Building Inspector

What building inspectors make

Job Bank's national median is $38.46 an hour, about $80,000 a year full time. Job Bank groups building inspectors with other construction inspectors under one code.

Where pay is highest

Among the provinces, Ontario is highest at $39.00 and Prince Edward Island lowest at $32.66. Most people enter as a building official in training, with a trade ticket or a construction technology diploma and a few years of site experience.

What it costs to get there

Employers typically pay for exams and courses once you are hired as a trainee. The expensive part is the years of site experience you need first, and you are paid for those.

Benefits

• Municipal pension

  Defined-benefit plans like OMERS (the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) or the BC (British Columbia) Municipal Pension Plan.

• Health, dental and generous vacation

  Standard for municipal staff.

• Vehicle or mileage

  A city vehicle or allowance for inspections.

• Regular hours

  Weekdays, daytime, no shutdown overtime.

The path to becoming a building inspector, step by step

Build things first, then learn to inspect them. Nobody is hired as an inspector at 19.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   Grade 12 with math, English and a construction or drafting class.

2. 2

   Trade or diploma

   2 to 5 years

   A journeyperson ticket (carpenter, plumber, electrician are common) or a 2 to 3 year Architectural or Civil Engineering Technology diploma.

3. 3

   Work in construction

   3 to 5 years

   Municipalities want people who have framed, plumbed or drawn real buildings. Three to five years is typical.

4. 4

   Pass the code exams

   Months to a year

   In Ontario, provincial Building Code exams in the categories you will inspect, then registration with the province. In BC, qualification through BOABC (the Building Officials' Association of BC). In Alberta, Safety Codes Officer certification in the building discipline.

5. 5

   Building official in training, then inspector

   1 to 2 years

   Hired by a municipality, mentored on the job, then signing your own inspections.

High school courses that help you become a building inspector

• Math and physics

  Spans, loads and fire ratings come from the code, but you need to understand why.

• Construction technology or drafting

  Reading drawings is half the job.

• English

  The building code is thousands of pages, and your reports must hold up if challenged.

• Law or civics

  Inspectors enforce legislation and sometimes testify.

Time and money, at a glance

Regulated in most provinces

Building officials enforce provincial building codes, and most provinces set who may do it. Ontario requires officials to pass provincial code exams and register with the province. British Columbia requires qualification through BOABC (the Building Officials' Association of British Columbia), Alberta certifies Safety Codes Officers, and Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also set required qualifications. Elsewhere, including Manitoba and Quebec, the employer decides. OBOA (the Ontario Building Officials Association) offers the voluntary CBCO (Certified Building Code Official) designation.

Credentials that raise your pay

• More code categories

  Each extra category you are qualified in (large buildings, plumbing, fire protection) lets you inspect more kinds of work.

• Plans examiner

  Reviewing drawings for permits at the desk instead of inspecting on site. A common promotion.

• CBCO (Certified Building Code Official)

  Ontario's association designation, based on exams, education and experience.

• Deputy or chief building official

  Management of the department. The top of the ladder.

Nice-to-haves

• A journeyperson ticket

  Inspectors who have done the trade get more respect on site.

• Driver's licence

  You drive between sites all day.

• Calm under conflict

  You will fail inspections and people will argue.

• French

  An asset in Ontario, New Brunswick and federal work.

What a building inspector does day to day

Morning at the office reviewing the day's inspection requests and a few permit drawings. Then out in the city vehicle: a footing inspection at a new house, a framing inspection where the stair headroom is short and you have to fail it, an occupancy inspection at a renovated restaurant. Back to the desk to write reports, answer contractor calls and explain the code to a homeowner at the counter. Home by 4:30pm.

The honest pros and cons of being a building inspector

Work life

Similar paths

• Home InspectorCheck a house from roof to basement before someone buys it. Short training, mostly self-employed, licensed in BC (British Columbia) and Alberta, and in Quebec from 2027.
• Architectural TechnologistTurn an architect's ideas into drawings a builder can use. A 2 or 3 year college diploma, Revit and the building code.
• Civil EngineerRoads, bridges, water and buildings. A four-year degree, then a licence that lets you sign the drawings.

Every Ontario municipality needs one

Ontario has 444 municipalities, and each must appoint a chief building official under the Building Code Act. OBOA (the Ontario Building Officials Association) has more than 2,300 members in 23 chapters.

The code changes under your feet

Building codes are rewritten every few years to add new rules on energy efficiency, accessibility, fire safety and mass timber. Inspectors have to re-learn parts of the code throughout their career.

Retirement at 62

Job Bank counts about 25,700 construction and building inspectors in Canada in 2023. Their median retirement age was 62.