Building without a permit in Jim Thorpe Borough? You may want to think again if a new inspection routine discussed Thursday night by council takes hold.

During a workshop session, council suggested having Lyle Augustine, who does its nuisance and health inspections, also spend several hours a week checking for property owners who are doing work without the proper permits.

“We have some solid citizens who are doing everything right and getting their permits, and then we have those who are not, and I just don’t feel like we have any recourse for that at this time,” Councilman Mike Yeastedt said. “I’m suggesting someone go around town for one or two hours a week to do a visual inspection to make sure permits are in place.”

The strategy would be a change from how the borough currently handles such situations. Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said permit checks are mainly done now when a complaint is called in to the office.

Yeastedt brought the issue to council’s attention after he spotted several properties in noncompliance as he drove around town.

“I noticed three places this week alone, and I came back to check our records and we had nothing on file for them,” he said.

It’s a crucial year to get a hold on such things, borough officials said, as more projects are getting done due to people being home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of buildings are going up,” Yeastedt said. “People are home and seeing what needs to be done and they’re actually doing the projects this year.”

One of the main concerns of doing work without a permit, council President Greg Strubinger said, is that people may be building over utility lines.

Council meets Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. and could authorize Augustine at that meeting to do the checks.

Should violations be found, borough officials said, they would be reported to the zoning officer, who would stop the work.