NORWICH – Claiming it has more open permits than it can feasibly handle, the Chenango County Department of Public Health is asking elected officials for an additional part-time codes inspector to help alleviate some of the work in its Norwich office.

Department leaders made the case for a new employment position at a meeting of the county’s Ag, Buildings and Grounds Committee last week. According to Environmental Health Services Director Isaiah Sutton, the County Code Enforcement Office currently has more than 900 open permits county-wide and it’s received more than 330 already this year.

With just two full-time codes inspectors on staff, that’s a lot to handle, he explained.

“We’re overwhelmed,” Sutton said, noting that someone who works as a full-time inspector is able to visit 20-30 sites per week. But there are problems balancing site inspections with time spent in the office fielding complaints, educating, and helping do-it-yourselfers over the phone.

“That’s been big. Do it yourself projects have become more popular, and our guys have definitely seen a rise in it,” said Sutton. “There’s a lot of time spent to coach homeowners through doing these projects.”

At its height in the mid 90s, the Health Department had seven inspectors on staff. The department is responsible for administration and enforcement of New York State uniform fire prevention and building codes in the county, which it does through oversight of planning, construction and use of all buildings within the county.