Leo Null Building Official
Address:	155 Deer Hill Avenue Danbury, CT 06810
Telephone:	203-797-4580

Permit Applications

Description
    Many of our residents aren’t aware of the fact that the Building Department falls under the umbrella of Public Safety as do the Fire and Police Departments. On the municipal side, the Building Dept. is the agency that takes a project from plan approval to fruition. Once we issue the Certificate of Occupancy, it is the Fire Marshal’s Office under the Fire Dept. that takes over from that point. They inspect all buildings (other than one and two family dwellings) for code compliance at specific intervals from that point on.

    By CT general statute all 169 municipalities are required to enforce the 2005 CT State Building Code which consists of the 2003 International Building Code, 2003 International Existing Building Code, 2003 International Plumbing Code, 2003 International Mechanical Code, 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, 2003 International Residential Code, and 2005 NFPA National Electrical Code with the 2005 CT supplements. There are also over 2500 referenced Standards that are used. The Department’s mandate is that everyone uses the same code.

    The Department’s staff consists of an administrator or the Building Official (B.O.), seven Assistant B.O.’s, an electrical inspector and one clerical person.

    All applications and submittals come to the Building Department through the Permit Center. Routinely all inspectors review plans and answer technical questions daily. Plans, when submitted, are reviewed as submitted for conformance to the State Building Code. Plans for a deck can be reviewed often in twenty minutes; longer project plans can require weeks. Typically our larger plans include architecturals, structurals, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, egress, sprinklers, etc., so you can see why more time is necessary. Upon approval, permits are issued, and inspections performed as requested. Once a final inspection at 100% completion is performed, a CO is issued. This allows the use to be occupied.

Successes
    The Building Department performed over 15,000 inspections last year which is quite an accomplishment by itself. In addition, the Building Department issues demolition permits and deals with asbestos, mercury, PCB, and many hazardous cleanups, items many of our residents are not aware of.

    The Department is continuously called upon to act as expert witnesses and defend abatements in court. Unfortunately this step, though unpleasant, is required as a last resort.

    Some jobs really become a joint partnership in order to meet a deadline. Two examples of this were the recent Danbury Fair Mall renovation and Brookview Commons at 30 Crosby Street. In order to accommodate the Macerich Corp., upon issuance of their building permit to renovate the mall property, inspections were performed during evening and weekend hours. This allowed them to keep their doors open during normal sales hours and avoid loss of revenue. Over 252,000 square feet were renovated. The food court’s improvement far exceeded our expectations. In addition, 24 retail tenants expanded and/or renovated their spaces and 18 new tenant spaces opened with more on the way. The finished product speaks for itself. Our opinion is that Danbury has achieved a first-class mall which provides an upscale shopping experience for all.

    Brookview Commons at 30 Crosby Street completed 115 units and were able to be occupied by the deadline date for the fall college semester. This project, like many others, really became a joint partnership. Many hours went into plan review, revisions, inspections, etc. in order to meet the specified deadline, which in this case was the fall semester for WCSU. When one sees all the daily activity at this location and its close proximity to the university's main campus, this was a job well done.

    The Building Department also responds to accidents involving vehicles and building damage. Our list continues to grow. The Building Department’s inspectors are on emergency call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our inspectors respond to freeze-ups, sprinkler and standpipe breaks, electrical, gas, structural, unsafe conditions, and perform condemnations. One never knows what to expect when responding to an after-hours call. Our Department confidently feels that there is no situation that the Building Department can’t handle.