November 2022 Edition
Note: a previous distribution of this newsletter included a formatting issue. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Dear DOB Customers,
Thank you for your partnership, and we look forward each day to continuing to serve you as this new agency.
Last month, the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) began serving residents, businesses and visitors of the District of Columbia. In our first newsletter, we provided an overview of our agency's structure and program areas, an introduction to our new website, and began talking about how we will serve you going forward.
Our first month of operations as DOB has been an exciting period as we saw our preparation and hard work result in a seamless transition with no interruption in service for our customers. We are still in the infancy of our agency's introduction, and will continue to work so that you have a clear understanding of our agency's purview, program areas, and capabilities.
Additionally, while our team has been focused on standing up DOB, we remain resolute in our pursuit of excellent customer service by tapping into people, innovation, and technology.
Please read on to learn about how we have improved two of our most frequently used applications to support transparency, safe construction, and protect residents.
We have updated Tertius, our one-stop shop for construction inspections, so that you can now schedule free DOB construction inspections online. Previously, you could only do so through an automated phone system. We have also enhanced Scout, our online consolidated database, which offers large-scale access to publicly-available permitting, licensing, and inspections data. With Scout, you can now subscribe to alerts when a permit application is submitted or a permit is issued for a property of interest.
The following are examples of how we have heard your feedback, and responded accordingly in our continued commitment to think critically, streamline processes, and increase access to information and services so that we may serve you better. With the agency now fully-funded for the fiscal year, here are some of the priorities we will tackle over the next 60 days:
- Bolster our staff capacity by hiring additional personnel in live customer service and inspectors to support construction safety and rental housing. On Monday, November 14, 2022, we will be holding a virtual hiring fair. We encourage you to learn more about this hiring event, the opportunities that are now posted, and invite you to apply to join our team.
- Expand community outreach to assess needs, collaborate on solutioning, and align our work in expediting permitting, affordable housing, development, and continue to be accessible, responsive, and transparent government.
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Thank you for your partnership, and we look forward each day to continuing to serve you as this new agency.
Stay Safe.
 Ernest Chrappah
Acting Director
 With the introduction of DOB and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) last month, we want to ensure that customers are informed and knowledgeable about how each agency serves the District.
Generally, matters pertaining to property and construction, such as permitting, code compliance, residential and construction inspections, management of vacant properties, and enforcement related to these matters falls under the purview of DOB; while corporate registration and filings, business, occupational and professional, and housing rental licensing falls under DLCP along with consumer protection, special events and vending licensing and enforcement, and oversight of weights and measures devices.
To help you keep this information handy, please download this infographic.
 There is a great deal of opportunity at DOB during this exciting time. We applaud those who think critically, embrace change and are seeking to grow their careers by taking on new challenges.
On Monday, November 14, 2022, DOB will hold a virtual hiring fair. Candidates will be able to claim additional preference for District residency, military service, and foster care as applicable in any other hiring event.
We strongly encourage you to view open positions and apply early as we will be selecting and scheduling qualified applicants for virtual interviews to be held on Monday, November 14. We are currently seeking talented professionals who possess a relevant skill set and strong desire to serve the residents and businesses of the District. If you have an interest, we encourage you to learn more by viewing the open positions posted at dob.dc.gov/jobs.
 Last November, our predecessor agency, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), launched Tertius, an innovative digital marketplace for property owners to obtain construction inspections using third-party inspection agencies. The platform created new opportunities for small businesses operating in the District, made it easier for owners to identify inspections needed for their construction projects, increased efficiency of reporting and approving of inspections, and increased the District’s oversight of construction projects.
Now, Tertius has expanded to include the option to schedule inspections using DOB inspectors. Now, not only is it easier to schedule inspections with a DOB inspector – our previously-used interactive voice response system was far less intuitive – inspections can now be scheduled faster. Where it took as long as two weeks to schedule an inspection in the past, now inspections may be scheduled in as little as three business days.
This presents an important opportunity to customers, as all construction inspections conducted by a DOB inspector come at no additional cost to customers; the cost of DOB inspections are included in a project's original permit fees. This new choice allows customers to obtain construction inspections by selecting a third-party inspection agency at a cost, or choose to use a DOB inspector so that they can make the best decision for themselves or their business.
 Recognizing that our customers have a vested interest in their community, we are pleased to state that a new enhancement has been made to Scout, the online consolidated database shared between DOB and DLCP. Increased functionality has been introduced that allows customers to subscribe to an address and receive email notifications if a permit application is submitted, and/or if a permit is issued for that address.
Once logged in using your single sign-on, Access DC account, Scout provides access to publicly-available data, including permitting and inspections information, Certificates of Occupancy, licensing, Stop Work Orders, and additional enforcement action, and more, all in one system – improving the way you access essential information.
As a government agency we are well aware of the daily role that DOB plays in protecting residents, residents and businesses. In conjunction with the laws contained within the DC Code that grant us discretionary enforcement authority, DOB also has several resources available to increase our oversight of activity within the building, construction, and rental housing segments of private industry. These include the recently launched Insurance Education Center, Agency Performance Dashboard, Contractor Rating System, Scout, and eRecords, all platforms that enable customers and stakeholders to be informed about activity happening in your neighborhood. Tertius, and the Permit Wizard, increase the volume and consistency of information received from customers, and provide more reliable data analysis of the permitting and construction processes, which improves our performance in this area.
In October, we launched our Training Academy, an intensive three-week training program that will result in a more knowledgeable staff to serve you better. We will soon launch a new Vacant Property land management system that will increase the data quality of our inventory of vacant and blighted properties; provide a user-friendly platform for property owners to be notified of their property’s occupancy status; advise them of exemption status, which when changed affects tax rates; allow easier registration of their vacant properties; enable residents to quickly notify us of a suspected vacant property so it may be inspected; and notify us of a change in ownership when a property is returned to productive use. We are also expanding our Quality Assurance/Quality Control Process to improve operations for all inspections, which when coupled with additional inspectors and enhanced usage of our Resident Inspector Program will increase our capacity.
Your voice is important and over the next year, we will be engaging with customers and stakeholders and inviting you to discuss your thoughts so that they may inform development of a new strategic enforcement plan. We look forward to working with you as we move forward.
Contact DOB via email, through our online inquiry form or during normal business hours using the live chat available on dob.dc.gov or by phone at 202.671.3500, and we will get back to you in three business days or less.
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