Development Insight - March 2021

Emergency Plumbing Repair Permits

As San Antonians recover from the winter storm, power-outages and water issues a few weeks ago, trust DSD is fully committed to your safety and ready to help. As such, permit fees for emergency plumbing repairs are waived until Mar. 5, 2021. For emergency repairs, keep the following in mind:

Property owners or licensed plumbers do not require a permit for minor emergency repairs on freeze-damaged or leaking water pipes, as long as new piping doesn't exceed 5 feet in length.
A plumbing permit is needed if multiple water pipes are broken, generally affecting the entire plumbing system of the home and plumbing fixtures. A permit is also required for any repairs to gas lines or gas systems (water heaters, etc.).
Emergency repairs can be completed before the permit is obtained. The permit needs to be submitted to the Development Services Department on the next business day by a licensed plumbing contractor.

Beware of fraudulent, unqualified contractors, or "storm chasers," coming from all over the country in search of vulnerable consumers. To check if a contractor is registered with the city, use the Contractor Search online tool and the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners
For any questions about plumbing and gas permits, call Chief Plumbing Inspector David Rohde at (210) 207-8279 or Sr. Plumbing Inspector Ted Morales at (210) 260-5912. Additional information can be found on the Plumbing Contractor website, including How To Apply for Fee Waivers.

BuildSA News

Thank you all for your support and patience during last week's BuildSA outage. DSD’s Continuity of Business Plan helped ensure we supported you throughout the downtime and that work did not stop. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to serving you.

Today, customers are submitting applications for most of our services through one system, BuildSA. We understand a software change is a huge undertaking for any organization, but don't worry, we are here to help with the transition. Our BuildSA Team continues to assist in this effort by hosting Q&A training sessions for our customers, stakeholders and organizations including the Greater San Antonio Builders Association (GSABA), the Associated Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors of San Antonio (PHCC) and Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA). We also maintain regular system migrations to resolve critical issues regarding building applications, permits and inspections. On Feb. 15, 2021 the following items were migrated to BuildSA:

Customers can now request an electrical TML permit using the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) trade permit application
Customers can now add/include additional licensed professionals during application intake from Accela Citizen Access
Customers with a Residential Master Plumber license type with a Multipurpose Residential Fire Protection Sprinkler Systems (MRFPSS) endorsement can now request a MRFPSS permit using the MEP Trade permit application

Beginning March 5, 2021, the BuildSA Team and the City’s Information Technology Services Department will assume the daily operations and lifecycle support of the new system. Patricia Cavazos, Senior Special Projects Manager, will oversee the BuildSA Team as the Product Owner, which will reside in the DSD Support Services Division.

Please be assured we are committed to providing support for all BuildSA users and will continuously evaluate the need for updates, additional training and resources.

For more information on BuildSA and the latest training resources, please visit our website.

Congratulations on 20 Years & Retirement

Spring 2021 Virtual SABCA

Due to last month's winter storm, the SABCA training was rescheduled to March 23 - 26, 2021. This academy offers two courses, 2018 IRC Essentials (6-hours) and IAEI's Soares Grounding and Bonding (4-hours). You must register in advance for each SABCA course. Please note, if you signed up for the previous dates, you will need to re-register. Click here to sign up; for more information, visit the SABCA website.

Planning Commission and PCTAC Update

On Jan. 27, 2021, the Planning Commission held elections for leadership positions. Congratulations to the following members:

Connie Gonzalez was elected the Chair of the Planning Commission
George Peck was elected the Vice-Chair
Matthew Proffitt was elected the Pro-Tem

Additionally, Donald Oroian, the newly-elected Chair of the Board of Adjustments, and John Bustamante, the newly-elected Chair of the Zoning Commission, will serve on the Planning Commission as Ex-Officio members.

A big thank you to all who participated in the elections. We appreciate your time and commitment to the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee (PCTAC) will have 19 positions become available in April. DSD opened the application period, which runs Feb. 15 through March 8, 2021. To apply, please complete the PCTAC application, PCTAC application (Spanish).

Organization Announcements

Valerie Gleason, Interim Chief

Electrical Inspector

Valerie Gleason has been reassigned to the Inspection Division as the Interim Chief Electrical Inspector. Valerie is the first female Master Electrician in San Antonio, and has several years of experience as both an Electrical Inspector and Electrical Sr. Plans Examiner. As interim, Valerie will also be the Master Electrician of record for the City of San Antonio. Congratulations Valerie!

Building Inspections Organization Chart

Melissa Ramirez, Assistant Director

Melissa will serve as Interim Assistant Director for the Plan Review Division when Terry Kannawin's retirement goes into effect, March 20, 2021. She will continue to manage the Land Development Division she oversees today.

Tree Review/Inspections Team

The Tree Review/Inspections team was changed to enhance the development processes and overall consistency and effectiveness of the team. The change includes moving the Tree Plan review positions from the Plan Review Division to the Land Development Division, creating a single Tree Review /Inspection team. This new team will report to Mark Bird, City Arborist.

Street Construction and Tree Reviews Organization Chart

Performance Measures

The complete Performance Measures report is available online.

Special Inspector Certification Extension Ends April 1

As a reminder, the Special Inspector Certification requirements deadline is April 1, 2021. Special inspectors must obtain an approved certification, and have the special inspector experience requirements confirmed by the Registered Design Professional in Responsible Charge (RDPiRC) and the testing agency, firm or company.

The current system of special inspectors registered under the seal of a design professional and actively registered with Development Services will be allowed to continue through the end of the construction project for all permits issued before April 1, 2021. All permits issued on or after April 1 will require all special inspectors to be actively certified and registered with DSD.

For more information regarding special inspections, including program policies, procedures and guidelines, please refer to IB 132.

Join the Line with CITYPASS!

We are excited to offer CityPass, powered by QLess. What is CityPass? It’s a new tool giving you the flexibility to join a line, avoid standing in it and wait anywhere you like.

For those who need to visit DSD, please join the line before coming to the building. To get in line, customers can either:

(1) go online to the DSD or the COSA CityPass site,

(2) download the QLess App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or

(3) text the word “csaonestop” to (210) 794-6955

When ready, enter your name, cell phone number, and choose the queue (service) you need. Some of the services include addressing, zoning, permits, certificates of occupancy, and more. Now, you can move freely while getting SMS text notifications that provide real-time updates, including wait time, placement in queue, and when it is your turn. Estimated wait times will also be available on the City and DSD website. Visit the CityPass website to learn more about the tool and how to get in line.

To join the line from your mobile device, download the QLess App from the Apple App store or the Google Play store. To help

identify the correct app, see the QLess App image.

Safety Measures Continue at One Stop

While all plans and permit applications are to be submitted electronically online, with the Nov. 2020 BuildSA release, we understand there may be a need to visit the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center (DBSC). For customers who need to visit us, before coming down, please join the line using CityPass and select the service you need to visit. You will get a notification alerting you to your place in line.

For your safety and ours, we continue to permit up to 30 customers at a time inside the DBSC. Upon entry to the building, please be prepared to:

Maintain 6' social distance
Have your temperature checked
Wear a face mask

We ask if you or anyone in your household is experiencing COVID symptoms, to please stay home.

Virtual boards and commissions meetings will continue as-is until further notice.

Like you, we will monitor the latest COVID-19 news and do our part to keep our customers, staff and visitors safe. For more information about the department's safety measures, online, or lobby services, please visit our website.

Additional Info Available to You

FY 2020 Annual Report

We are pleased to share the FY 2020 Development Services Annual Report and Year In Review is now available. This report highlights our successes and announces upcoming projects we know you will be interested in.