Building Safety

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John Gulland
Designated Building Official
Building Safety
jgulland@duluthmn.gov
210 City Hall, 411 West First St.
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 730-5163
Fax: (218) 730-5901

Bryan Bushey
Division Manager
Building Safety
bbushey@duluthmn.gov
Phone: (218) 730-4393

Office Hours:
8:00 am - 4:00 pm Mon.-Fri.
No new business after 3:45 pm

Mission Statement To promote the health and safety of Duluth citizens through fair, consistent code enforcement of state and municipal law by developing staff and community awareness, education and cooperation.

Areas of the Building Safety Division

Permits - issuing of permits for construction, plumbing, electrical, hvac, moving, wrecking, fill, water management, etc.
Plan Review - commercial or residential plan review of new construction, including remodels/renovations.
Inspections - trades inspections including construction, plumbing, electrical & hvac.
Zoning - zoning regulations/ordinance and sign permits.
Housing Housing - inspections concerning residential dwellings, including rental inspections, request inspections, tenant complaint inspections, inspections for condemnation, solid waste complaints such as no garbage service and trash/junk in exterior yard areas, abandoned vehicle complaints, etc.

Two public Boards involved with the Building Safety Division

Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) - when a building permit is requested, the permit application must strictly follow all of the regulations within the zoning code. If an applicant cannot comply with these regulations because of some special physical condition on his/her lot, a zoning appeal for a variance may be filed with the Building Safety Division to allow the applicant to present his case before the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Board meets the 4th Tuesday of each month that there is business to be heard. The meeting is usually at 10:00 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, 3rd floor of City Hall and there are filing deadlines. A nonrefundable filing fee of $120 is required. Forms are available in Room 210, City Hall.
Building Appeal Board (BAB) when a person with ownership interest in a property is aggrieved by certain interpretations/decisions/orders of the Building Official or one of his deputies, the person has a right to appeal such decision/order to the Building Appeal Board. The Board meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month that there is business to be heard. The meeting is usually at 3:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 3rd floor of City Hall and there are filing deadlines. Forms are available in Room 210, City Hall