Chapter 6:  Create New Building Permit

Overview

There are two ways you can create a new building permit:

1.       From the Permits tab on the Project form. The project's current step must be the one defined for the Building Department. This is the only step that allows a Building Permit to be created. When created this way, the New Permit form is pre-populated for you with the Project Name.

2.       From the BluePrince Main Tool Bar click on New Permit. When created this way, the first step on the New Permit form is to identify the project to which this permit should be assigned. You may only assign a project whose current step is the one defined for the Building Department.

Using either of these methods will open the New Permit form for generation of a new building permit.

NOTE:  Although the project name may be edited from the permit form, the result of this editing is to orphan the permit, preventing it from being used.  Do not edit or blank out the project name on the permit form!

Required Fields

The New Permit form has the most required fields of any form in BluePrince (see Figure 50). All required fields are purple and underlined. The Page Tabs that contain required fields are identified in the same way to give you a "heads up" that data is required on that Tab.   The required data for a new permit are:

• Project – each permit must be associated with a Project.  It may be identified by either the Project Name or the Project ID.
• Property – each permit must be associated with a unique Property in BluePrince.  There are several ways to identify properties.
• Permit Type – each permit must be identified as belonging to a particular type so that the associated data for that type is gathered and the associated checks are performed.  Permit Types are configured for each jurisdiction and project type.

Required fields are also determined by the Permit Type.

Figure 50 -  New Permit Form

Checking off Group Boxes

Data is organized in group boxes on each of the forms in BluePrince. A group box is recognized by an indented line surrounding related data fields. Examples on the New Permit form include Project, Property, Summary and Details.

On the New Permit form the group boxes are designed so that BluePrince can fetch data and populate subsequent group boxes using the data you enter. This can save lots of time, but to make it work, BluePrince must force you to enter data in top down order.

You can only enter data in one group box at a time and you cannot jump ahead. So, most of the data entry fields are initially gray and not editable. Only the current group box has editable fields. Each group box, such as the Project group box, contains a check box in the lower or upper right hand corner. Check it when you are finished with data entry for the group box and you are ready to move on to the next group box. This also tells BluePrince you are done with the group so it can go ahead and populate subsequent group boxes using the data you entered. If any Required Field is blank when you attempt to check a check box, BluePrince displays a message indicating the problem and then highlights the missing field.

If you un-check a check box BluePrince will wipe out the values you entered in that group box as well as any other group box that contained dependent data. The check boxes in those group boxes are automatically unchecked for you. Re-enter the data you want and continue on as before. You will automatically jump over any Group that was unaffected. For example, suppose that while selecting inspections you noticed you selected the wrong Permit Type. Go back to the check box in the Summary group and un-check it. Everything in the Summary group box resets and so does everything in the Details group box because Details are dependent on the Permit Type. However the Contractor and Applicant you entered are unchanged and the check box there is still checked. After you fill in the Summary and Details, BluePrince will jump over the Contractors tab back to the Inspections tab.

Data Entry Steps

New Permit data entry is discussed in this chapter’s sections Assign or Create Project to Apply Permit. The remaining sections discuss Permit activities that arise after a Permit has been created.

Time Saving Work BluePrince Performs in the Background

As permit data is entered on the form, BluePrince will use that data to help you fill out the rest of the form. Here is a brief list of the tasks BluePrince performs:

• When you assign a project to the permit, you are shown a list of properties already assigned to the project. You may also assign a property to the permit that is not currently on the project. In this case BluePrince will also assign the property to the project for you.
• BluePrince determines the Use Zone of the Property you assign to the permit and then displays only those Permit Types that have been configured for that Use Zone. This makes Permit Type selection easier and less error prone.
• If Sub-permits are being used, when you select a Sub-permit type, BluePrince finds a list of all Applied and Issued Master Permits on the property for you to choose from.
• When using sub-permits for Electrical, Plumbing or Mechanical work, BluePrince links the Structure created on the Master permit to the Sub permit.
• When the Contractor is also the Property Owner, BluePrince populates the Account Holder, Contractor and Applicant for you.
• BluePrince will prevent the permit from being issued if required Licenses do not exist or have expired.
• BluePrince will add all the required Inspections for the Permit automatically.
• BluePrince calculates the Valuation for you when the Permit Type is configured to do so. Fees that depend upon the valuation and square-footage values are calculated for you as well.
• BluePrince adds all required Pre-Issue and Pre-CO Approvals to the permit for you after the permit is Applied.
• Finally, the Permit Type can be configured to calculate the Expiration Date for you.

