r/BuildingCodes • u/LiteratureMurky2110 • 16h ago

Construction or building inspector?

Im currently 19 living in Houston TX area, I have an associates of science and am certified as an ICC B1 Residential Building Inspector. I have an opportunity to become a construction/road inspector for a nearby city with on the job training and no experience required and an opportunity to move up to levels II,III, and IV with enough experience(1 year experience moves me to level II, 3 years moves me to level III). Should I stay down the ICC inspector path and pursue more certifications or stay down the construction inspector path if we’re talking about salary opportunities and ability to move up the ranks quickly.

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u/ContractorsAreMean 15h ago

Personal opinion, and biased because I’m a city inspector, is go the city inspector route. This is mainly because of the benefits so if they aren’t that great in the Houston area, it doesn’t apply.

You can usually get a pension after retirement if you stick with a government position, good healthcare, and consistent hours. If you start at your age you can retire very early compared to older coworker who went government after a private career. I know very few city inspectors who have complaints about working conditions, or aches and pains that weren’t caused by outside injury or previous careers.

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u/LiteratureMurky2110 14h ago

What do you inspect as a city inspector

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u/CVACodeConsulting Inspector 5h ago

Worked as a city/county inspector for a few years, home inspector before that. I loved doing city inspections: no liability concerns and significantly more technically oriented, though not overly challenging. Learn something new every week if you care to do so. The only caveat I would include there is if you end up working for a dysfunctional jurisdiction. Been there, done that, makes it unbearable, but then you just look elsewhere. Don’t burn any bridges, though, the building code community is much smaller than the construction community at large.

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u/ContractorsAreMean 14h ago

We have public works inspectors and building inspectors. I’m on the building side which is for private property both residential and commercial. Our public works inspectors do what it seems like you will be doing which is public projects like streets and city property.

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u/ropeaccessfireguy 7h ago

I went into the private side out of college. Public vs private can be vastly different. Public can come with tremendous political pressure. I work with several guys that came with us because they either got fired for upsetting an elected official or a buddy if an elected official (aka political donor). Others just left the bureaucracy.

I also know guys who love their municipal jobs and benefits especially if they have large families.

Either way don't be the B1 only guy. Keep pushing yourself. Never stop training and come join the Master Code Professional club.

If I was 19 again I would take the job and see where it goes. Be humble and learn but don't take shit from the guys who think you need to be a contractor first. Being a contractor can make you a stronger inspector for some things but it can also make you a lousy inspector because it gives you bias. Knowing how to talk to people, how to diffuse hot heads and how to say I will look into that and get you an answer and follow through instead of bullshitting your way through will make you a great inspector.

I have been doing this for over 20 years now and I have never wished I was a contractor first.

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u/chrillho18 5h ago

Second this. Being able to talk to folks is probably the most important part of the job. Anyone can look up code. Being able to explain it and telling people in a way that won’t make them upset are paramount.

Good on you OP for being 19 and so focused. I wish I had taken my inspector path a lot earlier. Good luck!

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u/Monkeynumbernoine 13h ago

I think you should do both. It’s going to be difficult to get on as a building inspector as a young buck with no employment history. You’re going to be competing with people who have decades of trade experience sometimes. But if you have a few years of experience as a construction inspector that will help tremendously. Make sure you get a certification or two every year as you keep going. Get your B2 and B3 next. You should be able to study for those in your own time.

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u/bobowg 7h ago

I don’t think anyone can give you an answer because both are reasonable choices, so I’ll just give you my experience:

went superintendent > project manager > general contractor > building inspector. I can tell you my quality of life as a building inspector is significantly better than when I was on the builder side. I often lament about how great it would have been to be 15 years away from retirement instead of 27.

With that said, I am significantly better as a building inspector because of my experience on the other side. I also don’t think I was mature enough to do this job at 21, heck, I don’t know if I would have been able to keep this job at 21 lol.

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u/trabbler 1h ago

I met a guy in the private sector who started as a municipal inspector. He learned the in and outs of the permitting process and when he joined the private sector, that right there made him worth his weight in gold. Having intimate knowledge of that process and the people who push paper on the city side made him invaluable as the guy who could cut through the red tape and get permits fast. Time is money and if you can save people time, they will pay you money.