KC outage affecting businesses, construction, events continues. Here’s a new workaround

Monday marks the start of the third business week since many of Kansas City’s online services were halted May 4. While some city services have been restored, the permitting database, CompassKC, remains down.

This ongoing outage affects everyone from event planners to general contractors to local business owners, all of whom rely on the city’s database to obtain permits and licenses.

City permits are required for building and health code inspections in restaurants, noise and street closure permits for outdoor festivals and more. When functional, CompassKC accepts permit applications for block parties, dumpster placement, residential parking, parades and many other uses.

The city announced Tuesday that it has implemented a paper application system for a handful of permit types, which can be applied for in person at City Hall from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on weekdays. The city’s planning and development department is on the 15th floor of City Hall at 414 E. 12th St.

They include basic plumbing, electrical, remodeling, HVAC and demolition permits as well as fast-tracked metal stud and fire sprinkler installation.

“No business pre-opening should be delayed due to our network challenges,” assistant city manager Melissa Kozakiewicz told The Star.

But some residents are still facing issues. One restaurant owner, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his relationship with the city, told The Star on Monday that he isn’t able to schedule the inspections required to open his business without documents from CompassKC.

“I would be open now if I could get this stuff out of the city,” he said.

Here’s a closer look at how the permitting system’s outage is impacting businesses and workers in Kansas City.

How is the CompassKC outage impacting Kansas Citians?

The restaurateur who spoke to The Star has already passed his final city building inspection, which checks that necessities like electrical wiring, plumbing and HVAC are in working order.

But without his inspection report or an occupancy certificate from the city’s online permitting system, he can’t schedule the health and fire code inspections that are needed to open his restaurant.

“Even if I had that paperwork, I don’t know if I could schedule the health inspection,” he said. “Every time I call over there, they say that they’re not doing anything because they don’t have access to their computers on the environmental public health side either.”

Kozakiewicz said the health department is now conducting inspections using paper forms while the online system remains out of service.

“As far as permitting new businesses and conducting pre-opening inspections, we are conducting those on paper,” she told The Star.

The restaurateur is now working on convincing the city to accept its inspector’s handwritten notes as proof that he passed his building inspection and is eligible to schedule the final steps to open his business.

Contractors working on Kansas City homes and construction sites are also feeling the effects of the CompassKC outage, although one told The Star that it hasn’t caused a significant impact to his daily work.

“The outage is a pain,” said Joe, a manager at Kansas City-based Buckner’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, who chose to only share his first name with The Star. “Our new construction has slowed down because of it. … It’s a handful of jobs that we are working on, but nothing too major.”

He added that he was not aware of the permit workaround system.

How can Kansas Citians access permits while CompassKC is down?

The city said Tuesday that it would accept paper permit applications for those who come in person to City Hall. Customers can walk in between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to apply for the following permits:

• Electrical permits for upgrades, repairs and reconnections of systems under 400 amps, as well as residential security system installations

• Plumbing permits for testing, reconnection, gas line repairs and water heater replacements

• Mechanical permits for HVAC work, like furnace and air conditioner replacements and ductwork repairs

• Demolition permits

• Building permits for residential, non-structural, interior remodeling only

• Tenant finish permits, which cover interior remodeling of an already built space for a particular tenant’s needs

• Fast-tracked metal stud and fire sprinkler installation

According to the city’s website, all other types of permits are being handled on a case-by-case basis. Anyone seeking these permits should call 816-513-1541 or send an email to codequestions@kcmo.org.

Do you have more questions about navigating the city’s temporary paper permitting system? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.