Assign or Create Project

To create or assign a Project for the New Permit, enter the Project Name or ID and click the Assign button. This opens the Assign Project form (see Figure 52). Rather than type in the full name, you can enter a partial name and the wild card character (*). If the project does not exist you can click New to create one. If the project does exist, select the row you want and click Use. You may still create a new project even if BluePrince found matching projects. Once you either create a new project or select an existing one, you are returned to the Permit form with the Project Name filled in for you. Check the Project check box to continue to the Property group box.

Figure 51 - Assign Project to Permit

Hint:  BluePrince only allows you to assign existing projects where the current step is the one defined for the Building Department. If a project is currently on a prior step that means the project has not met all of the requirements (approvals or fees) needed for you to accept a permit application. If you create a new project, it cannot be assigned to the permit unless its first step is the one defined for the Building Department.

Assign a Property

To assign a Property you can either select an existing property that is already on the project you are using, or you can add a new property to the project. If you decide to use an existing property simply select it from the drop down list of properties associated with the project (see Figure 52), click the Property Group check box and proceed to the Summary group box.

Figure 52 - Drop-down list of Properties associated with Project

If you decide to add a new property to your project, select ADD PROPERTY TO PROJECT from the drop-down and click Assign. This will bring up the Assign Property Using Address Lookup window (see Figure 53). Enter a Number and/or Street name in the respective fields and press the Search Again button. Rather than type in the full name, you can enter a partial name and the wild card character (*) to broaden your search results. If the Property does not exist you can click New to create one rather than using the Property button on the BluePrince Main Tool Bar. If the property exists, select the row you want and click Use. You will be returned to the Permit form with the Property Address filled in for you. If the chosen property has an Inspection District already assigned to it will be visible in the Inspection District field. Check the Property check box to continue to the Summary group box.

Figure 53 - Assign Property Using Address Lookup window

Permit Summary

Select the Permit Type from the drop-down provided (see Figure 54). Those with [M] may be used as Master Permits and those with [S] are Sub-Permits that MUST be used with a Master Permit. When a [M] Permit Type is selected, the Master Permit drop-down box will contain “None” and “Yes”. Choose “Yes” if you want the Permit to be used as a Master Permit.

Figure 54 - Select Permit Type for New Permit

When a [S] Permit Type is selected, the Master Permit drop-down becomes a Required Field and contains a list of Applied or Issued Master Permits for the Property. If no Master Permits exist, the drop-down is blank and it is not possible to proceed any further because you cannot enter a value for the Required Field. BluePrince requires that Master Permits be Applied before any Sub-Permits. It’s possible that the Master Permit was not yet changed to Applied Status or perhaps the wrong property was assigned to the permit.

For Permit Types with neither [M] nor [S], the Master Permit drop-down always displays None as the first entry. The remaining entries are a list of Applied or Issued Master Permits for the property. In this case the field is not required. This allows these Permit Types to be used as an [S] Permit Type or not. Depending on configuration the Project Description may be populated in the Permit Description field or not.  Regardless you may edit this text box with a permit description.  Check the Summary check box to continue to the Details group box.

