Code official vs plans examiner

The differences between code officials and plans examiners 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 plans examiner. Additionally, a plans examiner has an average salary of $59,697, which is higher than the $54,026 average annual salary of a code official.

The top three skills for a code official include plumbing, construction projects and code compliance. The most important skills for a plans examiner are plumbing, customer service, and life safety.

Code official vs plans examiner overview

	Code Official	Plans Examiner
Yearly salary	$54,026	$59,697
Hourly rate	$25.97	$28.70
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	324	4,018
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	6	6

Code official vs plans examiner salary

Code officials and plans examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Code Official	Plans Examiner
Average salary	$54,026	$59,697
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $83,000	Between $41,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between code official and plans examiner education

There are a few differences between a code official and a plans examiner in terms of educational background:

	Code Official	Plans Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Architecture
Most common college	San Diego State University	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Code official vs plans examiner demographics

Here are the differences between code officials' and plans examiners' demographics:

	Code Official	Plans Examiner
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4%	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
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, 8.1% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between code official and plans examiner 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.

Plans examiner example responsibilities.

Manage high volume case assignments to a final disposition of abatement, civil summons, criminal arrests or referral.
Issue permits to trade contractors for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building construction work.
Determine if licensee is compliant with the BSA, AML, UCC and NACHA operating rules.
Certify FBI digital evidence extraction technician.
Inspect HVAC system and insulation.
Ensure compliance with all applicable ADA and OSHA safety regulations.

Code official vs plans examiner skills

Common code official skills

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

Common plans examiner skills

Plumbing, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Life Safety, 7%
Fire Protection, 5%
Community Development, 5%
International Building, 5%