HB0140

Authorizes building owners and contractors to retain qualified third-party inspectors to perform building permit inspections for cities, towns, and counties in Wyoming.

• Defines key terms including 'building permit inspection' (on-site examination for code compliance, excluding state-required and final occupancy inspections), 'third party inspector' (licensed architects, professional engineers, or ICC/local authority certified persons with liability insurance, excluding those with conflicts of interest), and 'local enforcement authority' (city, town, or county building officials). (W.S. 15-1-513(a), W.S. 18-5-209(a))
• Permits building owners or their contractors to hire and pay for third-party inspectors to perform building permit inspections on their projects. (W.S. 15-1-513(b), W.S. 18-5-209(b))
• Requires owners or contractors to provide written notice to the local enforcement authority either at the time of filing the building permit application or before each scheduled inspection, identifying the third-party inspector and the inspections to be performed. (W.S. 15-1-513(c), W.S. 15-1-513(d), W.S. 18-5-209(c), W.S. 18-5-209(d))
• Requires third-party inspectors to submit inspection reports to the local enforcement authority by established deadlines, with local authorities permitted to set minimum report requirements and required to accept reports within a set timeframe. (W.S. 15-1-513(f), W.S. 18-5-209(f))
• Requires third-party inspectors to maintain liability insurance of at least one million dollars per claim (professional liability for architects and engineers; general liability for ICC-certified or locally-certified inspectors) and to provide proof of coverage to the local enforcement authority. (W.S. 15-1-513(h), W.S. 15-1-513(j), W.S. 18-5-209(h), W.S. 18-5-209(j))
• Clarifies that third-party inspectors cannot issue certificates of occupancy, which remain the sole responsibility of the local enforcement authority; allows local authorities to rely on third-party inspection reports for non-final inspections. (W.S. 15-1-513(k), W.S. 18-5-209(k))
• Requires local enforcement authorities to establish and publish deadlines and requirements for all notices and inspection reports related to third-party inspections.