Code enforcement. The dark side calls..........

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J.P.

J.P.

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United States
I am currently a unlimited journeyman and have been a commercial electrician for 7 years now. Before that I was a hole digging, supplies fetching apprentice.
I enjoy my job for the most part. I have a really slow apprentice right now thats vexing me........

A friend of mine is the head of the city electricians and he called me up and asked me to apply for a code enforcement position that had been open for a while.
They weren't getting what they felt were people with enough of a technical construction background applying.

I am interested somewhat. The pay is 10k less a year, but the benefits are better and it's a easy job ( I guess )?

It's a small city 30,000 people or so.

What does code enforcement entail. I have seen the inspectors come out to jobs, shoot the shit and leave. I have never actually been " inspected".

I know there are some inspectors on here and I would appreciate your opinions.
 
When I inspected for our company I was very code and function conscious. (still Am) It had to meet code, it had to work, it had to look good and resemble the drawings. Because of the fact our buildings go all over the USA and many countries. We did not need a local AHJ busting our chops over some piddily BS.
I always had to prove I was right as far as code, I didn't get by with "because I said so"
Be prepared for head butting and proving that what you rejected is in the code and be fair about it. Reject everyone every time for the same violation.
Earn your respect and then don't lose it.
Life will be good when they know you play no games but you treat everyone the same.
I should add I was given the time to inspect the building completely. Most were 12' X up to 40 feet long. And I was also the one that was going to hear about it if I missed something.
 
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I played inspector for a while and like you said the pay wasnt that great but the benefits were, It was a good gig but I was in a county that didnt require you to be licensed to do any work except plumbing which is a state license. I finally got to the point I couldnt take dealing with people who had no idea what they were doing and couldnt understand why I wouldnt pass there work
 
jnaas2 said:
I played inspector for a while and like you said the pay wasnt that great but the benefits were, It was a good gig but I was in a county that didnt require you to be licensed to do any work except plumbing which is a state license. I finally got to the point I couldnt take dealing with people who had no idea what they were doing and couldnt understand why I wouldnt pass there work
Click to expand...

I can certainly relate :D ......Tennessee is one of the "homeowner permit" States.

Like any other job, the working environment makes a lot of difference. There is normally a fair amount of freedom and an opportunity to both teach and learn.
Normally not taxing physically which can be important to old farts like myself.
If you have support from management it can add a lot (based on memory as we don't have that)
 
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1st, ...working for any type of municipal government is a two
edged sword for sure.......Did your friend give you any guidance
as to what you would actually be doing ?

2nd, ...the position of Code Enforcement can mean a lot of
different things.......In some jurisdictions, Code Enforcement
is focused solely & mainly on property maintenance [ i.e. -
junky looking properties with non-functional vehicles in multiple
states of disrepair ], ...overgrown lawns, or overgrown by a
couple of inches and everywhere in between, ...structures in
various states of disrepair, ...noisy neighbors, dogs, animals,
kids, other [ the list is endless ], ...not keeping the garbage
cans in the right place, on the right day of the week, and on
and on and on and on.

3rd, ...in addition to being a Code Enforcement Officer,
you may also be performing multiple types of inspections on
structures and other projects [ both Residential &
Commercial ].

4th, ...as a Code Enforcement Officer, you will probably be
going to court a lot to give testimony against all those evil
property owners who do not keep their properties in a pristine
state [ I am assuming that you will be writing tickets for
various Property Code violations as part of your regular
duties ].

5th, ...as a small municipality [ i.e. - approx. 30,000 ], it
is very typical for the employees to wear multiple hats,
performing multiple duties [ i.e. - are you o.k. with riding
around the various neighborhoods at off hours inspecting
properties ? ]

6th, ...I used to work in a small municipality as a regular
inspector [ Residential & Commercial projects ],
...performing plan reviews, issuing permits, ...administrative
duties, ...monitoring & adjusting the software controlled
HVAC system, but not Code Enforcement.........We had 2
other employees that were Code Enforcement Officers, but
they too performed regular inspections and other duties.

In short, in a small municipal jurisdiction, and whether it
is actually stated or not, ...IMO, you will be performing a
variety of duties other than Code Enforcement......If you
are o.k. with that, then move to the next step in the
negotiations with your friend.

7th, ...I MOST STRONGLY recommend that you do not
live in the same jurisdiction that you work in......It makes
things a heck of a lot easier all the way `round [ IMO ].

