Staff Request Extension of SAFEBuilt Agreement for Building Inspection Services
The Department of Economic and Community Development requested that the City Council extend the City's existing agreement with SAFEBuilt through August 2027.
The City originally entered a contract with SAFEBuilt on August 17, 2022, to provide building permit plan review and inspection services. According to city staff, SAFEBuilt has demonstrated it has the capacity to continue meeting the City's building permit review and inspection needs.
While North Chicago's Economic and Community Development Department now handles most building inspections using city employees, some specialty inspections—such as plumbing—require certified inspectors who are not currently on staff. Extending the agreement would allow the city to continue providing those specialized inspection and plan review services.
SAFEBuilt is a private company that contracts with municipalities to provide building department and community development services. Depending on a community's needs, the company can supplement city staff or manage certain building department functions, including:
- Building inspections (residential and commercial)
- Plan review
- Permit processing
- Building official services
- Code enforcement (in some jurisdictions)
- Fire, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections
- Engineering and public works support
According to the company, SAFEBuilt serves approximately 2,000 public-sector clients across 41 states and employs about 1,500 people.
Why Cities Use Companies Like SAFEBuilt
Municipalities often contract with firms such as SAFEBuilt to:
- Fill staffing gaps when qualified inspectors are difficult to recruit.
- Access specialized inspectors for areas such as structural, fire, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and accessibility inspections.
- Scale inspection services up or down as construction activity changes.
- Reduce the cost of maintaining full-time specialized staff, particularly in smaller communities.