Pinellas County officials launch virtual building inspection service

PINELLAS,Fla. - Homeowners and contractors in Pinellas County can now get building inspections done virtually.

County officials launched the virtual building inspection service this week.

"It’s a new way of doing things," Jim Mckillen, the Deputy Building Official for Pinellas County, said.

"There are a lot more efficiencies. I think it helps the customers, our contractors, our citizens, our homeowners, as well as the county, work more efficiently and save money," Mckillen said.

 Mckillen said there are two types of virtual inspections the county can conduct. In the first virtual inspection, the contractor or homeowner takes pictures, videos, and notes and can send them 24/7 to an inspector through the VUSPEX GO app. County officials will ask for a list of pictures that they need, and an inspector will review everything within 24 hours.

Mckillen said this option is mainly for contractors or people familiar with the inspection process.

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Homeowners and contractors also have the option to schedule a virtual appointment where an inspector will walk them through the inspection step by step. Inspectors will screenshot images if they see issues to send contractors or homeowners a message about what’s wrong. If nothing is wrong, an inspector can approve the inspection.

Virtual inspections begin in Pinellas County 

"We'll be able to do the inspections a lot faster without having to go to the actual sites," Lucas Hendershott, Chief Plumbing and Gas Inspector for Pinellas County, said. "We're going to save the county money. We're going to save the consumer money, and we're going to save the contractor money with the speed of the system, and the inspection can take place the same day as the project was completed. So, the homeowner only has to be inconvenienced one time and same as the contractor," he said.

 Hendershott said if needed, inspectors can still go to a site in person.

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"There could be a time where we felt, because we're all about life safety, that we need to go visit the site in person to make sure everything's compliant," Hendershott said.

Currently, the county is offering inspections for air conditioners, water heaters, and softeners. Hendershott and Mckillen said they’re hoping in the next four to six months, they’ll add a lot more inspection categories in phases.

Hendershott said they’ll test each phase before rolling them out. He said they wanted to start with AC units in particular because they’re the highest in demand for inspections each year.

County officials said they saw the virtual inspections modeled across the country. The idea debuted at a conference a few years ago, and county officials have been in contact with the vendor ever since, working towards implementing it.

"Ten years ago, I never thought we would get here. It was all about in-person inspections, but with technology, and we've been testing this for a few months, it is possible to do these things and still be safe with the consumers’ livelihood and the money they're spending on all these appliances," Hendershott said.

 You can find out more information about how to schedule an appointment for a virtual inspection on the county’s website by clicking here.