Prince William County will lay off building inspectors, a casualty of the housing cooldown.

The Building Development Division is cutting 13 positions to balance a $2.3 million deficit before the end of the fiscal year in June.

The dramatic drop in new building permits — and accompanying fees — has left the operation overstaffed and over budget, despite cutting 17 positions last year.

The staff proposal is expected to be approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors because “development has decreased steadily” and there is less demand for the required review of plumbing, electrical and structural stability of new construction.

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Ten of the positions are filled, and employees will have an opportunity to apply for transfers to vacant posts in the county government, county spokeswoman Liz Bahrns said Friday.

The layoffs forecast more to come in a 2009 budget year in which Chairman Corey Stewart last month warned of additional staffing cuts due to a dramatic 14 percent drop in property values that provide the bulk of the county’s revenue.

The dismissals represent a stark change from the rapid growth of the inspection division earlier this decade as it boomed from 58 employees in 2001 to 112 in 2007. Rapid home and business construction sent the county’s fee collections climbing with demand for more inspectors. However, the resulting increase sent staff to unsustainable levels.

If the cuts are not approved immediately, the budget will not balance by the end of the fiscal year in June, Director of Public Works Thomas Bruun said in a report.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com