Permit Details

There are multiple work classes that can be chosen for a given Building Permit and choosing the right one depends on what kind of work is being done on the permit in question. While you can create work classes unique to your jurisdiction BluePrince has pre-defined several Work Classes for you, as described in the table below:

Table 6 – Building Permit Work Classes

Pre-Defined Work Class	Structure Requirements within BluePrince	Recommended Use
New Construction	Create new structure	all new construction, including all Master permits
Sub-Work New Const	Select existing structure or create new structure	all sub-permits issued for new construction
Addition/ Remodel	Select existing structure or create new structure	construction projects that include both Addition and Remodeling work
Addition	Select existing structure or create new structure, AND specify the changes that will be made to the existing structure	construction projects that only involve building an Addition to an existing structure
Remodel	Select existing structure or create new structure	construction projects that only involve remodeling of the existing structure
Manufactured	Select existing structure or create new structure	for all Manufactured homes
Modular	Select existing structure or create new structure	all Modular homes

 

Other Work Classes may be customized by your jurisdiction. If so, only two options will apply: the work class must require you to select an existing structure or create one OR the work class does not allow for selection of a structure at all.

Data Entry

When you select New Construction as the Work Class for the Building Permit, the Proposed Use must be entered and the Create Structure button must be clicked. This opens the New Structure form for data entry (see Figure 55).

Figure 55 - new Structure Form

When you select a Work Class of Sub-Work New Const, Manufactured or Modular, the Proposed Use label changes to Proposed Use for Existing Structure and the edit box changes to a drop down that lists all existing structures on the property. Select the one relevant to the permit. The Create Structure button changes to Structure Details so you can view more information about the structure you select. If you select “ADD STRUCTURE” from the drop down, the Create Structure button returns and you must click it to open the New Structure form for data entry.

When the new Building Permit will add to or change existing structures on a property, select Addition/Remodel, Addition or Remodel. The Proposed Use label changes to Proposed Use for Existing Structure and the edit box changes to a drop down that lists all existing structures on the property. Select the one relevant to the permit or select “ADD STRUCTURE”.

If you select an existing structure on the property, the Create Structure button changes to Create Changes. You must click it to open the Changes to Existing Structure form. Use the Changes to Existing Structure form to identify the structural changes that will be made with the permit.

If you select "ADD STRUCTURE" from the drop down, the Create Structure button returns and you must click it to open the New Structure form for data entry. After you return, the Create Structure button will again change to Create Changes, requiring you to identify those changes.

When you select a customized work class that requires you to select an existing structure or create one, the Proposed Use field and Create Structure button behave the same way as is described for Sub-Work New Const above.

When you select a customized work class that requires no structure you only need to enter the Proposed Use. The Create Structure button becomes invisible.

When you return to the New Permit form, check the Details check box to continue to the Contractors group box.

Contractors/Contacts

There are several contact people associated with a Building Permit, specified on the Contractors tab.  The first contact field that you will want to specify is the Billing Account field. To assign this, enter a Last Name or Company Name in the Billing Account field and click the Assign button. This opens the Assign form. Rather than type in the full name, you can enter a partial name and the wild card character (*).

If the person, company or contractor you are looking for does not exist you can click New to create one. If the person, company or contractor does exist, select the row you want and click Use. After specifying a Billing Account to use, you will be returned to the Permit form with the Contractor name filled in for you.

Generally the Billing Account would be considered the person, contractor or company that is requesting the permit. This could also be the contractor, and or applicant on the permit as well, but does not have to be. The important thing to remember here is the value specified determines the Account that will be linked to the Permit fees and indicates who is responsible for making payment. Assigning the Contractor and Applicant is done in exactly the same way as the Billing Account. Assigning the Designer and Engineer also work in exactly the same way, but these fields are not required.

If you need to assign additional Contractors, click Other Contractors to open the Additional Contractors form. Again, assign as many of these Contractors as you need in the same way. Click Close when you are finished.

Once a Contractor assignment is made, the associated Check Licenses button becomes enabled. You may optionally choose to view the Contractor's licenses by clicking Check Licenses. This opens the Check License form (see Figure 56).

Figure 56 - Contractor Check License Form

Expired licenses will be highlighted in Red. If any of a Contractor's licenses that are required for the permit have expired, BluePrince alerts you with a message when you attempt to issue the permit.  A contractor may apply for a permit with an expired license, but may not have it issued if the BluePrince license checks are activated for your jurisdiction.

