March 19, 2020 4:08 PM
Public Works Bldg remains open - limits public access.
The departments of Building and Planning, Environmental Services and Public Works will maintain current hours of operation with restricted access to customer service areas.
Spokane County, WA – March 19, 2020 – The departments of Building and Planning, Environmental Services and Public Works are housed in the Spokane County Public Works Building at 1026 W. Broadway (east of the County Courthouse). All three departments will remain open to serve the public during our current hours of operation. However, public access to our various customer service areas is restricted. We are following the recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Spokane Regional Health District to limit and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to the public and our employees. Consequently, the procedures and operations listed below will remain in effect until further notice.
Building and Planning
• Contact information:
• Phone: (509) 477-3675
• Fax: (509) 477-4703
• Website: www.spokanecounty.org/bp
• Business hours:
• 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
• 7:30 a.m. to Noon on Friday.
• The Building and Planning Permit Counter is CLOSED to walk-in transactions beginning Thursday, March 19, 2020. The Department is making various adjustments to continue to conduct business and accommodate social distancing.
Permitting:
• Permitting staff will be available via phone and by appointment only to assist with permit requests until further notice. Permitting staff will also be available by email.
• Submittals for all permits will be through either electronic format (on the County portal) or can be left in a drop box located in the Public Works lobby. Notification of receipt of acceptance for project review will be sent to the applicant.
• Payments can be made online through the permitting portal or by mail with a check.
Inspections:
• Building inspection staff will begin working from home starting Monday, March 23, 2020. Desk phones will be forwarded to cell phones.
• New construction will be inspected as normal with the caveat that the contractor is to provide safe practices for the inspector and keep the environment clear as the inspector works through the building.
• Occupied buildings - the inspector will arrive onsite and either perform a virtual inspection, following County guidelines, or the permit will be placed as an emergency repair and will be re-inspected at a later date; Coordination of the final inspection will need to be initiated by the permit applicant and coordinated with the inspector. Both types of inspections are a partial approval only and will not be final until such time that the inspector can verify installation.
• Some inspections will be conducted virtually through video or photos; in-person inspections will be at the inspector’s discretion and subject to social distancing protocols.
• Technical Review/Pre-Development Meetings
• Technical Review/Pre-Application meetings will be held by telephone conferencing or by phone. Applicants should contact staff by phone for direction on how to submit projects.
Environmental Services
• Contact information:
• Phone: (509) 477-3604
• Fax: (509) 477-4715
• Website: www.spokanecounty.org/es
• Business hours:
• 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Payments for utility billings are not accepted in the Public Works Building. Please make your payments using one of the following options:
• Payments Online: To make payments using your credit card or bank account, go to www.spokanecounty.org/es
• Payments by Phone: You may use your bank account, debit card or credit card. For more information, call 1-866-315-6352.
• Payments by Mail: Submit your payment stubs (along with a check or money order) payable to Spokane County Environmental Services at P.O. Box 2355, Spokane, WA 99210-2355. Do not mail cash!
• If you have no other option than to pay your sewer bill in person, a drop box is available in the Treasurer's Office and also inside the main entrance to the County Courthouse (1116 W. Broadway Avenue).
• Environmental Services will continue to provide inspection services for sewer service connections following our normal practices for scheduling.
• The customer service area is now located in the conference room immediately adjacent to our reception area (room 4A).
• At the fourth-floor reception entrance, signs will direct you to call the front desk at Ext: 3604. Please take a seat. A customer service representative will escort you into the temporary customer service area.
• Customers are encouraged to call ahead (509) 477-3604 to make an appointment with a customer service representative to streamline service and reduce delays.
• A drop box is located outside our service area for plan submittals and other routine paperwork.
Public Works
• Contact information:
• Phone: (509) 477-3600
• Fax: (509) 477-7655
• Website: www.spokanecounty.org/publicworks
• Business hours:
• 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
• Public access to the second-floor customer service area is closed.
• Call (509) 477-3600 to schedule appointments with customer service representatives.
• We will continue our operations and staffing in the permit center.
• Go to www.spokanecounty.org/publicworks for information, forms, etc.
We are here to serve the citizens of Spokane County to the best of our ability during this challenging time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.