Permit Technician

City of Lawrence, Kansas; Lawrence (KS); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

A municipal authority in Lawrence seeks a Permit Technician to join the Building Safety Division. This role involves providing technical support for building permits and contractor licensing, coordinating with various City departments, and ensuring compliance with established codes. The ideal candidate should have relevant education, a background in construction or code enforcement, and excellent customer service skills. This position offers opportunities for professional development, including certification as a Permit Technician.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in Construction Technology, Architecture, Engineering, or related field preferred.
• Prior completion of International Code Council Permit Technician certification preferred.
• Minimum of two years of support to professional codes administration or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Review plans and permit documents for compliance with city codes.
• Provide guidance to customers about building permit processes.
• Coordinate permit processes across City departments.
• Coordinate permit processes across City departments and external agencies.

Skills

Knowledge of building codes

Strong conflict resolution skills

Customer service skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities

Education

Associate’s degree in Construction Technology or related field

High school diploma/GED with relevant training

Job description

Summary

The Permit Technician works as part of the Building Safety Division of the Planning & Development Services Department to perform limited technical plan review work as part of a larger plan review team that receives, reviews, and issues residential and commercial building permits. This position provides daily technical support and guidance to the development community related to processing and issuance of building permits and contractor licensing, consisting of new applications and annual renewal of such licenses, and coordinates permit approvals across City departments.

Responsibilities

Important responsibilities of the Permit Technician include, but are not limited to:

• Review plans, permit documents, and other pertinent information, often through the online portal Enterprise Permitting & Licensing, to verify accuracy, completeness, and compliance with established department policies and city codes.
• Perform code and records research and compile data for outside sources and staff within the department.
• Provide information and guidance to customers regarding contractor licensing code provisions, building permit processes including inspection requirements, and other general information concerning the building permit process.
• Coordinate permit processes across City departments (Fire, Engineering, Planning) and external agencies to ensure all requirements are met.
• Use initiative and resourcefulness in deviating from traditional methods or research trends and patterns to develop new methods, criteria, or propose new policies to help create better efficiencies in the daily responsibilities of the position and division.
• Use considerable judgement and initiative to determine the approach or action to take in non-routine situations, working independently with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education: Associate’s degree in Construction Technology, Architecture, Engineering, Building Inspection, or related field is preferred; OR High school diploma/GED supplemented with training in construction technology, code enforcement, or a related field.

Prior completion of International Code Council Permit Technician certification program or equivalent construction trades certification is preferred. The selected candidate must be able to obtain certification as a Permit Technician through the International Code Council within 12 months of hire if they do not already possess such certification.

Experience: Minimum two (2) years of technical or administrative support to professional codes administration staff, or equivalent. Three (3) years of experience in construction, building inspection, code enforcement, or contractor services with direct application of building codes is preferred.

The ideal candidate will have, or have the ability to gain, knowledge of building codes and ordinances enforced by the City, principles and techniques of building plans examination, contractor licensing regulations established by ordinance, and strong conflict resolution/customer service skills. The ability to manage multiple competing priorities, work independently, and maintain professionalism in high-volume customer interactions is essential.

If interested, please submit an application on the City’s jobs website: https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/cityoflawrence/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/4017