When you have completed entering the Contractor data, check the Contacts check box to continue to the Inspections group box on the Inspections tab.

Inspections

On the Inspections Tab of the Permit Form, all Inspections are listed that have been initiated for the permit (see Figure 57).  If at least one inspection has been configured as "Auto-Create", BluePrince will automatically add these inspections to the permit for you. If none of the inspections configured for the permit are "Auto-Create", BluePrince opens the Inspections tab and you can add inspections to the permit by clicking the Add button.  You can also add inspections as needed after the permit is in the Applied status.

Figure 57 - Permit Form: Inspections Tab

The Available Inspections for Permit Type form is opened showing all of the possible inspections that were configured for the Permit Type (see Figure 58). Check off the inspections in the Use Column that are needed for the permit and click Save to return to the Permit form. Note that any inspections that Auto-Create also show up on this list but if you check them off in the Use Column they will be added as Re-Inspections, as noted in the last column. You can un-check the re-inspection column to remove this distinction. The checked inspections are then displayed in the table on the Inspections tab. Check the Inspections check box to continue to the Valuation and Fees group box.

Figure 58 - Available Inspections for Permit Type Form

Valuation and Fees

The Valuation/Fees Tab of the Permit Form displays the Valuation Method configured for the Permit Type (see Figure 59). Valuation Methods may be Calculated or Manual. The example shown uses a Manual Valuation Method.

Figure 59 - Permit Form: Valuation Tab

When the Valuation Method is Calculated, the Valuation Amount is automatically calculated based on the Occupancy Type and Construction Type entered on the Structure form. If the Valuation Method is Calculated, you may click Details to open the Valuation Details form which shows how the Valuation was calculated. You may print the Valuation Details if desired. On a New Permit, if you need to override the Calculated Amount, change the Valuation Method to Manual.

When the Valuation Method is Manual, the Valuation Amount field is editable and you can enter the amount. BluePrince will accept a Zero (0) amount, but note that some fees may be based upon the Valuation Amount. This will be evident on the Fee Calculation form. Click Close to return to the Permit form.

Once the permit’s status has been changed to Applied, the Amend button becomes enabled (see Figure 60). If you click the Amend button to change the Valuation Amount after the Permit is Applied, BluePrince will adjust any fees based on the Valuation Amount accordingly.

Figure 60 - Permit Form: Valuation/Fees Tab - Amend Button

After you are satisfied with the Valuation Amount, click Calculate on a New Permit to open the Fee Calculation form.  If you have Amended a Valuation for an Applied Permit, click Details within the Fees area.

The Fee Calculation form displays all of the fees configured for the Permit Type. The first column, R, indicates whether the fee is required. If the fee is not marked with a “Yes” in this column you have the option to check off this box in order to assess a fee. The next two columns show the fee status and date the status changed. The number in column O indicates the Project Step associated with the fee.  If an invoice has been generated that includes the fee, the Invoice # (Number) is provided.  The Fee Cat (Category) and Description are shown, which are used for reporting. 

The next column identifies the Calc Method (Fee Calculation Method) for each fee. The examples shown are a Flat Rate fee and a fee based on complex data (indicated by the Details button).  The Calc Data (Calculation Data) column provides the Flat Fee charged or a Details button that will show you how the fee is calculated.  For this example, the Fee Lookup Form shows that the Finished Square Footage of the property structure was used to determine the fee (see Figure 61).

Figure 61 - Fee Lookup Form accessed by Details Button on Fee Calculation Form

For a new permit using a Manual Calc Method, an Enter button is in the Calc Data column. When you click Enter, a Fee Amount dialog opens.  Simply enter the fee amount and click Save to return to the Fee Calculation form.

For a Fixture Calc Method, a Calculate button is in the Calc Data column. When you click Calculate, the Fixture Entry dialog opens. This form provides a data table of fixtures that may be applicable to the permit.  Enter the Quantity directly into the table for each fixture that is applicable to the Permit. When complete, click Calculate Total and Save to return to the Fee Calculation form.

