Ask most people to picture a building official, and they will describe someone with a clipboard, walking a job site, looking for something to write up.
John Tovey has heard that one. Four years into his career with the City of Norton Shores, he would tell you the job looks a lot more like a conversation than a citation.
“I’d like to work with them and not against them,” he said. “They can call me up and say, hey, how are we going to work through this, because I don’t think this is going to work right. I’d rather talk about it and figure out how we’re going to make it meet code than have them try to hide it.”
That approach did not come out of a manual. It came from years on the other side of the process.
From the Job Site to City Hall
Before joining the City, John owned his own construction company. He did a lot of remodeling work, much of it on the lake, with plenty of cottage projects along the way. He was not looking for a change when the change found him.
“I got a phone call from the guy that was here before,” he said. “He was leaving, and he thought I’d be a good fit for it and wanted to know if I was interested.”
He started as a building inspector, earned the state certification and exam required to move up, and later stepped into the building official role.
That history shapes how he sees the people on the other side of the counter. He remembers what it was like to have a question and need somebody to pick up the phone.
“When I was in it, I worked a lot with a guy that I could call anytime and ask questions, and he’d help walk me through stuff,” he said. “That’s what we try to do here.”
A Small Team Covering a Lot of Ground
The Building Department is a very busy department staffed by only five members. John works alongside building inspector Tom Hanson and the office staff who keep the paperwork moving, plus rental housing inspector Eric, who joined in July when the City brought rental inspections back into the department. Those inspections focus on life safety, every year for short-term rentals and every three years for long-term ones.
Day to day, no two mornings look the same. John meets with builders and developers, sits down with residents to work through a code question, and works closely with City Planner and Zoning Administrator Ted Woodcock on projects that affect both departments.
“It’s kind of different day to day,” he said. “Nothing’s ever the same.”
What Happens When You Pull a Permit
Say you want to build a deck. The process is more straightforward than most people expect.
You come in and fill out the paperwork. The department has a deck handout that walks through exactly how to build it, and John recommends using it.
“If you build it to the deck handout, then you’re over and beyond what code is,” he said.
From there, the inspections come in stages. A footing inspection once the footings are in, then framing, then a final. After that, the permit is cleared.
Commercial work runs on a longer track, starting with a site plan review and carrying a much longer list of inspections along the way.
The Permit Nobody Expects
Ask John the project residents most often assume does not need a permit, and the answer comes fast.
“Windows,” he said.
The thinking is understandable. Swapping one window for another feels like a repair rather than a project. It still requires a permit.
If the department comes across work happening without one, the response is not what people tend to imagine.
“We don’t technically ride around looking for people doing work,” John said. “It’s complaint-driven. And we’re not looking to shut people down. If we see somebody doing something, it’s to help them make sure they’re doing it properly.”
Most of the time, he said, the fix is simple. Someone pulls the permit, and the project keeps moving.
What Slows a Permit Down
When a permit takes longer than expected, the reason is almost always the same.
“Not enough information,” John said. “A lot of people like to just turn in the permit and say, here’s my plans. But you’ve got to have your energy docs. Your truss loads have got to be 60 pounds here in Norton Shores. If we don’t have all the information, then we can’t release the permit, because we’ve got to make sure that it meets code.”
There is an easy way around that. The City website has checklists for nearly every kind of project, residential and commercial.
“There’s a checklist on there to give you what you need and what we’re looking for when you turn in your paperwork,” he said.
You can find them at nortonshores.org under the Building Department, in requirements and checklists.
Norton Shores has also kept its building department in-house, with inspectors who work for the City rather than a contracted service. For John, that difference shows up in the work.
“I think on our end it’s more of a care factor,” he said. “We have a place that we know we’re coming to every day for work. And I enjoy working here.”
He has had homeowners reach out mid-project, and the department has walked them through it on site, showing them how to frame stairs or handle a detail they had not run into before.
“I’d rather them reach out to us for help than not be able to pass their inspection at the end of it,” he said.
Where the Growth Is Happening
Building in Norton Shores has shifted in John’s time with the City. Single-family residential has slowed, while commercial work has picked up, including a wave of new apartment development.
The biggest of them all is the La Colombe expansion, the coffee manufacturing project that broke ground this summer. John will tell you he prefers residential work. It is what he did for years, and it is still where he feels most at home. But La Colombe has been something else entirely.
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff in the commercial world on that one, because it’s a pretty big project,” he said. “It’s not done yet. There’s still a lot to go. It’s been a learning curve, so it’s been fun.”
Just Ask
For all the checklists and inspections and code language, John’s message to residents is simple.
“If they have any questions for building projects, make sure to reach out and talk to us,” he said. “We’re here to help. We’re not here to be against them.”
Whether it is a deck, a window, or a first project someone is nervous about starting, the door is open.
