Building official vs code inspector

The differences between building officials and code inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a building official and a code inspector. Additionally, a code inspector has an average salary of $49,224, which is higher than the $46,398 average annual salary of a building official.

The top three skills for a building official include community development, code compliance and plumbing. The most important skills for a code inspector are code violations, plumbing, and patrol.

Building official vs code inspector overview

	Building Official	Code Inspector
Yearly salary	$46,398	$49,224
Hourly rate	$22.31	$23.67
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	4,912	16,664
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	6	6

Building official vs code inspector salary

Building officials and code inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Official	Code Inspector
Average salary	$46,398	$49,224
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $89,000	Between $33,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Riverside, CA	Oxnard, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	University of California	Arlington County, VA
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between building official and code inspector education

There are a few differences between a building official and a code inspector in terms of educational background:

	Building Official	Code Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Building official vs code inspector demographics

Here are the differences between building officials' and code inspectors' demographics:

	Building Official	Code Inspector
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8%	Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 3.4% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between building official and code inspector duties and responsibilities

Building official example responsibilities.

Lead site excavations, form structuring, and supervise concrete pours.
Modernize department by directing adoption and implementation of current editions of building, electric, fire, plumbing and mechanical codes.
Participate in networking and collaboration with other regional CBA providers.
Conduct investigation inspection on HUD construct manufactured homes.

Code inspector example responsibilities.

Manage high volume case assignments to a final disposition of abatement, civil summons, criminal arrests or referral.
Train newly hire plumbing inspectors with obtaining knowledge of WSSC policies and procedures.
Produce quality notifications on installation procedures and vendor products in order to meet engineering criteria and FAA guidelines.
Appear in court for subpoenas regarding citations issues.
Conduct investigation inspection on HUD construct manufactured homes.

Building official vs code inspector skills

Common building official skills

Community Development, 18%
Code Compliance, 16%
Plumbing, 16%
Public Works, 6%
Code Enforcement, 6%
State Building, 5%

Common code inspector skills

Code Violations, 12%
Plumbing, 8%
Patrol, 7%
Building Codes, 7%
Life Safety, 6%
City Codes, 6%