Supervisors rehash building license laws

Apparently some people who want to build their own homes are questioning new zoning laws that require licensed subcontractors to be listed on the back of housing permit applications at zoning.

The discussion arose following a complaint from a builder that the zoning office is now requiring appointments.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III broached the subject at a recent meeting of the board of supervisors.

“Builders are complaining that the zoning office is closed when they call or that they have to have an appointment,” Zinn said.

Zoning administrator Ken Jones explained that someone complained to his superiors because he (Jones) asked a builder to give his office time to review his house plan.

“The gentleman is mad at me because of this,” Jones said.

“In the past, I can build my own home,” District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor said.

“Under state law anyone you have on it must be licensed,” Jones said. “We are just asking the name and license of the subcontractors to put on the back of the permit application.”

“I want to make it safe and as easy as possible for a person to build his house,” Taylor said.

“He says his subs can't pass the license exam to get his state license,” Jones said.

“Even if I'm building my own house, I can't wire it myself?” asked District 1 supervisor Charles Terry.

“You have to do it all by yourself and the state will inspect it,” Jones said.

“I want to be helpful and citizen-friendly,” Taylor said. “Say, `it will be a few minutes. Do you mind waiting?' “

Terry said if anyone decides to do their own plumbing and electrical, “you can circumvent the state requirement by building it yourself.”

“But the state requires me to have them licensed before giving a permit,” Jones said.

“How do we know who is inspecting it?” Terry asked.

“We go out five times to inspect,” Jones said. “We had people trying to do that and it's a mess.” “That puts a lot of responsibility back on the county,” Terry said.

“There's a limit you can put on it,” Taylor said. “We're not talking about a person building two or three houses to sell. Just a personal house.”

“He got mad the other day because he didn't have licensed contractors,” Jones said. “He was furious. He wasn't illegal because he was using somebody else's license.”

“The law went into effect July 1,” said board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith.

“If the state comes and

checks papers in my office, they will ask me `why did you you give them a permit ?' “ Jones said.

“At the end of the day, we are here for the citizens, not for the government,” Taylor said.

“We are the government,” Terry said.

“I want you to follow the law,” Smith said. “That's my job, to tell everybody to follow the law.”

“It looks like if he doesn't have the license, we can go by state law or we can go rogue,” said District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett. “I have no problem with a fellow building his own house. Ken's supposed to inspect and if he sees an unlicensed person putting in electricity, he's breaking the law.”

“The electrical, plumbing and mechanical all require licenses be placed on the page,” Jones said. “In general contractors, next is electric, plumbing and mechanical list with their names and license numbers.”

“That's on the application so we don't have a problem,” Terry said.

“Somebody is mad at me, that's all,” Jones said.

In other business, the board of supervisors:

• rehashed an old business matter concerning wrecked cars being stored in a lot behind D&D Grocery on Highway 309 North. Taylor said the lot owner is still bringing in wrecked cars on the weekends to be worked on and then selling the vehicles. The owner has no permit to operate a used car lot, he said.

“The last time we talked he put up a privacy fence,” Smith said.

“You can't see in,” said Jones.

“It's about getting a permit for a business,” Smith said.

“He never got a permit,” Taylor said. “He's buying wrecked vehicles and storing them. How is that legal?” Terry said the owner has been in violation since Oct. 3. Smith said it is not a clean-up issue because people can't see the vehicles from behind a tall fence the owner installed. Supervisors passed a motion by Taylor to ask Smith to investigate issuing fines.

• learned from county engineer Larry Britt that any ARPA money spent on engineering for the sewer design on Hyline Drive must go through the bid process whereby requests for proposals (RFPs) are advertised and the bids are ranked by the board of supervisors. The process is required for any federal dollars funneled through state ARPA and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Britt said a similar water and sewer project was handled in the same manner by the Town of Byhalia.

The board approved holding a special meeting Thursday, Dec.15 to rank the RFP's.

• heard the Tippah River Bridge replacement project and Goat Bridge replacement are being worked as separate projects by the Corps of Engineers. Britt said he does not know when the Mississippi Department of Transportation is going to let the contract out to bid.

“Wasn't nothing wrong with it when it was closed,” said Bennett. “It's been closed three years.” • approved a motion to repair the Red Banks Fire Station or rebuild the station close to the airport.

“The building is falling down,” said chancery clerk Chuck Thomas.

“We could get on Bicycle Road near the (Springs) industrial park and have the Byhalia Fire Department on the other side,” Bennett said.

• approved a motion to issue bonds. The money would be used to acquire certain properties located in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park.