Code official vs construction inspector

The differences between code officials and construction 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 code official and a construction inspector. Additionally, a code official has an average salary of $54,026, which is higher than the $52,306 average annual salary of a construction inspector.

The top three skills for a code official include plumbing, construction projects and code compliance. The most important skills for a construction inspector are asphalt, ACI, and construction inspection.

Code official vs construction inspector overview

	Code Official	Construction Inspector
Yearly salary	$54,026	$52,306
Hourly rate	$25.97	$25.15
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	324	42,007
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	6	6

Code official vs construction inspector salary

Code officials and construction inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Code Official	Construction Inspector
Average salary	$54,026	$52,306
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $83,000	Between $36,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Orange County Sanitation District
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between code official and construction inspector education

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

	Code Official	Construction Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Code official vs construction inspector demographics

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

	Code Official	Construction Inspector
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between code official and construction inspector duties and responsibilities

Code official example responsibilities.

Manage high volume case assignments to a final disposition of abatement, civil summons, criminal arrests or referral.
Perform plumbing, electric, building, and HVAC inspections for residential and commercial projects.
Retrieve patients' information from internal system, distribute proper reports to physicians and other materials to corresponding departments.
Conduct investigation inspection on HUD construct manufactured homes.

Construction inspector example responsibilities.

Manage cad files and plotting operations, as cad manager.
Monitor new field inspector's performance and lead them into Bechtel's management program.
Manage and inspect fiber optic cable placement, fiber drop installations and associate construction activities for an assign OSP project.
Coordinate, manage, and conduct geotechnical engineering and engineering geology subsurface investigations.
Comply with fra, dot, osha.
Assist in running pigs and tie-ins.

Code official vs construction inspector skills

Common code official skills

Plumbing, 18%
Construction Projects, 12%
Code Compliance, 12%
Plan Review, 10%
Fire Protection, 8%
Building Codes, 8%

Common construction inspector skills

Asphalt, 9%
ACI, 8%
Construction Inspection, 8%
Construction Projects, 7%
Construction Management, 6%
Traffic Control, 6%

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Code Official
Code Official vs Construction Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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