Upon return to the Fee Calculation form, the Sub Total contains any manually entered fees and calculated fees.

The Add New Fee and Add New Fixture buttons allow you to modify the list of fees after the permit is Applied. You may Void or Waive fees only after a Permit is Applied. While there are still any due fees on a permit you can click Recalculate New Fees to delete due fees and start over with fee calculations.

Any fee with a Sub-Total of $0 will be removed from the permit after it is Applied. Click Save to save the Fee Calculations and return to the Permit form. The Due and Balance Due amounts are updated from the Fee Calculation form. Check the Valuation/Fees check box to continue to the Extra group box.

Extra Information

Within the Extra group box, select the appropriate (Dodge) Report Code and Permit Class. Then check the Extras check box to continue to the Approvals for the permit.

Approvals

BluePrince can automatically create Pre-Issue and/or Pre-CO approvals that have been configured as Required for that Permit Type when a permit is Applied. However, if any Pre-Issue or Pre-CO approvals are optional then you will be prompted to choose from the Select Optional Approvals form which approvals are necessary. The Pre-Issue and Pre-CO Issue approvals can be customized for each Permit Type using BlueConfig. Check which approvals are needed from the Use Column and Save to continue to the Custom group box.

Custom Fields

If no custom fields have been configured for this Permit Type you will skip over this group box. However, if any custom fields have been configured, required or not, you will have to visit this group box. All required fields must be filled out at this time, but remember you can come back to this Custom group box and edit any fields later.  Check the Custom check box to continue to the Date group box.

Expiration Date

If the Permit Type is configured to set a manual expiration date, the Dates group box is enabled and you will be required to enter the Expires Date. Set a date and check the Dates check box to continue.

If the Permit Type is configured to set an automatic expiration date, BluePrince skips this step.

Note: Once the expiration date is set for a permit, it cannot be changed.

Apply Permit

At this point you are ready to Apply the permit. Take a moment to review the permit data and if corrections are necessary see the section below on "Backing Up/ Making Corrections". If the permit application is satisfactory, click Apply. A permit number and Applied date are automatically set for you.

Note how the Permit form looks after applying the permit: the top bar shows the Permit Number, the Status is Applied, the Status button now says Issue, and the Hold and Void buttons are available. The Group check boxes are no longer needed and are not displayed.

Once a permit is Applied, the Invoice/Refund button on the Valuation/Fees tab is highlighted for you whenever you open the form until the permit is issued. BluePrince assumes that marking fees paid is the next step before you issue the permit. Click Close when you are finished with the permit application.

Backing Up/Making Corrections

At any point during data entry for the permit you can back up to make a change in the data you have entered.  To back up, uncheck the group box where you are entering data. When you reach the group box where you want to make a change, un-check the check box associated with that group of data.

While you are backing up, BluePrince may erase some of the group boxes that are unchecked if changes in the currently unchecked group box could impact later group boxes.

Permit Operations

Once a permit’s status has been changed to Applied, there are a number of tasks that may be necessary to perform on the permit. Examples are: Approving Pre-Issue approvals, Adjusting the Valuation, Creating and Posting Invoices, Inspection Operations and Issuing and Completing the permit. These tasks are described in the following sections.

To work on the permit you must first retrieve the permit record you want. Permit records are accessible from the Project, Inspections and Search forms.

Adjust Valuation

To change the Valuation, click Amend on the Valuation/Fees tab (note you need to be in Edit Mode to do this). This opens the Amend Valuation Dialog.

Enter the new Valuation and click Save to return to the Permit form. Then click the Fee Details button to review any fee adjustments that might have occurred because of the change in valuation. Three new Calc Methods may be created, Adj(ust) Valuation, Adj(ust) % of Valuation, and Adj(ust) % of Total because of the valuation change. These fees may be plus or minus so that the total of the previous fee plus the adjustment reflects the correct fee. So:

• Total of Adj Valuation (Lookup)+ Valuation (Lookup)
• Total of Adj % Valuation + % Valuation
• Total of Adj % of Total + % of Total

These changes result in the correct Valuation Lookup, % Valuation and % of Total respectively. It's possible for these adjustments to be $0, in cases where the change in Valuation results in no change to the fees.

