NOVEMBER 21, 2000 - Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services (CIS) Director Kathleen Wilbur announced today a new Internet web page specifically designed to enable architects and engineers to quickly identify applicable construction plan review and permit requirements.

"Design professionals often obtain applicable permits from one of our agencies, but don’t realize they need approval from others. For example, the renovation or construction of a facility would need the usual plan review approval but may also require approval from our Bureau of Health Systems, as well as our Office of Fire Safety, depending on the type of facility," Wilbur explained. "The new web page is a one-stop site that will save architects and engineers valuable time in searching for applicable rules, application forms, plan review and permit requirements."

The new site identifies each departmental agency with oversight responsibilities for various types of construction and provides numerous effective "hot links" to agency pages containing instructions for securing necessary approvals. Agencies hot linked to the new web page include the Bureau of Construction Codes, the Office of Fire Safety and the Bureau of Health Systems.

The web page was presented to a construction forum focus group with over 20 corporate executives as part of the CIS’ Plan Review Enhancement Project. The participants’ firms were asked for suggestions on how CIS could improve services. Wilbur said the focus group viewed the web page as a positive step and considered the content as very helpful, particularly at the beginning of a project. The firms represented in the Forum account for hundreds of millions of dollars annually in school, health care facility, business and residential construction projects.

Among the special features in the new web page are links to the Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List, Radiation Shielding Requirements and the Michigan Fire Prevention Code.

Click here to view the new web page.

Read more Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services press releases.