Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection should better prioritize its handling of complaints, since one in six of them "languish," according to an audit released by city Controller Michael Lamb yesterday.

He called the number of languishing complaints "distressing," especially because they sat for an average of nine months and included a handful of fire prevention and other safety concerns.

Complaint handling was the major concern found in an audit that also showed timely handling of building permits despite a lean staff.

"They're making strides toward improving, but they still need to do a lot more," he said of a bureau that has been the subject of much study and leadership changes.

Auditors looked at a database of 34,303 complaints that reached the bureau in 2006 and 2007, for everything from building code violations to graffiti, rodents, weeds and broken sidewalks.

Most of the 5,008 complaints that weren't resolved as of Feb. 6 of this year were related to building defects like cracked foundations and falling gutters. A few were more serious, like eight fire safety complaints and 62 vacant and open buildings.

The audit recommends that the bureau put safety-related complaints at the top of the proverbial pile as they come in.

"Too often the work breaks down by issues other than severity," Mr. Lamb said, noting that geography and inspector workload often determine whether a complaint is dealt with quickly.

Building inspection Chief Sergei Matveiev wrote in a response to the audit that code violations "are often complex situations" and enforcement isn't easy.

Mr. Lamb's auditors found that the city's building inspection unit was smaller than those in Buffalo, N.Y., Cincinnati, St. Louis and Cleveland. He said he'd like to see the bureau remain within its current budget and staff.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in October announced changes to the bureau. Inspectors are being moved into police stations and equipped with city cars and computers. The changes stemmed from a report commissioned by the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which oversees city finances.