A month after the May 22 tornado, Jefferson City has seen its first flood of building permits related to storm damage.
The city has issued 43 building permits related to storm damage during June, as of Friday.
The project construction costs ranged from $300-$218,000, with the average cost around $10,000, according to information on the city's website.
While some of the permits were for repairs to roofs and walls, Jefferson City Building Official Larry Burkhardt said, most were for electrical services.
"It's the minor stuff before the flood of permits I'm expecting," he said.
The city is still collecting data on how many buildings the tornado damaged, Burkhardt said, adding they currently know of at least 450 damaged buildings.
Jefferson City recently started issuing roof repair and mechanical-only building permits, Burkhardt said. Up until recently, he added, roof repair and roof replacement permits were not issued.
"Given the storm damage, we are especially concerned about roof work," Burkhardt said. "There are a lot of roofs that have received wind damage, and people are anxious to get them repaired."
Burkhardt said city inspectors are worried about the structural stability of wind-damaged roofs since some roofs are missing sheathing and have possible truss damage. Some roofs were lifted off then set back down, he added, so they may have hidden structural damage that contractors need to repair.
The city also issued one demolition permit related to storm damage for 421 Stadium Blvd. Burkhardt said he is working on four other demolition permits related to storm damage.
"I've been talking to a lot of people about demolition and what they need to do and so forth," he said. "It's a conversation I have a few times a week easily now, so we'll see how many actually come through."
Burkhardt said he anticipates several more building permits in the coming months, especially for storm damage to non-residential buildings like the Special Olympics Missouri campus, Simonsen 9th Grade Center and Riley Chevrolet.
A city-issued building permit for 1937 Christy Drive, where Best Western Plus Capital Inn is located, estimates the project cost at $218,000.
Jefferson City also issued a building permit for 618 E. Capitol Ave., home of the Missouri Retailers Association, with an estimated construction cost of $50,000.
The city issued a building permit for 1914 Bubba Lane, home of United Distributors, with an estimated project cost of $40,000.
"It takes a little bit more for commercial to develop a permit because even Special Olympics, even though it was just built and they have all the plans, they're still trying to figure out what do we really need to repair," Burkhardt said. "It takes time to figure out, especially for larger projects."
Cole County has only received two building permits specifically listed for storm damage, Cole County Public Works Director Larry Benz said.
"I know there are several of them that we've talked to, and we've told them to go ahead and start and come in when they have a chance to do the permits. But right now, we only have two permits in," Benz said.
Burkhardt advised property owners to ask contractors for written manufacturer warranties for roof replacements. They should also ask contractors for copies of building permits.
"There are a lot of out-of-town contractors in the area, and by getting a building permit, the city will verify the listed contractors have a valid city contractor license," he said.
Property owners should not pay upfront for construction work, Burkhardt said, adding "contractors should perform the work first and then submit an invoice."
"This advice should be followed for all construction work to avoid being scammed," he said.
Burkhardt said the building permits will also help the city know the extent of the storm damage, which will assist with the overall damage assessment for potential assistance from FEMA.