Building Inspector - Plans Examiner

Building Inspector – Plans Examiner

City of Fife

Under the direction of the Building Official or Community Development Director in the absence of a Building Official, the building inspector‑plans examiner is responsible for inspecting commercial, residential and industrial construction sites, reviewing permit applications and plans, and ensuring compliance with all building, fire, plumbing, mechanical, energy, accessibility, and related City, State, and Federal construction codes, ordinances, regulations, and safety standards.

• Collaborate with contractors, architects, engineers and others to resolve discrepancies between approved construction plans and on‑site construction development and activities.
• Serve as a technical resource to City personnel and outside agencies concerning compliance issues; respond to inquiries and provide recommendations on proper construction practices, field procedures, code revisions, and problem resolution techniques; interpret, apply and explain code requirements and ordinances.
• Process, produce and maintain electronic and paper application records and reports related to permitting, inspections, compliance and assigned activities.
• Inspect commercial and residential construction sites and structures to determine and ensure compliance with all codes and regulations; identify code violations.
• Prioritize and schedule site inspections, plan reviews, and associated meetings.
• Investigate and resolve alleged code violations; prepare detailed correction notices and correspondence to clarify policy, correction notices and plan review comments.
• Inspect construction sites as necessary to ensure correction of noted violations; locate and resolve illegal construction; suspend work at construction sites within established timelines if violations have not been corrected.
• Review and evaluate construction drawings and specifications to ensure compliance with all adopted codes, guidelines, and regulations; compare drawings with buildings under construction and identify discrepancies and issues.
• Approve building permit applications according to established procedures.

• Evaluate building damage and provide assessment of overall building safety under applicable standards.
• Attend a variety of assigned meetings.
• Promote open and effective communications between the Community Development Department and owners, architects, contractors and other interested parties.
• Serve on the Development Review Committee as a team member and build strong relationships with staff and the development community.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

• Building construction methods and practices in Washington State.
• All types of building construction materials, safety standards, and methods.
• Field inspection methods, procedures and techniques.
• Operation of a variety of office equipment including computer, tablet, and assigned software.
• Safe operation of a vehicle to conduct work.
• Applicable federal, State and local laws, codes, ordinances, regulations, policies and procedures related to building inspection, code enforcement, plan review, and permitting.
• Methods, techniques, policies and procedures used in building and site inspection.
• Permit review best practices and issuance procedures.
• Plans examination and review procedures including electronic review.
• Building, fire, plumbing, mechanical, and energy codes.
• English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• City organization, operations, policies and objectives.
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience, courtesy, and common sense.

• Inspect construction sites of both commercial and residential structures to determine and ensure compliance with building, fire, plumbing, mechanical, energy, accessibility and related codes and regulations and safety standards.
• Review and evaluate detailed construction drawings and specifications to ensure compliance with established codes, guidelines and regulations and to ensure that construction follows approved plans and drawings.
• Identify, investigate and resolve alleged code violations.
• Interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Research and provide resolution to issues…