Fee and Invoice Operations

Once a permit is Applied, the Invoice/Refund button on the Valuation/Fees tab is highlighted for you whenever you open the form until the permit has a Balance Due of $0. BluePrince assumes that marking fees paid is the next step until the permit has a Balance Due of $0. If your Jurisdiction is not using BluePrince Accounting the label on the Invoice/Refund button reads Invoice. Click this button and follow the procedures in Chapter 13, Section "Processing Payments" below.

If your Jurisdiction is using BluePrince Accounting, click the Invoice/Refund button to open the Account Holder's Account Form. The Non-Invoiced Fees tab is highlighted for you. You can create an invoice for permit fees using the procedures in Chapter 14, Sections - "Account Form Overview" (Non-Invoiced Fees tab) and "Zip Thru Accounting" below.

Approval Operations

To approve an approval, or to see approval details, click on the Details button in the Pre-Issue Approvals or Pre-CO Issue Approvals group box on the Permit form. Both types of approvals are handled in the same way.

Clicking the Details button opens the Approvals View form that displays a table of Pre-Issue or Pre-CO Issue approvals for the permit (see Figure 62). If your User ID is not configured to approve a particular approval, you cannot change the approval's status or make notes on the approval. If this is the case, a message in red text appears that tells you that your User ID cannot change the approval when you select that approval in the table. However, you CAN click the Change Status button to view details about the approval you selected. When you select an approval in the table and click the Change Status button, the Approval Entry form opens.

Figure 62 - Permit Approvals View Form with Approval Entry Form

If you have access to approve the specified approval you are able to select a new status, add comments and add notes. Comments added to the Public Comments tab are available for view from the Online Project Pages while comments made on the Private Comments tab are only visible to those with access to BluePrince. Make the necessary changes on this form, then click Save when you are finished. The table on the Approvals View form is then updated with a new Status, ID, Approve Date and Comments.

Hint:  The Change Status button changes to Approval Details when the approval is no longer in status Needs Review. You may go back at a later time and change the status of any approval to any of the other status values as needed; they are as follows:

• Approved
• Hold
• Needs Review
• Rejected
• Canceled

Hint:  All approvals must have a status of Approved or Canceled for the permit to be issued. A Canceled Approval is treated as not needed for the permit.

Issue Permit

To issue a permit click the Issue button. To issue a permit the following must be true:

• The Balance Due must be $0 if the Permit Type is configured as Pay Before Issue.
• All Licenses required for the Permit Type must exist and must not be expired unless this is overridden.
• All Pre-Issue approvals must be Approved or Canceled.

When the Issue button is clicked, the permit status changes to Issued and the Print button becomes enabled. Click Print to print the permit.

Inspection Operations

Inspections can be managed on the Inspections tab of the Permit form. Find the permit you want from the Project or Search forms and then open the Inspections tab.

Add, Remove Inspections

To add inspections to the permit click Add. This opens the Available Inspections for Permit Type window (see Figure 63). This window shows all the inspections for the Permit Type. Check the inspections in the Use Column that you want to add. Note that if you choose an inspection that already exists on your permit, by default it will be added as a Re-inspection as noted by the check in the Mark as Re-Insp column. However, you can un-check the Mark as Re-Insp column in order for the inspection to not be added as a Re-inspection.  You may also select all or none of the inspections by pressing the Select All or Select None buttons at the bottom of this window. Once you have selected the appropriate inspections for addition to your permit click Save to add those inspections and return to the Permit form. The checked inspections will be displayed in the table on the Inspections tab.

Figure 63 - Available Inspections for Permit Type

To remove an inspection, select the Inspection in the bottom table and click Remove. The inspection is then removed from the table.

