(C) Verite News New Orleans This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Report: Safety and permits office hasn’t fixed problems [1] ['Madhri Yehiya', 'More Madhri Yehiya', 'Verite News New Orleans', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2025-10-07 The New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits continues to lack internal organization and accountability, according to a report released Tuesday (Oct. 7) by the New Orleans Office of the Inspector General. The Department of Safety and Permits is responsible for issuing building and construction permits as well as reviewing electrical and mechanical safety across New Orleans. The department also oversees zoning permits, which include short-term rentals, business licensing and alcohol licensing. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is designed to be an independent, nonpartisan body that reviews city government for fraud and abuse in order to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. According to an OIG spokesperson, the review was done in response to complaints of systemic issues at the safety and permits department from residents and business owners. The report’s top observation points to the department’s failure to implement many recommendations provided by other external reviews done by the city government and consulting firms in the last four years. The inspector general’s office also said in its report that the department lacks an organized system for internal accountability and coherent operations. The OIG also recommended the department establish formal training procedures and standardized workflow. “OIG staff found that many of the observations in this report had been previously identified through several external assessments of S&P dating back to at least March 2021,” the report noted. “City officials should now prioritize implementation of these recommendations to ensure efficient and effective permitting and inspections operations at S&P.” The Department of Safety & Permits did not respond to requests for comment from Verite News in time for publication. FILE – Workers walk from the site of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. New Orleans officials say the chances of a missing worker’s survival after the collapse are diminishing, and they have shifted their efforts from rescue to recovery mode. News outlets report Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell says they shifted Wednesday ahead of a possible tropical storm. McConnell says chances of the missing worker’s survival will be considered nearly “zero” if no sign of him turns up by Wednesday night. Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert The report notes that OIG staff reviewed samples of work conducted by the department as well as interviewed 32 current and former personnel related to the department. In a statement to Verite News, Inspector General Ed Michel described the Department of Safety and Permit’s essential role in preserving public safety. “Ineffective operations, such as approval of improperly performed inspections, can lead to building collapses and other catastrophic and even fatal events, as well as significant litigation against the City,” Michel said. “We believe that reform of S&P is possible and that our recommendations, when implemented, will foster effective practices, boost accountability, and lessen the potential for corruption at this essential City agency.” Zach Smith worked at the department for 15 years, serving as director for a year and a half between the summer of 2018 and spring of 2020. He said he understands why some residents have felt forced to “take matters into their own hands” when faced with months-long delays on basic permits to open a business, sell a house or begin a construction project. “You can’t pause your life if the government’s not doing something that 10 years ago it was doing in a matter of days, not weeks,” he said. “If you were standing between bankruptcy or breaking the law, what are you going to do?” After being demoted following the Hard Rock Hotel collapse in the Central Business District, Smith left the department and founded Zach Smith Consulting & Design in 2021 to help homeowners and businesses navigate the permitting and land use legal processes. He called the safety and permits department the city’s “front door” to economic development, but said he has yet to see a comprehensive plan for improving the Department of Safety and Permits from candidates running for office in this weekend’s primary election. “What are your legislative plans to start having a reduction in red tape?” he asked. “What kinds of policies are you going to be advocating to speed up the time for permits that you already have, to actually improve small business interaction?” Smith said having worked in the department for many years himself, he believes that many of the staff are doing their best within an imperfect system. “I think Safety and Permits should be screaming louder at the elected officials in the city,” he said. “The system right now is set up for many of them to fail.” Related Most Read Stories Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. 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