Austin Adds Plan Review and Inspection Capacity with SAFEbuilt

Partnership brings experienced residential and commercial support to Austin Development Services

AUSTIN, Texas, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Austin has selected SAFEbuilt to provide residential and commercial plan review and building inspection services through Austin Development Services.

The partnership adds qualified reviewers and inspectors as Austin manages continued development activity and staffing needs. SAFEbuilt team members will work within the City's existing processes and service standards, helping Austin Development Services maintain timely, thorough reviews and inspections for residents, businesses and development applicants.

Austin City Council authorized the agreement on May 28, 2026, as part of the City's development review staff augmentation efforts. Work is expected to begin soon.

"Our priority is providing Austinites with a development process that is safe, thorough, and responsive," said Keith Mars, Director of Austin Development Services. "SAFEbuilt's experienced and certified professionals will work alongside our team to provide excellent service to our community."

SAFEbuilt will support both residential and commercial projects, with assignments based on the department's workload and priorities. The added capacity will help the City address immediate needs while retaining oversight of its codes, procedures and development decisions.

"Austin was clear that it wanted a true working partner, not simply an outside provider completing assignments," said Steven T. Nero, Vice President of Sales at SAFEbuilt. "Our team is ready to step in quickly, collaborate closely with City staff and provide the technical experience needed to keep reviews and inspections moving."

Austin's approach reflects a challenge facing many municipalities: development activity continues even when departments are managing vacancies, recruiting specialized professionals or responding to sudden increases in workload.

Staff augmentation allows cities to add experienced support where it is needed without replacing municipal leadership or permanently expanding staff before long-term needs are clear. For Austin, it provides another way to protect service quality while supporting the employees already serving the community.

Municipal leaders interested in learning how supplemental plan review and inspection services can support their departments can visit SAFEbuilt.com.

About SAFEbuilt

SAFEbuilt is a community development services company offering multidisciplinary building and professional services expertise in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The company employs approximately 1,500 employees serving more than 2,000 customers nationwide. SAFEbuilt offers the broadest array of community development services, anchored by a sophisticated technology stack built to fit each customer's needs and supported by a deep bench of ICC-certified professionals.

This includes stabilizing budgets, maximizing departmental efficiencies, improving customer experience, and accelerating both the speed to revenue for municipalities and developers. To learn more, visit SAFEbuilt.com. The SAFEbuilt family comprises eight subsidiary partners, each of which aligns with our core values and our commitment to delivering exceptional service to the communities we support.

Calvin, Giordano & Associates | Interwest | Winston Services, Inc. | M.T. Causley | MTCI Private Provider Services | Dal-Tech Engineering | PMCA | Weintraub Engineering 

SOURCE SAFEbuilt