Building Officials Area of Responsibility

[jar546]

This poll is specific to Building Officials only. I am trying to get a sense of where most of you are when it comes to areas of responsibility. If you choose other, then please post below to explain what other means.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

How can a building official (a.k.a. "code official") NOT check Code Compliance / Enforcement?

I actually hesitated before also checking Building Department, only because I know the former building official (now deceased) in my home town was also charged with being the building manager for all Town-owned buildings. This is a role that had absolutely nothing to do with code enforcement -- it became his job to decide when a roof needed to be patched or replaced, whether or not to paint some rooms in the former grammar school, etc. In most places, that role would fall on the director of public works, but my cheapskate town eliminated the position of public works directors a couple or three decades ago and divided up the duties of that office among various other departments and officials.

Our late building official was full-time. In fact, the position had been full-time for 60 or 70 years, at least. When my friend died, they replaced him with a part-timer -- another bone-headed move.

 

[jar546]

How can a building official (a.k.a. "code official") NOT check Code Compliance / Enforcement?

In many municipalities, code enforcement/compliance has been handed over to the police department or is its own separate department.

Code Compliance / Enforcement handles local ordinances such as high grass and weeds, property maintenance, etc. The Building Department and Code Compliance often work together as the BD relies on CC to catch work without permit issues.

 

[tmurray]

Answer on behalf of my old job.

Building
Zoning
Code enforcement
Other: Emergency planning

It is really nice to work in only building stuff now.

 

[rktect 1]

This poll is specific to Building Officials only. I am trying to get a sense of where most of you are when it comes to areas of responsibility. If you choose other, then please post below to explain what other means.

Yea, like all of it and then some more.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Well, I checked both Building Department and Code Enforcement, because we enforce the building "code." I guess I should uncheck "Code Enforcement," because we do not enforce the zoning ordinances (which are called "regulations" here, not "code"), nor do we enforce the blight ordinance (which is called an "ordinance," not a "code").

 

[steveray]

I've got building and housing code currently....

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

I've got building and housing code currently....

Lucky you ...

 

[jar546]

Well, I checked both Building Department and Code Enforcement, because we enforce the building "code." I guess I should uncheck "Code Enforcement," because we do not enforce the zoning ordinances (which are called "regulations" here, not "code"), nor do we enforce the blight ordinance (which is called an "ordinance," not a "code").

An abundance of municipalities adopted the IPMC which is a code. It is becoming a standard to compliment local ordinances.

Ordinances are "codified" into a formal document and adopted. I never heard of an ordinance officer/official but I have heard of a code officer/official. They call it code enforcement, not ordinance enforcement. Local governments derive their authority to create and enforce ordinances from state law. This delegation of power allows municipalities to address specific needs and conditions within their boundaries, providing a legal basis for treating these ordinances as enforceable codes.

​

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Building Code compliance/enforcement
Zoning/development enforcement
Kinda building department
Dangerous/Unsightly

"... other duties as assigned from time to time."

 

[Plumb-bob]

Building and plumbing
Some fire code
Business licenses
Some asset management/construction contracts as relating to Town buildings.

 

[BN4537]

Our "Building Official" is also the "Fire Official" and the "Code Official". He has a Deputy Building Official that handles the building side (4 combination inspectors), a Deputy Fire Marshall to handle the fire side (two fire inspectors, a residential plan reviewer, and a commercial plan reviewer) and a "Senior Property Maintenance Inspector" (himself and two junior inspectors) to run the code compliance side. We are also the enforcement arm of zoning and do minor zoning review. So I checked all 4...

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

An abundance of municipalities adopted the IPMC which is a code. It is becoming a standard to compliment local ordinances.

Ordinances are "codified" into a formal document and adopted. I never heard of an ordinance officer/official but I have heard of a code officer/official. They call it code enforcement, not ordinance enforcement. Local governments derive their authority to create and enforce ordinances from state law. This delegation of power allows municipalities to address specific needs and conditions within their boundaries, providing a legal basis for treating these ordinances as enforceable codes.

I understand your point. I was just explaining that, since my department does NOT enforce zoning or blight ordinances (and my state has not adopted the IPMC), I consider the building department to be code enforcement -- since we enforce the building code. For other stuff, towns in this state have zoning enforcement officers, inland wetlands enforcement officers, etc. -- and they are generally referred to by their job title, not as "code enforcement" officers.

But your question and this discussion points out that the nomenclature has not kept apace with reality. The "building department" enforces the building code. An alien newly arrived on earth who just learned to speak English (or American , which may or may not be English) might very understandably think that if the highway department maintains the highways, the building department must build (or at least maintain and repair) the buildings. But ... that's not what we do. That typically falls under "public works."

Isn't it great that we all speak the same language?

 

[jar546]

I understand your point. I was just explaining that, since my department does NOT enforce zoning or blight ordinances (and my state has not adopted the IPMC), I consider the building department to be code enforcement -- since we enforce the building code. For other stuff, towns in this state have zoning enforcement officers, inland wetlands enforcement officers, etc. -- and they are generally referred to by their job title, not as "code enforcement" officers.

But your question and this discussion points out that the nomenclature has not kept apace with reality. The "building department" enforces the building code. An alien newly arrived on earth who just learned to speak English (or American , which may or may not be English) might very understandably think that if the highway department maintains the highways, the building department must build (or at least maintain and repair) the buildings. But ... that's not what we do. That typically falls under "public works."

Isn't it great that we all speak the same language?