Request, Schedule, Cancel Inspections

To Request and/or Schedule an Inspection, select the inspection you want in the table of the Inspections tab and click the Request button to open the Inspection Request form (see Figure 64).

Figure 64 - Inspection Request Form

The Inspection Request form allows you to enter in a Request Date and Time. These values are automatically populated with today's date and the current time. These represent the date and time the Building Department initiated the scheduling of the inspection.

The Desired Date and Time have default values of today and 9:00 AM. Use these if you need to coordinate a site visit with a contractor. 

Enter any Special Instructions that you want to be reminded of when you make the inspection.

Warning:  Do not enter any apostrophe symbols (‘) within the Special Instructions field, as these can cause problems saving your data and require you to re-enter it.

At this point if you click Save the Inspection is saved with a Status of Req (Requested). Y

ou can Assign the Inspection by making a selection from the Inspector drop-down. If you click Save when there is a value in the Inspector drop-down, the Inspection is saved with a Status of Asgn (Assigned).

You can also Schedule the Inspection after assigning an inspector or district by clicking the Set button. This brings up the Scheduled Date and Time fields. The Scheduled Date and Time also have default values of today and 9:00 AM. You will probably want to change these values since they represent the actual date and time that the inspector is scheduled to make the inspection.

If you click Save the Inspection is saved with a Status of Sched (Scheduled). Saving the request returns you to the Permit form.

On the Permit form, whenever a Requested, Assigned, or Scheduled inspection is selected, the Request button changes to Cancel. This allows you to cancel the requested or scheduled inspection. Clicking Cancel does not remove the inspection, it resets the inspection back to having no status, which allows it to be requested at a later time.

Inspection Details and Results

To View Inspection Details, Enter Inspection Results, or Schedule a Requested Inspection, select the row you want in the table on the Inspections tab and click Details to open the Inspection Entry form (see Figure 65).

Figure 65 - Inspection Entry Form

On the Inspection Entry form, the upper left window labeled Permit Reference will display information related to the permit that this inspection is associated with. You will see that the upper right side of the form is exactly the same as the Inspection Request form. You can modify the Request or Desired Dates, Special Instructions or Schedule/Reschedule the Inspection by selecting an Inspector from the Assign box.

You may also enter Inspection Results on the Results tab at the bottom of the form. Click the Results tab, select the appropriate inspection status from the Status drop-down. The available status values are Needs Correction, Partial Pass, In Progress (only if your jurisdiction has configured this) and Pass. In Progress is used to identify the inspection is still 'open' and while the inspector may revisit the site to re-inspect, no Re-inspection is actually created in BluePrince. On the other hand, if an inspection is marked Needs Correction or Partial Pass BluePrince will automatically create another inspection record for you in the background. This inspection will appear in the bottom table when you return to the Inspections form. Also, if a Re-inspection fee has been configured for the Permit Type and a status of Needs Correction or Partial Pass is selected the Fee check box to the right becomes enabled. In some situations you may not need to apply the fee, so BluePrince gives you the option to uncheck this box if you choose. If the box is checked however, the permit Account Holder will be charged the re-inspection fee.  Enter any Correction Notes in the Comments (Publicly Accessible) area.

Warning:  Do not enter any apostrophe symbols (‘) within the Comments field, as these can cause problems saving your data and require you to re-enter it.

BluePrince makes these notes available to Contractors who have Signed-Up for On-line Project Pages. To enter any private notes you do not want the contractor to see, use the Notes tab. On the Results tab, you may enter any of the optional fields that your Building Department uses to track Inspection activity. Inspection Date, Start and End Times, Vehicle ID, and Odometer, are all fields that are available for your use if you so choose. Also, if any custom fields have been configured for the inspection data can be entered on the Custom tab. Click Save, to save the Inspection with a Status of Needs Correction (NC), Partial Pass (Ppass), In Progress (InProg) or Pass then click Close to return to the Permit form. 

Complete Permit

After a Permit is Applied, its status may be Issued, Completed, placed on Hold, or Voided.  Some permits also have a CO Issued status.

