Joplin’s July Building Permits Total $51.7M

Rebuilding from the devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo., apparently has begun in earnest.

The city issued 1,570 permits for residential and commercial work in July, with a total value of $51.7 million. That comes after it issued $27.2 million in permits in June.

The Joplin Globe reports that the two-month total exceeded the $60.4 million value of all permits issued in fiscal year 2010 by nearly $18.5 million.

Of the permits issued in July, about 760 were for demolition, with another 60 issued for new home construction.

City inspector Steve Cope said the city’s four inspectors are performing a total of 75 to 80 inspections per day. The city has added an inspector and a temporary plans examiner to handle the workload.