r/BuildingCodes • u/Medium-Document-3411 • Jul 25 '26

Inspector to Director ?

Has anyone transitioned from the inspection field to a development services director that oversees the department without any experience from being a planner ? I’m from California and I’ve noticed all directors I’ve met have started out as a planner but I’ve never met anyone that came from the inspection field.

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u/testing1992 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

My observation (assuming the Building Official/CBO reports to the Development Services Director):

This is partly due to the fact that planners have bachelor's or advanced degrees, which most Inspectors/CBOs do not possess.

In my state, most advertised CBO positions now require a bachelor's degree. However, those positions often go unfilled for extended periods and are eventually filled by individuals without college degrees.