To manually complete an Issued permit click Complete in the Status group box. You cannot Complete the permit until all inspections have passed. BluePrince will automatically Complete a permit for you when the last Final Inspection is Passed.

Issue CO

For those Permit Types that require a Certificate of Occupancy you will see a button labeled Issue CO in the Status box.  You need to click the Issue CO button to change the status of the permit to CO Issued. All Pre-CO Issue approvals need to be Approved or Canceled before you can do this. When the Issue CO button is clicked a Confirmation box appears; click Yes. The Permit Status changes to CO Issued and the Issue CO button changes to Print CO. Click Print CO when you are ready to print off the Certificate of Occupancy template created in BlueConfig. If you get an error message stating that no print template is setup you will need to contact your System Administrator to have the Permit Type in question configured with a CO Print Template.

Hold Permit

To put a permit on Hold, click Hold in the Status group box. You will see a Confirmation box appear (see Figure 66).  Click Yes.

Figure 66 - Permit Hold

A second confirmation message appears to question whether the Hold is due to a Stop Work Order.  If so, click Yes, otherwise click No. If you click Yes, special text "STOP WORK" is entered in the Notes field.   In either case, the Notes Dialog opens for you and allows you to enter additional text. Enter the Notes and then click Save. You can decide to cancel putting the permit on Hold by clicking the Cancel button on the Notes form. This closes the Notes form and returns you to the Permit form with no changes to the permit status.  

When the permit is on Hold, the Hold button reads Undo Hold. Click it to remove the Hold and return the permit to its previous status. Again, the Notes Dialog opens for you with appropriate key words already entered in the Note. Enter any other comments and click Save.

Warning:  Do not enter any apostrophe symbols (‘) within the Notes field, as these can cause problems saving your data and require you to re-enter it.

Hint:  It is important to leave the keywords "STOP WORK", "HOLD APPLIED" or "HOLD REMOVED" in the note because these can be used to locate the note on the Notes tab.

Void / UnVoid Permit

To Void a permit click Void in the Status group box. You will see a Confirmation box that explains what will happen to outstanding fees, approvals and inspections if you void the permit (see Figure 67). When you click Yes the Notes Dialog opens for you with appropriate key words already entered in the Note. Enter the reason for the voiding the permit and click Save. You can decide to cancel voiding the permit by clicking the Cancel button on the Notes form. This closes the Notes form and returns you to the Permit form with no changes to the permit status.

When the permit is Void(ed), the Void Button reads Undo Void. Click it to remove the Void and return the permit to its previous status. Again, the Notes Dialog opens for you with appropriate key words already entered in the Note. Enter any other comments and click Save.

Figure 67 - Permit Void

Hint:  It is important to leave the keywords "VOID APPLIED" and "VOID REMOVED" in the note because these can be used to locate the note on the Notes tab.  

Edit Mode

To make corrections on the Permit form any time after the permit is Applied, click Edit Mode. The fields that can be edited now have a white background. The project can be changed by selecting the current project name and typing in a new one. The Details button resets to an Assign button so you can enter in a new name or partial name and search to assign a new project.

The Property can be changed by selecting a different property for the project from the drop down menu, or selecting to add a new property to the current project.

Hint:  You do not want to edit both of these fields at the same time because the list of properties that are in the drop down are those that are on the current project! If you wish to change both the project AND Property, change the project first, save the changes to the permit, re-enter Edit Mode and then select or create a different property and save again.

If the Permit Type has an [M] and Master Permit is None you may change Master Permit to Yes, making this permit a Master. If the Permit Type has an [S] or has neither [M] nor [S], you may change the Master Permit drop down to any Applied or Issued Master Permit that exists on the Property. You can edit the Description or change the Proposed Use as well. If a Structure is involved, this also changes the Description on the Structure.

You can also change the Report Code. After making your changes, click Save.

Print

Once the permit is Applied you can click Print in the upper right corner of the Building Permit form to print any pre-configured print templates. 

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