The mission of the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) is to serve the public by protecting the health, safety, and environmental stability of Boston's business and residential communities. To this end, ISD effectively administers and consistently enforces building, housing, and environmental regulations within the City of Boston. The department will continue to use its resources to protect and improve the quality of life in Boston's neighborhoods by providing public information, education, and enforcement.

• FY09 Quarter 4 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 3 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 2 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 1 Performance Report 
• Detailed FY09 Budget Information 

• Building, Electrical and Mechanical (BE&M) Permits Issued by the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) through the 4th quarter is lower than projected, yet continues within 15 percent of target. This downward trend is attributed to the sustained regional slowdown in construction and is expected to continue well into FY10.
• Inspectional Services' most significant rental inspection periods have been 1st and 2nd quarters of each fiscal year, due to a high volume of visible turnovers in September, which are noted by staff and followed up with letters to property owners. ISD will continue to apply additional resources towards providing outreach and enforcement to non-compliant property owners to effectively manage FY10 targeted rental inspection numbers.
• The total number of vacant lots cleaned in the 4th quarter was lower than targeted, due primarily to extreme weather conditions and a reallocation of staff resources to address the higher priority of abandoned building board-ups that resulted from an increase in vacant properties citywide. An improvement in the number of vacant lots cleaned is expected to gain momentum during the 1st quarter of FY10, as more property owners are directed to responsibly maintain their vacant property.

The Inspectional Services Department provides a broad range of regulatory services that include the inspection of buildings for compliance with building and public safety regulations, general housing inspections, and retail food establishment inspections for compliance with public health regulations. ISD coordinates and assists with building board-ups, hazardous waste removal, and short-term make-safe repair activities when serious incidents such as fires and building collapse occur. In addition, ISD collaborates with other public safety, human service, and law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute fraudulent contractors, environmental violators, and others that harm the quality of life in Boston's neighborhoods. ISD holds public information programs about its services and activities.

• To ensure the safety of buildings by tracking their compliance with codes by means of scheduled inspections.
• To inspect all food establishments; swimming pool and bath facilities; recreational camps for children; and funeral home establishments, on a routine and code complaint basis.
• To improve responsiveness to constituent requests.