City of Tampa

This is highly professional, technical work of an engineering nature involving examination of residential and commercial building construction and site plans for compliance with statutes, codes and ordinances.

An employee in this class is responsible for performing technical reviews of considerable difficulty on professionally prepared documents for all proposed residential and commercial construction projects and for the review of residential and commercial site plans for compliance with transportation, landscape, stormwater, and zoning codes as required, as they relate to site construction issues. Responsibilities include determining conformance with current regulations from applications submitted prior to the issuance of construction permits. Employees review all new construction, additions, and changes of use with regards to the Concurrency Management Program. They also review all projects to determine transportation impact fees and impact fees for residential and commercial development. Under general supervision, employees perform assignments requiring the exercise of considerable initiative and independent judgment in interpretation of state statutes, model codes, and municipal ordinances as they relate to the determination of conformity of construction documents. Considerable tact, courtesy, and impartiality are necessary in dealings with contractors, engineers, inspectors, and others. Work is reviewed through periodic conferences, observation, production output, reports submitted, and field inspector feedback.

Examines construction documents (plans, specifications, etc.) for conformity with applicable building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, gas, and flood control codes, municipal ordinances, and related regulations as required; approves or disapproves construction documents and communicates results to appropriate design professionals (architect, engineer, etc.); documents reason for disapproval of plans or specifications with the appropriate code section quoted for reference and notifies the design professional of the discrepancy, providing a narrative as to the circumstances of disapproval and instructions for submitting revisions that may subsequently be approved.

Provides technical assistance to property owners/public agencies; helps to understand and resolve complaints/problems that citizens may encounter; consults with others on results of inspections to get suggestions/recommendations for corrective action.

Accompanies related staff on field inspections involving unusual situations and on a periodic basis for input to quality assurance of service delivery; participates in training exercises with other staff relative to ensuring uniformity of administration of construction codes; assists in formulating interpretations of codes.

Performs studies of construction and municipal code related matters and prepares periodic and/or special reports for management use; interprets blueprints, electrical circuit drawings and instrument loop diagrams; establishes and maintains files, control logs, and other office records.

Performs related work as required.

Considerable knowledge of: construction methods, practices, materials, mechanics, and philosophy; construction codes, inspectional processes, and techniques; legislation affecting building standards; construction related management and administrative policies, procedures, and methods.

Ability to: observe, comprehend, narrate, and instruct; interpret construction related codes and standards and uniformly enforce regulations with tact and impartiality; read, interpret, and understand construction documents; make independent decisions when required; conduct technical inspections when required; organize information and effectively present recommendations orally and in writing; follow oral and written instructions; prepare clear, concise, and accurate reports; establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees, members of the construction industry, and the general public.

Graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor’s degree in building construction, engineering, architecture or related field and five (5) years of experience in building construction, architecture and engineering activities to include one (1) year of experience in plan examination and ordinance administration; or an associate’s degree in building construction, engineering, architecture or related field and seven (7) years of experience in building construction, architecture and engineering activities to include three (3) years of experience in plan examination and ordinance administration.

Possession of: a Standard Building Plans Examiner license as issued by the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board: two (2) additional Florida Standard (Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing) Plans Examiner licenses; a valid Florida driver’s license required.

Note: Applicants selected for employment who do not possess the required Standard Plans Examiners license in all three areas must apply to the State for a provisional license immediately upon employment and obtain the standard certificate within twenty-four (24) months of employment.

Employees may be required to work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, holidays and overtime as needed. During periods when the Mayor issues an emergency declaration for the City of Tampa, all employees may be required to work in preparation, response or recovery activities related to the stated emergency.