about these proposed changes, how they may impact you, and how we can best design them to suit your needs. Please contact DSDCommunications@austintexas.gov if you have any difficulty using SpeakUp Austin. We will post your questions and provide answers to them shortly after we close the site to comments on July 30, 2021. Your input will help DSD develop the final rule proposal.

The Development Services Department (DSD) is proposing adoption of several amendments to the Building Criteria Manual (BCM) in the 4th quarter of 2021. The proposed amendments will expand and improve the Change-Out Program for timed inspections. This program provides a time-specific inspection as an alternative to traditional inspections. The proposed changes for the Change-Out Program will:

  • Update the program to be more expansive, applying to a greater variety of inspections.
  • Formalize the language for the program, moving it from a memorandum into the Building Criteria Manual.
  • Update the language in program documents to reflect the program's expansion.

Enacting these changes will allow more people to benefit from the popular program. At the present time, only replacement of residential HVAC and water heater inspections qualify for Change-Out Program timed inspections. Once the proposed changes are implemented, residential inspections that qualify will include replacement of windows, siding, roofing, and more. Also, some commercial inspections will be eligible for the program.

More detailed information about these changes is available in the Documents section on the right side of this page. Also included in this section are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Important Links and Key Dates.

Please use the Question box below to provide us your comments. We welcome all feedback about these proposed changes, how they may impact you, and how we can best design them to suit your needs. Please contact DSDCommunications@austintexas.gov if you have any difficulty using SpeakUp Austin. We will post your questions and provide answers to them shortly after we close the site to comments on July 30, 2021. Your input will help DSD develop the final rule proposal.

This project has concluded. Thank you.

Please contact DSDCommunications@austintexas.gov if you are unable to comment using this site.

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    Of course!!! Why is this even a question that needs to be asked? Do you think builders enjoy sitting around all day at a job site wondering when someone is going to show up? No other business or organization in the economy operates like that. If the City of Austin inspections department had a market competitor they'd be out of business in month because any normal business competitor would not operate that way because it's not what the customer wants.

    Jonathan asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your feedback.

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    I like the idea of doing timed inspections for everything.

    mdshapiro7 asked over 1 year ago

    At this time the program is not for all inspections. There are many different disciplines that require inspections and will not qualify for this program.  We will take your feedback into consideration as this program grows. Thank you for your input.