jar546
CBO
Some Building Officials pride themselves on keeping everyone happy, finding creative ways to “work around” those inconvenient code sections that slow a project down. After all, why make waves when you can make friends?
Being a Building Official is not as hard as people make it out to be. The trick is to never take the code too seriously. After all, it is just a book of suggestions written by people who do not understand how things really work in the field. My job is not to cause problems; it is to keep everyone happy.
Contractors work hard, and the last thing they need is someone nitpicking over things like proper clearances, rated assemblies, or mechanical ventilation. I like to think of myself as a peacekeeper, not an enforcer. If a contractor tells me something is “pretty close,” that is good enough for me. Why ruin their day by asking for documentation or an engineer’s letter?
The truth is, most people do not even understand half the code sections anyway. If I enforced everything as written, I would never have time for lunch, and everyone in town would hate me. I prefer to be known as the easy-going official who works with people, not against them. When a contractor says, “Come on, nobody else makes us do that,” I take it as a sign that I am being too strict and need to loosen up.
Sometimes, I even surprise myself with how flexible I can be. Take fire separation, for example. If two units have a double layer of drywall on one side, that is close enough. Who am I to make them tear it down just because the assembly is not listed? If it looks solid, it probably performs the same. Besides, insisting on proof would slow down the job, and we all know time is money.
Then there are accessibility requirements. Sure, they are important, but not everyone has the budget for those grab bars or proper slopes. I find that a friendly conversation and a wink can go a long way toward resolving those “minor” compliance issues. Nobody complains, and I get to go home without a single angry phone call. That is what I call success.
Plan reviews are another area where I like to show my reasonable side. If the plans are stamped by an engineer or architect, that is good enough for me. The code clearly says I can accept their judgment, and who am I to question a licensed professional? If something goes wrong later, I can always say, “Well, it was approved by the design professional.” It is a perfect system.
When it comes to inspections, my philosophy is simple. If it looks safe, it probably is. Measuring clearances, checking fire blocking, or verifying structural connections just causes arguments. I walk through, smile, and move on. Most of the time, the contractor thanks me for being “one of the good ones,” and that makes my day.
The best part about this approach is how peaceful life becomes. No complaints from developers, no angry council members, and no confrontations with homeowners. I am not the bad guy. Everyone loves me. The town thinks I am efficient, the contractors think I am fair, and my phone never rings with problems. Sure, the occasional mistake slips through, but nobody’s perfect.
After all, enforcing the code strictly just causes stress. If a rule seems inconvenient or costly, maybe it was not meant to be enforced that way. That is how I see it. The intent of the code is what matters, and my intent is to keep things moving smoothly. As long as everyone feels good, the job is getting done.
If you read this far, you already know this article is completely facetious. It is a parody of what no Building Official should ever be. Our duty is to enforce the code as written, fairly and consistently, without bias or favoritism. The day we start deciding which parts of the code are optional is the day we stop protecting the public. Let’s hope no one reading this agrees with the person I just described.
Being a Building Official is not as hard as people make it out to be. The trick is to never take the code too seriously. After all, it is just a book of suggestions written by people who do not understand how things really work in the field. My job is not to cause problems; it is to keep everyone happy.
Contractors work hard, and the last thing they need is someone nitpicking over things like proper clearances, rated assemblies, or mechanical ventilation. I like to think of myself as a peacekeeper, not an enforcer. If a contractor tells me something is “pretty close,” that is good enough for me. Why ruin their day by asking for documentation or an engineer’s letter?
The truth is, most people do not even understand half the code sections anyway. If I enforced everything as written, I would never have time for lunch, and everyone in town would hate me. I prefer to be known as the easy-going official who works with people, not against them. When a contractor says, “Come on, nobody else makes us do that,” I take it as a sign that I am being too strict and need to loosen up.
Sometimes, I even surprise myself with how flexible I can be. Take fire separation, for example. If two units have a double layer of drywall on one side, that is close enough. Who am I to make them tear it down just because the assembly is not listed? If it looks solid, it probably performs the same. Besides, insisting on proof would slow down the job, and we all know time is money.
Then there are accessibility requirements. Sure, they are important, but not everyone has the budget for those grab bars or proper slopes. I find that a friendly conversation and a wink can go a long way toward resolving those “minor” compliance issues. Nobody complains, and I get to go home without a single angry phone call. That is what I call success.
Plan reviews are another area where I like to show my reasonable side. If the plans are stamped by an engineer or architect, that is good enough for me. The code clearly says I can accept their judgment, and who am I to question a licensed professional? If something goes wrong later, I can always say, “Well, it was approved by the design professional.” It is a perfect system.
When it comes to inspections, my philosophy is simple. If it looks safe, it probably is. Measuring clearances, checking fire blocking, or verifying structural connections just causes arguments. I walk through, smile, and move on. Most of the time, the contractor thanks me for being “one of the good ones,” and that makes my day.
The best part about this approach is how peaceful life becomes. No complaints from developers, no angry council members, and no confrontations with homeowners. I am not the bad guy. Everyone loves me. The town thinks I am efficient, the contractors think I am fair, and my phone never rings with problems. Sure, the occasional mistake slips through, but nobody’s perfect.
After all, enforcing the code strictly just causes stress. If a rule seems inconvenient or costly, maybe it was not meant to be enforced that way. That is how I see it. The intent of the code is what matters, and my intent is to keep things moving smoothly. As long as everyone feels good, the job is getting done.
If you read this far, you already know this article is completely facetious. It is a parody of what no Building Official should ever be. Our duty is to enforce the code as written, fairly and consistently, without bias or favoritism. The day we start deciding which parts of the code are optional is the day we stop protecting the public. Let’s hope no one reading this agrees with the person I just described.
