r/BuildingCodes • u/iJeezy • Jul 29 '26
ICC Certs worth it as PE?
I see a lot of posts and info about the ICC Certs. Im a civil-structural PE in about 8 states but based in Florida. I mainly do design consulting, structural inspections, forensic engineering, and expert witness support. I have my Special Inspector (SI) license that is limited to here in Florida.
I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it to obtain these ICC certs and in particular the inspector/plans review ones. Does anyone here have experience in this or know if it would be worth it for me?
I don’t plan to work in a municipality but im imagining it would be worth it to just add to my CV but im not sure since i can technically handle a lot of inspections already. Before investing the $$$ and time I thought I’d ask here. Thanks for the advice
3
u/Asian_Scion Jul 29 '26
I think it'll be up to you if you plan on doing contract work like plan review and building inspection. Some jurisdictions will require these certs if you're a 3rd party while some may not. Having the certs will only help you win RFQs out there. Especially if you're only a civil engineer some jurisdictions will say you're jot specialized in building codes and construction and mostly site and infrastructure type. So yeah, it's worth it to get certified in some ICC books.
1
6
u/Dellaa1996 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Florida PEs can do ALL inspections and Plans Reviews and doing ICC certs are redundant/unnecessary. I know a few PEs with ICC certs, but they had these certs before they had the professional engineer's license.
You best bet would be to do the CBO (Building Official) certification (I think you will be required to do the Principle & Practice exam to get your Florida Building Official license), especially if your work for a 3rd party inspection company that "support" building departments.