Gov. Butch Otter has named Chris Jensen to head the state Division of Building Safety, succeeding Kelly Pearce, who retired at the end of 2016 after 10 years in the post.  Jensen has been the southeastern Idaho regional manager for the agency for the past decade; he owned Snake River Electrical Inc. for 29 years before joining the division in 2007, and is a past member of the Idaho State Electrical Board.

“Kelly has done a great job improving responsiveness and working with everyone in the building trades to ensure that the state’s regulatory emphasis is on educating and empowering rather than proscribing and punishing,” Otter said in a statement. “Idaho’s rapid growth has stretched Building Safety’s resources pretty thin at times, but Chris inherits a crew that’s done yeoman’s work to keep construction both safe and on time.

The division is the licensing agency for plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians and public works contractors in Idaho, and also oversees trade apprenticeship programs. It issues permits and performs code compliance inspections, including annual inspections of public schools and state-owned and leased buildings; reviews plans for buildings constructed by the state and for modular building manufacturers; certifies and inspects elevators and escalators; and operates the Idaho Logging Safety Program.

The division has offices in Meridian, Coeur d’Alene and Pocatello; it coordinates eight regulatory boards appointed by the governor.