[StBernard] St. Bernard suspends electrical inspection requirements to speed up rebuilding

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard suspends electrical inspection requirements to speed up
rebuilding

By Karen Turni-Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

St. Bernard Parish Residents rebuilding single-family homes will no longer
need to wait for a parish electrical inspection before putting up their new
walls, under an executive order by Parish President Henry "Junior''
Rodriguez allowing licensed electricians to certify their own work. 

Rodriguez took the action this week because the parish is short one
electrical inspector and the volume of construction remains high. Hurricane
Katrina flooded all but five of the parish's more than 27,000 homes and
acting Chief Administrative Officer Dave Peralta said the rebuilding would
be stymied if inspections were required. 

"We are going to do what other jurisdictions have done and allow a parish
licensed electrician to certify that the work is correct," Peralta said. 

The electrician, who must file for the permit, must be either licensed in
St. Bernard or be recognized in the parish by having a permit with a
reciprocal jurisdiction, Peralta said. 

"This is (being done) to expedite and get people back into their homes
quicker," Peralta said. 

In a statement, Rodriguez said the Office of Rebuilding and Reconstruction
will create procedures and forms allowing electricians to certify their own
work or work they have supervised. 

The suspension applies only to construction on single-family residences,
Rodriguez said.
Electrical work for commercial structures, party wall residences,
multi-family structures or any structure outside the hurricane protection
levee system will still need to pass inspection. 

"Parish government has been overwhelmed with requests for building permits,
reviews and various inspections," Rodriguez said, warning that without
relief, rebuilding activity could be delayed.

Electricians will not be allowed to charge homeowners for certifying their
own work and officials said the parish will spot check and audit some
reviews to prevent abuse. He said electricians discovered making inaccurate
or fraudulent certifications will lose their ability to work in the parish. 

The parish's vacant electrical inspector position will not be filled for the
remainder of the year because of the parish's strapped finances, Peralta
said. 

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or
504-826-3335.