The job of the plans examiner is to review construction plans to make sure that proper legal codes are followed. This individual is responsible for ensuring that new construction meets the criteria laid out by public safety and health standards.
Plans examiners look at blueprints for both residential and commercial properties. Their specific duties and responsibilities are to evaluate zoning compliance, work with architects, builders, and homeowners to obtain compliance, make recommendations for whether or not to issue permits, and sometimes supervise individuals who research codes and zoning ordinances. A high school diploma or GED equivalent is required to start a career as a plans examiner. Moreover, certifications from certain institutions, such as the ICC and OIC, may be required.
The average hourly salary for the position is $28.14, which equates to $58,523 annually. The career is expected to grow substantially in the near future and create new opportunities across the United States. As long as new buildings are being constructed, the job of a plans examiner will stay relevant.
Plans Examiner Overview
Working as a Plans Examiner
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a plans examiner. For example, did you know that they make an average of $28.14 an hour? That's $58,523 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 7,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Plans Examiner Do
There are certain skills that many plans examiners have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, craft experience and mechanical knowledge.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a plans examiner, we found that a lot of resumes listed 10.7% of plans examiners included ensure compliance, while 10.3% of resumes included customer service, and 9.5% of resumes included construction projects. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the plans examiner job title. But what industry to start with? Most plans examiners actually find jobs in the government and hospitality industries.
How To Become a Plans Examiner
If you're interested in becoming a plans examiner, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 50.7% of plans examiners have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.9% of plans examiners have master's degrees. Even though most plans examiners have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a plans examiner. When we researched the most common majors for a plans examiner, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on plans examiner resumes include master's degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a plans examiner. In fact, many plans examiner jobs require experience in a role such as building inspector. Meanwhile, many plans examiners also have previous career experience in roles such as project manager or internship.
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Plans Examiner Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a plans examiner can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as project manager, progress to a title such as owner and then eventually end up with the title vice president.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Plans Examiner
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
City of Maricopa Plans Examiner/Building Inspector Plans Examiner/Building Inspector | City of Maricopa City of Maricopa | 01/28/2021 01/28/2021 | $44,90701/28/2021 $44,907 |
County of El Paso Tx Senior Plans Examiner Senior Plans Examiner | County of El Paso Tx County of El Paso Tx | 01/28/2021 01/28/2021 | $44,48001/28/2021 $44,480 |
City of Aurora, Co Building Plans Examiner Building Plans Examiner | City of Aurora, Co City of Aurora, Co | 01/27/2021 01/27/2021 | $53,53801/27/2021 $53,538 |
New Hanover County Manager Building & Fire Plans Examiner (Plans Examiner Specialist) Building & Fire Plans Examiner (Plans Examiner Specialist) | New Hanover County Manager New Hanover County Manager | 01/27/2021 01/27/2021 | $46,89101/27/2021 $46,891 |
City of Aurora Building Plans Examiner Building Plans Examiner | City of Aurora City of Aurora | 01/26/2021 01/26/2021 | $53,53801/26/2021 $53,538 |
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Top Colleges for Plans Examiners
1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Public
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Public
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Public
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Public
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Public
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Public
10. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Public
Top Skills For a Plans Examiner
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.7% of plans examiners listed ensure compliance on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and craft experience are important as well.
- Ensure Compliance, 10.7%
- Customer Service, 10.3%
- Construction Projects, 9.5%
- General Public, 7.9%
- Life Safety, 5.7%
- Other Skills, 55.9% See All Plans Examiner Skills
Best States For a Plans Examiner
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a plans examiner. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, California, Washington, and Utah. Plans examiners make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $100,466. Whereas in California and Washington, they would average $95,757 and $89,435, respectively. While plans examiners would only make an average of $80,726 in Utah, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
$89,435
Avg. Salary
2. California
$95,757
Avg. Salary
3. Nevada
$79,213
Avg. Salary