Through The Legal Labyrinth

It seems hard for me to believe that it has been almost three weeks since I posted a blog. I keep on thinking of things to write about, on our recovery from arson journey, but let the work of the journey take up my time and don’t write them.

The course of the journey, our view of what we need to do, when, keeps changing We have been cleaning out the burnt section and starting to dissasemble, while trying to clean up the smoke damaged section. I had assumed we would need to have many things done before we could get back in.

But conversations just over a week ago gave me the hope we could be in within the week. Hope dashed. We now have official information, which gives me a tantalizing timeline of 2 weeks to two months, under a temporary certificate of occupancy.

So here is the official information:

First E-mail —

First, if you are needing power so that you can begin some work of cleaning the inside personal belongings up, or putting temporary items to reduce further damage; then an Electrical Reconnect Permit will be the first step for you to complete.  During this inspection, the inspector will verify that the damage circuit has been removed and the main service panel is safe to be energized by Evergy, and that there is a lockable door from the damaged side of the house; furthermore, we would only release a Temporary power for the structure.

The next permit will need to be a demolition permit (full/partial) depending on what you plan to do with the part of the property.  Full demo, removes all  parts of the house (including foundation), while the partial demo allows for foundation to remain, but requires plan be submitted to show build back.  Once you have made that decision, the next step in the process will be to have an Architect/Engineer draw plans and submit them through our citizen portal ([http://.compasskc.kcmo.org]http://.compasskc.kcmo.org), and go through the plan review process.

After the plan review process, permits can be obtained (by yourself in some cases &/or by licensed contractors), and work/inspections can begin.  I have included 2 compasskc concierge  guru’s to assist with any issues you have with Compass (John Pajor & Tessa Ramirez).

To address the getting a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (CITO), City Planning & Development would not issue a new CITO.  This may change depending on what you decide with the demo situation; full demo, with new house (change in sqft, or footprint).  Again just to reiterate, the inspector we only verify that the service is safe and that there is a lockable door from the damaged side of the house.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Second e-mail —

If you would like Temporary power for your structure, then you would need to obtain an Electrical Reconnect permit.  How quickly one obtains it entirely depends on how quickly one applies for the permit in the citizen portal; it should be noted that the process can be started/completed entirely online (takes roughly 7-10 business days) or started online and  completed on the 5^th flr. of City Hall to help speed up the process (could be same day or next business day). 

Demo permits depending which one you go with will make the timeline vary.  Information Bulletin #107 provides information on demo permits and can be found here(https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/city-planning-development/information-bulletin-ib-index).  Information Bulletin #100 provides information on Plan submissions for Single Family (S/F) homes, which could take 7 business days +/- to be reviewed after submission;  that assumes no corrections to your plans are required which could extend the amount of time depending on how quickly the corrections are addressed by the submitting party.

Per my previous email and the email sent by Elizabeth Lightfoot asking for a temporary permit to occupy the structure, City Planning & Development would not give a letter stating that the structure can be occupied, and the City would not issues a temporary permit to occupy said structure.  That decision would be left entirely up to a structural engineer who would evaluate the structural integrity of your structure.

Regardless of the path that you choose, structural plans and permits will be required for the project.  Familiarity with the CompassKC system can make timelines vary depending on architects/engineers responsiveness to plan review corrections, and licensed contractors addressing deficiencies from inspectors.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

How difficult (or expensive) could it be?

Updates to follow.