BUILDING INSPECTOR

General Statement of Duties

The Land Use and Building Department is seeking a candidate with good technical judgement and decision making, that is responsible for the overall guidance, administration, and enforcement of Elmore County's Building Code under general direction from the Building Official. This employee monitors, implements, and enforces all rules and ordinances related to building codes during building inspections and ensures general health, welfare, and safety of county’s citizens with integrity and professionalism.

Classification Summary

The principal function of an employee in this class is to conduct building inspections for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and structures in Elmore County, which spans over 3,101 square miles. The work involves building inspections as guided by the Building Official and enforcement of adopted building and fire codes covering new construction and alternations and repair of existing buildings. The employee in this position performs building inspections for all capital projects for Elmore County, including structural, grading, and floodplain development and provides timely and consistent customer service to all building industry professionals.

The principal duties of this class are performed in the field with site visits and in a general office environment. Considerable technical independence is granted per guidelines established by the International Building Code and other laws, ordinances, and regulations of the State and County. Time will need to be managed independently and carefully to include coordination with Building Official, and other staff members to complete daily inspections and return phone calls and answer building related questions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Administers and interprets building codes and related ordinances;
• Communicates with Building Official on daily basis and other staff members of the department, County Engineer, County Surveyor, and other building industry professionals regarding building permits when needed;
• Coordinates building inspections with other County departments and offices, as well as state and federal agencies and departments;
• Performs field activity associated with building permits, including identifying property boundary, measuring structures/setbacks, and synthesizing information provided by property owners;
• Conducts on-site code compliance inspections for new and existing residential and commercial building projects;
• Inspects buildings in the process of construction, alteration or repair for the compliance with building and zoning code requirements and for application of safe construction practices and code compliance;
• Responds to questions and provides explanations to contractors, property owners and the public on code compliance and inspections;
• Cooperates with other agencies including cities, rural fire districts, local highway districts, Central District Health, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Water Resources, Division of Building Service, etc. on building constructions within the County;
• Represents the Department at building industry organizations;
• Attends meetings, conferences, workshops and training sessions and reviews publications and audio-visual materials to remain current on the principles, practices and new developments in assigned work areas;
• Maintains building certifications through continuing education courses and re-certifications;
• Attends planning and zoning meetings if needed;
• Attends pre-construction conferences with builders and developers;
• Maintains and updates an accurate record of all inspected properties and prepares reports/notifications in a timely manner;
• Responds orally and in written form to information requests from specific property owners, contractors, and the public;
• Keeps Department Director, Building Official, and administrative employees fully and accurately informed concerning work progress, including present any potential work problems and makes suggestions for new or improved ways of addressing such problems;
• Responds to all questions and requests in a courteous and timely manner;
• Coordinates public works projects of the County as directed;
• Performs permit review and inspections for other jurisdictions that have contracted with the County; and
• Performs other job duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Building construction, materials and methods;
• Design practices and construction methods of materials for residential and commercial buildings;
• Technical codes including but not limited to the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, Idaho Fire Code, state and local construction codes;
• Plan review procedures and methods;
• Code enforcement processes and practices; and
• FEMA codes and standards for floodplain development.

Skills and Ability to:

• Read, interpret and enforce laws, resolutions, ordinances, codes and contracts;
• Understand building construction plans and specifications;
• Work well in a respectful manner with a diverse population of County citizens
• Observe and document violations;
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing, using both technical and non- technical language;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with property owners, contractors, designers, engineers, architects, developers, consultants, attorneys, permit applicants, and the public;
• Prepare accurate and reliable reports containing regulations and ordinance interpretations, findings, conclusions and recommendations;
• Understand and follow oral and/or written policies, procedures and instructions;
• Respond to citizen requests in a courteous manner;
• Prepare and maintain complete and accurate inspection records;
• Operate a personal computer using standard or customized software applications to complete assigned tasks;
• Use various tools associated with the construction trade;
• Perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed
• Integrity, ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks;
• Perform all work duties and activities in accordance with County policies, procedures and safety practices; and
• Drive for extended periods of time.

Acceptable Experience and Training

• High school diploma/GED with background in building construction and/or inspection technology; and
• Minimum 2 years of experience working in the building trades; or
• International Residential Code Certification considered equivalent to 2 years of experience and Commercial Building Inspection Certification considered equivalent to 3 years of experience; or
• Any equivalent combination of experience and certification which provides the knowledge and abilities necessary to perform the work.

Special Qualifications

• Valid Idaho Driver’s License

Essential Physical Abilities

• Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing or other communication capabilities, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to communicate effectively;
• Sufficient vision or other powers of observation, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to conduct on-site inspections;
• Sufficient clarity of hearing with or without reasonable accommodation to enable the employee to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information;
• Sufficient manual dexterity with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to use various tools of the construction trade;
• Sufficient personal mobility and physical reflexes with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to drive to various locations and move around construction sites for inspection purposes, including climbing ladders, walking on roofs, maneuvering over walls, inspecting crawl spaces, and under manufactured homes etc.