How are buildings inspected in Springfield?
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Since the deadly collapse of a condo in Florida, building inspections have become a big topic of conversation around the United States. There are building codes each building has to follow and Springfields Building Development Services makes sure they meet minimum requirements. We start out with the foundation with footers, stem wall, even slap on grade, said Brock Rowe, assistant director at BDS. Whats inspected depends on the type of building. Depending on what theyre made out of the material pushes different things in the building code. An assembly for instance has different requirements than a business classification.  Homes on average have around eight to ten inspections. Larger buildings such as condos can have hundreds. In 2018, an engineering report showed cracks in the concrete in the garage of the Miami condo that collapsed last Thursday. Something very, very wrong was going on at that building, said Charles Burkett, mayor of Surfside, Florida.  And we need to find out. However, thats not going to be today and thats not tomorrow. And thats not the next day.  In Springfield, it takes roughly nine months for a dangerous building to be inspected. A dangerous building can have a broken window, a crumbling structure, or even fire damage. Buildings in the United States do not fall down, said Burkett. This is not a third-world country where that phenomenon is common. Its a first-world country.  The International Code Council updates building codes every three years. Its going to be basically up to the citizens of the city if they chose to update to a new code cycle, said Rowe. BDS has a form for people to fill out if they notice a dangerous building. The fire department also does annual inspections to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.