The times have changed significantly over the past few decades. Maybe in small-town America, where you have a one-stop shop where the Building Official who enforces the building codes also acts as the zoning officer and is expected to handle property maintenance issues, you can say what you are saying. However, in many municipalities across the country, things are a bit different, as you can see from the poll numbers above. Two decades ago, in Pennsylvania cities, I was providing IPMC training to their code enforcement officers who handled property maintenance issues. That was their title. Just like the jurisdictions of East Hartford & Mansfield, Connecticut, hundreds if not thousands of municipalities across the US have adopted the IPMC to address property maintenance issues. Sometimes, the Building Official is responsible in smaller one-stop shop towns, and other times, they have a separate code enforcement department with a Code Enforcement Officer, such as the one in Weston, CT.

You can join organizations such as the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE), your state-level organization such as the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE), or similarly named organizations in California, Colorado, Alabama, and even Connecticut, just to name a few. Their purpose is to learn property maintenance codes and the state statutes that govern the legal procedures around them. Regardless of what any state adopts, any municipality can adopt the IPMC. You say potato, and I say potato.

But the times continue to change. Many departments are changing their names to Code Compliance and have Code Compliance Officers working for them. The subtle change is to help ease perception. I am also seeing a lot of CC departments going under the police department these days. I even have one municipality where I am the BO (I cover 2), where property maintenance and code compliance are handled by the police officers.

So, at the end of the day, when you work for the Building Department and handle building codes, you are a separate entity from zoning or code enforcement. Maybe you are in charge of many departments like I am. However, these sub-departments have very different responsibilities. Unfortunately, some of the elected officials don't seem to understand it and simply think they are all the same. They are not. So, let's break this down.

Building Department: Handles building codes with a building official, plans examiners, and inspectors who oversee construction projects.
Planning and Zoning: Often, a planner or zoning officer, or both or many of each, will determine what you can build where.
Code Enforcement/Compliance: These folks enforce property maintenance ordinances and often work with the building department when they catch people working without a permit.

Don't confuse code enforcement with building code enforcement. They are different animals. The IBC only defines Building Officials but not Code Enforcement Officers because they are not the same.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

The times have changed significantly over the past few decades. Maybe in small-town America, where you have a one-stop shop where the Building Official who enforces the building codes also acts as the zoning officer and is expected to handle property maintenance issues, you can say what you are saying. However, in many municipalities across the country, things are a bit different, as you can see from the poll numbers above. Two decades ago, in Pennsylvania cities, I was providing IPMC training to their code enforcement officers who handled property maintenance issues. That was their title. Just like the jurisdictions of East Hartford & Mansfield, Connecticut, hundreds if not thousands of municipalities across the US have adopted the IPMC to address property maintenance issues. Sometimes, the Building Official is responsible in smaller one-stop shop towns, and other times, they have a separate code enforcement department with a Code Enforcement Officer, such as the one in Weston, CT.

You can join organizations such as the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE), your state-level organization such as the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE), or similarly named organizations in California, Colorado, Alabama, and even Connecticut, just to name a few. Their purpose is to learn property maintenance codes and the state statutes that govern the legal procedures around them. Regardless of what any state adopts, any municipality can adopt the IPMC. You say potato, and I say potato.

But the times continue to change. Many departments are changing their names to Code Compliance and have Code Compliance Officers working for them. The subtle change is to help ease perception. I am also seeing a lot of CC departments going under the police department these days. I even have one municipality where I am the BO (I cover 2), where property maintenance and code compliance are handled by the police officers.

So, at the end of the day, when you work for the Building Department and handle building codes, you are a separate entity from zoning or code enforcement. Maybe you are in charge of many departments like I am. However, these sub-departments have very different responsibilities. Unfortunately, some of the elected officials don't seem to understand it and simply think they are all the same. They are not. So, let's break this down.

Building Department: Handles building codes with a building official, plans examiners, and inspectors who oversee construction projects.
Planning and Zoning: Often, a planner or zoning officer, or both or many of each, will determine what you can build where.
Code Enforcement/Compliance: These folks enforce property maintenance ordinances and often work with the building department when they catch people working without a permit.

Don't confuse code enforcement with building code enforcement. They are different animals. The IBC only defines Building Officials but not Code Enforcement Officers because they are not the same.

Which is why I'm asking you to remove one vote for Code Compliance / Enforcement, because I checked that as well as Building Department because (to my apparently antiquated, English-speaking way of thinking) I considered them to be the same.

 

[jar546]

Which is why I'm asking you to remove one vote for Code Compliance / Enforcement, because I checked that as well as Building Department because (to my apparently antiquated, English-speaking way of thinking) I considered them to be the same.

But I thought you said you were not the building official for where you worked. I can't edit individual votes.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

But I thought you said you were not the building official for where you worked. I can't edit individual votes.

I am not "the" Building Official. I am one of three assistant building officials in the building department (of which two of us are licensed as building officials but working as ABOs).

I think vBulletin allows editing poll responses, but I'm not sure on that. Anyhoo -- you don't need to edit the poll, just be aware that there should be one less vote for "Code Compliance / Enforcement."

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Building and plumbing
Some fire code
Business licenses
Some asset management/construction contracts as relating to Town buildings.

Now, I grasp that in BC plumbing/building are done by one person. Kinda makes sense, wish our neck of the woods would consider it.

But I see you're in the same boat as many.... doing a bunch of different things, and I wonder if that's wise. I had to scale back my residential work when A large DAUP contract landed in my lap. I'd say about 20 per cent of my time is DAUP, now. Guess it depends on the size of the area/population/municipality....

 

[Mr. Inspector]

I am not responsible for a building department and don't work or we don't a building department. I am inspector and plan reviewer enforcing the ICC codes for a 3rd party inspection company for many towns that don't have building departments and we also contract with the state health department to inspect public swimming pools so I not sure what to check. Our company also has people that do zoning and sometimes I help them a little bit, so I don't know if that counts.