Code enforcement officer vs detective

The differences between code enforcement officers and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $40,706 average annual salary of a code enforcement officer.

The top three skills for a code enforcement officer include patrol, public safety and community development. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Code enforcement officer vs detective overview

	Code Enforcement Officer	Detective
Yearly salary	$40,706	$57,984
Hourly rate	$19.57	$27.88
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	104,295	56,521
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a code enforcement officer do?

Code enforcement officers are professionals who work for the government to ensure that properties within their jurisdiction are following the zoning laws and building ordinances of a city, town, or county. These officers are required to inspect properties and record violations as part of their regular assessment or in response to complaints. They must explain to property owners about building codes and zoning laws so that they can avoid confusion and increase awareness of all violations. Code enforcement officers must also keep records of case violations and complaints while submitting the summary reports to their supervisors.

What does a detective do?

A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.

Code enforcement officer vs detective salary

Code enforcement officers and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Code Enforcement Officer	Detective
Average salary	$40,706	$57,984
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $56,000	Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	San Rafael, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	King County	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between code enforcement officer and detective education

There are a few differences between a code enforcement officer and a detective in terms of educational background:

	Code Enforcement Officer	Detective
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Arizona

Code enforcement officer vs detective demographics

Here are the differences between code enforcement officers' and detectives' demographics:

	Code Enforcement Officer	Detective
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7%	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between code enforcement officer and detective duties and responsibilities

Code enforcement officer example responsibilities.

Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
Review variance, special use and any land use applications.
Review plans and specifications for zoning, parking and setback requirements.
Enforce city and state ordinances, patrol city for violations against the city building code and animal laws.
Patrol assign areas within the city limits while operating a city vehicle to enforce nuisance and property maintenance codes.
Create simulations for force-on-force firearms training/defensive tactics for customers and train the trainers at Police/Sheriff departments.

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Detective example responsibilities.

Manage all ABC issues and applications for liquor licenses.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Monitor wire taps and conduct detailed surveillance of wire tap targets and associates.
Sole provider of data gathering from TIGTA's complaint management system and the IRS for biweekly phishing scam reports.
Connect GPS devices/recorder/audio/video by hard wiring to vehicle power for longer operations.
Optimize critical security of dignitaries by proficiently conducting foot and vehicle patrol of concentration areas.

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Code enforcement officer vs detective skills

Common code enforcement officer skills

Patrol, 12%
Public Safety, 7%
Community Development, 5%
Municipal Codes, 4%
Code Compliance, 4%
Plumbing, 4%

Common detective skills

Physical Evidence, 15%
Patrol, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Crime Scenes, 5%
Insurance Fraud, 5%
Public Safety, 5%

Code Enforcement Officer vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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