8th, ...the subject of accepting a position for 10k less is
something that you will have to come to terms with.
It will depend a lot on where you are right now [ i.e. -
financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. ].....No
one can make this assessment but you & your immediate
family......What are you willing to accept as far as working
conditions, ...the hours, ...the politics, ...being placed in
the middle a lot of the time, ...what are your long term
goals for obtaining other types of education, certifications,
training [ sometimes totally at your own expense ], ...can
you take a 10k hit on your level of income, and on and on
and on and on.

9th, ...the position of a Code Enforcement Officer is
[ typically ] not viewed \ perceived very positively......The
elected officials view you as a very expendable tool, and
the public view will you as a henchman for the municipality.
Every municipality will have its own culture and dynamic.
You will need to know these things going in to the
negotiations with your friend.

10th, ...if you want to obtain some more information on
being a Code Enforcement Officer, ...Property Maintenance
and a variety of other codes and issues, there IS a another
very active Forum on the world wide web for you to consider.
It's The Building Code Forum.......See this link:
http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/forum.php?

11th, ...right now you have the advantage of negotiating a
higher level of salary, because your friend "came to you" to
ask you to apply for the position.......Depending on how much
you actually ask for, he may or may not be your friend in
the future.........Money & salaries is one of those things in life
that can be a defining moment........Give long and careful
consideration; along with a lot of sincere prayer, to what
level of income you actually need and can live with........I
assure you that the municipality wants to hire someone for
as cheaply as they can, and then, ...get as much work out of
them as they can !

12th, ...regardless of if you decide to accept the position
or not, I [ again ] STRONGLY recommend that you pursue
any & all types of training and educational opportunities
available to you......For me, ...pursuing and obtaining training
and educational opportunities and certifications has opened
far more doors and opportunities than I could have ever
imagined.........Even if you do have to pay for all training out
of your own pocket, then by all means, ...DO IT !.......I can
guarantee you with absolute certainty, that you WILL
benefit from it.

13th, ...if you have any questions, you can PM me at your
convenience.

14th, ...check out the other Forum and see what you think !

15th, ...good luck on your decision ! :thumbsup:

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Thanks guys. There were some aspects I had not considered.

I have no interest in policing peoples garbage cans......... Or going to court for things of that nature.

I was led to believe the job was for construction inspections. Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing. These are things I know something about.

I had considered the political aspect of the municipal employee. I know the head inspector fairly well, he is a decent guy.


The physical side of the job being easier is appealing. I'm not that old ( 41 ). I need a shoulder replaced and some knee work ( due to 15 years of racing dirt bikes ), but I'm holding off as long as possible. The trimming out lights and up and down a ladder days take few doses of alieve to get through.
 
and, my friend, that's what makes the inspection job appealing,....

well that and, of course, the LOVE you feel :p
 
It's all how you deal with people when you have authority.

You can be a real arse and idiot and be hated and maybe even beaten or worse plus get sued all the time.

Or you can treat your customers with dignity and respect no matter who they are, how educated or not they are, how experienced or not they are, etc...

If you don't like people don't take the job.

If you like people, benefits and a pension, go for it. It makes for a good resume, it gives you great experience, and can lead to lucrative consulting work after you leave.

As I told my employees - If you can't cite a code section, it's not a code violation. Every rejection notice item should reference a code section or Article.
 
Apply for the position. This way you won't spend the rest of your life wondering.
Accept the position. Then enjoy all the inspector bashing this & other sites have to offer. :D:thumbsup:
I was in the field for 20 years. Inspecting for 15 years.
I have no regrets turning to the dark side! :happyno:
 
A small thing, but find out whether and where you're allowed to actually do electrical work. Maybe not at all, maybe only in other jurisdictions,etc. Loosing $10k annual is a big whack for most people, and I'd be surprised if added benefits make up for that loss (do the math). If you're allowed to do "side jobs", that'll keep your working hand in the trade and make some $$. (Doing one service change-out a month might cover it. YMMV)

Also, ask about things like car allowances or using a city vehicle. That sort of thing.
 
What Augie said. :happyyes:

I can inspect with my back and as bad as it is, I would never be able to work with it like it is. Benefits add up. We have some pre tax stuff and I pay less to insure my self, my wife and my son than most of you would pay to insure your self. Plus a pension paid into by the city so I don't have to sock as much away.

Has it perks and there is the down sides too, but just like any other job.

I agree with the difference in Code Enforcement and Building and Safety, sometimes it's the same but here it's two different divisions and north star hit it pretty much right on the nose.
 
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