News from City of San José Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement
May 11, 2020
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County Order allows all construction to proceed, subject to safety protocols

As announced in the April 29 Santa Clara County Public Health Order , all construction work may resume, subject to safety protocols:

Complying with these protocols is essential to the safety
of construction workers, building inspectors, and anyone entering or leaving the project site. Before you proceed with construction or scheduling an inspection, make sure your project is in compliance with the protocols relevant
to your project. Visit www.bit.ly/ConstructionGuidelines
to learn more.

To schedule an inspection, go to www.sjpermits.org .
Photo of a building inspector on a construction site. He is looking at plans.
San Jose inspectors have been trained on the County's safety protocols. Inspectors will wear protective gear and will practice social distancing when conducting inspections. An inspector may cancel the inspection if he or she observes unsafe conditions. We're taking safety seriously.
San Jose Inspector Paul Healy conducts a remote video inspection of a Tesla power wall bracket installation. Inspectors have conducted more than 160 video inspections since shelter-in-place (SIP) was mandated in mid-March.
Remote video inspections help homeowner projects move along during SIP

Many simple single-family or duplex home inspections can be conducted through Zoom video conference. The homeowner's contractor usually interacts with the inspector over video to accomplish the inspection; full instructions and a list of qualifying projects are provided in Bulletin #207-Remote Video Inspection Customer Procedures . Remote video inspections are one way we're keeping your important projects moving forward during SIP.
May is International
Building Safety Month

We walk in and out of buildings every day. The month of May, which is International Building Safety Month , is
a great time to reflect on what and who makes our buildings safe. This May, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re skipping our annual Building Safety Event at City Hall, but we’ll nevertheless share helpful information. 

This first theme for May is disaster preparedness . It's a good time to think about how you can make your home and buildings safe before and during a disaster. Protect yourself and your family by planning ahead: 

Meet Planning Technician
Kenneth Chou
Before shelter-in-place, you would find Kenneth Chou at the 3rd Floor Planning Offices at City Hall, helping customers with submitting plans and getting planning permits processed. Now he's doing that same work, but from home, where his pug, Logan, is happy to provide a helping paw.