Dispute Resolution

Contractors: Have you ever failed an inspection and shrugged off disputing the findings because the appeals process is too complicated and lengthy?

Thanks to the Tri-County Building Industry Service Board, you now have a new way to settle site specific disputes. Tri-County's dispute resolution process allows the contractor to dispute inspection findings to the building official. If the contractor and building official can not come to an agreement, the contractor can ask for a "second opinion." Then the building official, through the Tri-County Service Center, arranges a conference call with the contractor and on-call code experts from other jurisdictions and industry. The on-call group discusses the case, and the building official takes the group's second opinion into consideration when rendering a decision in writing for the contractor. The goal of the Service Center is to conduct the conference call within 48 hours of the notice of dispute. Contractors who are not satisfied with the findings of the on-call group can appeal the decision to a local appeals board or directly to the state code chief through the "587" appeals process.

• Contact the jurisdiction's chief inspector or building official to contest the findings OR contact Joan Stevens-Schwenger, manager of the Tri-County Service Center, 503-872-6731. She will contact the building official on your behalf and set up a time when you can discuss the issues concerning your installation.
  
  
• If, after discussing your case with the building official you would like a second about the inspection results, contact the Service Center to set up a conference call with the on-call group.

• Send the Service Center a description of your installation, diagrams or blueprints or any other information pertinent to your case so that the center can distribute the information to the on-call group.

• The Service Center contacts code experts from a number of jurisdictions and industry to discuss your installation and assist the building official in making a call on your installation.

• The Service Center organizes and facilitates a conference call with you, the building official who made the call, and the on-call group.

• When the call begins, the contractor explains his or her installation. After the group has asked questions, the contractor hangs up.

• The building official of the jurisdiction of dispute then explains his or her call to the on-call group and the installation is discussed.

• The building official renders a decision and calls the contractor.

• If the contractor does not agree with the decision, the contractor can appeal the building officials decision through the local appeals board process or the "587" process.

• To appeal the building official's decision to the code chief you must use an appeal form.