Building Inspector Combination​/Certified I​/II​/III​/Senior - PBCE, Building Division

About the Department

The City of San Jose’s Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement serves to ensure the orderly and safe development of private properties, compliance with all applicable building, zoning, and quality of life ordinances and regulations, and to promote healthy and safe community standards. This is accomplished by departmental staff in service to customers by:

• Assisting and guiding land use and development to promote long-term goals and objectives that render safe, beneficial, and more sustainable communities
• Providing orderly administration and compliance of building codes, as mandated by the various levels of government, to ensure the construction of buildings, homes, and structures meet intended life safety and structural requirements
• Investigating and resolving citizen complaints of municipal code violations on private property in order to promote, maintain, and improve quality of life issues that better allow for safe and harmonious conditions in all neighborhoods

The City’s Building Division provides oversight and assistance towards the City's growth and development in relation to construction activity on private property within the City. The goal is to ensure the safety of buildings and to support the health and wellbeing of all persons living and working in San Jose through the implementation of the State of California’s current building codes and laws.

• The Building Division is divided into four sections:

• Permit Center:
  Plan intake and routing to plan review and Development Services Partners, over the counter permit processing, permit issuance, addressing, assistance desk/public information, and ADU Ally.
• Plan Review:
  Review of private development project plans and calculations for compliance with the California Building Codes and state laws, coordination with Development Services partners, expedited review, and coordinated review.
• Inspection:
  Inspects active private construction projects for compliance with the approved plans and adopted building codes and state laws.
• Support Services:
  Development Services call center, document imaging, records requests, and general support for the building division.

The Building Division ensures compliance with obligations by annually reviewing, analyzing, conducting, researching, processing, issuing, inspecting, and providing:

• Building permits, plan reviews, inspections, customers assisted, and calls answered

Salary ranges for this classification are listed as Building Inspector Combination and various Certified levels. These ranges include an approximate five percent ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary is determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. The Building Division is actively recruiting for multiple full-time Building Inspector Combination/Certified I/II/III/Senior (BIC) positions across all three specialty areas:
Building, Electrical, and Plumbing/Mechanical.

These specialties ensure inspections are performed by professionals with focused expertise while maintaining the flexibility to address complex project needs. This helps maintain high standards of safety, code compliance, and quality in both commercial/industrial and residential buildings. BIC positions are flexibly staffed and classified at five levels. Incumbents are designated upon hire to one of the three specialty inspection areas. Regardless of declared specialty, all inspectors will serve as combination inspectors for single-family residential construction projects.

The Building Division provides a comprehensive Combination Building Inspection Academy to ensure inspectors are fully trained to perform inspections across all three trades – building, electrical, and plumbing/mechanical – for single-family residential projects. This cross training enables inspectors to conduct comprehensive inspections covering all trade disciplines for these structures, streamlining inspections and promoting code consistency and public safety.

• Electrical Inspectors evaluate wiring, panels, devices, and system installations to ensure safe and…