NJ Electrical inspection

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rc/retired said:
I am sorry. I made my best living as an inspector.

Ron
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I think it depends on region. If you have a successful electrical contracting business in NJ there is absolutely no way you’d make more as an inspector. The company I work for has been around along time, owner seems to have done very well. His peers all seem to be doing very well. That being said if you’re not busy and pricing correctly I can no doubt see the value of an inspecting job in NJ. When I was younger all the inspectors were retired contractors, guys in their 60s actually retired. Over the last ten years or so it’s changed. The inspectors are 30 something’s with a giant axe to grind.
 
Southern Charm said:
I think it depends on region. If you have a successful electrical contracting business in NJ there is absolutely no way you’d make more as an inspector. The company I work for has been around along time, owner seems to have done very well. His peers all seem to be doing very well. That being said if you’re not busy and pricing correctly I can no doubt see the value of an inspecting job in NJ. When I was younger all the inspectors were retired contractors, guys in their 60s actually retired. Over the last ten years or so it’s changed. The inspectors are 30 something’s with a giant axe to grind.
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I get it. In my area, if you're an electrical contractor, it is a dog eat dog world. I was a hairs breadth of being an EC. I'm glad it didn't pan out.
The difference to me was the billable hours. EC's or any contractor puts in more time than they get paid for. IMO
I do agree that the young inspectors have an axe to grind. Part of the reason I retired.

Ron
 
We have some inspectors doing quite well. Since there are many small towns these guys will work part time (maybe only a few hours a week) in each town. They might pay 20k per year per town for part time, do 10 towns and you're doing pretty well.
 
infinity said:
We have some inspectors doing quite well. Since there are many small towns these guys will work part time (maybe only a few hours a week) in each town. They might pay 20k per year per town for part time, do 10 towns and you're doing pretty well.
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That was my experience in northern Bergen County NJ. I would see the same electrical. plumbing and building inspector in multiple towns.
One or two days a week in each town. Or even same day in different towns broken up ino the mornings and afternoons. Pretty good gig.
 
Mystic Pools said:
That was my experience in northern Bergen County NJ. I would see the same electrical. plumbing and building inspector in multiple towns.
One or two days a week in each town. Or even same day in different towns broken up ino the mornings and afternoons. Pretty good gig.
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Not that good. Since you are part time everywhere, you don't get benefits such as medical coverage.
 
rc/retired said:
I get it. In my area, if you're an electrical contractor, it is a dog eat dog world. I was a hairs breadth of being an EC. I'm glad it didn't pan out.
The difference to me was the billable hours. EC's or any contractor puts in more time than they get paid for. IMO
I do agree that the young inspectors have an axe to grind. Part of the reason I retired.

Ron
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That is why they charge $100 hour or more but only pay the employees 15 to 25 an hour. There is times you do have to pay them when they aren't directly producing income. If you are a one man show - still similar you put in a lot of time you can't directly bill to anyone.
 
kwired said:
Do EI's in real jurisdictions even have the time to do any "side work" other than an occasional small project for themselves, close friends or family?

Some multi trade inspector in some small town of 2500 or less doesn't really count, those typically are corrupt and follow their own rules anyway.
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Like the small-town speeding ticket ?
 
Southern Charm said:
Like it’s not hard enough for legit guys to make it. Now you have these guys who are your competition and government employees at the same time. They should have to shelve the license if they want to inspectors.
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Inspectors who are contracting electrical work will use underhanded methods to gain more work, such as giving EC's a hard time passing inspections meanwhile contacting the aforementioned customers of the EC and offering to do work for them instead. It's a decidedly unfair trade practice, subject to corruption. P.S. they usually do the "outside" work on government time........
 
mtnelect said:
Like the small-town speeding ticket ?
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Unless you were mislead like in a speed trap (do those happen much besides on TV or movies?) you were probably speeding.

Are your chances of getting a ticket higher in a small town or in rural areas if you actually are speeding? I'd say yes in many cases. I see plenty of out of area license plates that fly through this area and kind of have no problem seeing them get pulled over for it. One can maybe question whether speed limit can or should be higher out in the country, within the small towns there usually is good reason for the posted speed limits, children, pets, upcoming areas that may at times be more congested, we have nearby town that has a rather sharp turn on a through highway that has had many incidents where someone missed the turn, trucks had loads shift or even tip over taking the turn too fast, etc. It is fairly safe turn if taken at the posted speed limit, but if you enter town not familiar with it, and never really slowed down from when you were still outside of town, you are going way too fast for this turn some have missed it because of distractions, half asleep, etc. as well.
 
macmikeman said:
Inspectors who are contracting electrical work will use underhanded methods to gain more work, such as giving EC's a hard time passing inspections meanwhile contacting the aforementioned customers of the EC and offering to do work for them instead. It's a decidedly unfair trade practice, subject to corruption. P.S. they usually do the "outside" work on government time........
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All of which is illegal and one could easily have an individual doing these things held accountable. The NJ DCA, experts licensed code officials to operate at a higher standard
 
Inspectors may work in adjacent towns now, it was a 'no-no' to work in any town that 'touched' the town you inspect in.

Southern Charm, you may want to drop that dime to DCA Regulatory Affairs.
 
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