Qualifications: The Right Tools to Start the Job

If you were planning to become a referee for a hockey league, you’d want to make sure you knew a lot about the sport first, right? In fact, more than that – you’d likely already have some experience in playing the game. Well, in becoming a Building Official, the process isn’t really all that different; before someone can be capable of reviewing drawings and construction on a site – they need to have some level of experience in how those processes work first hand.

Some of the obvious choices here would be direct experience on site – say as a construction trade, whether that be a carpenter, plumber, drywaller, foundation worker, or electrician. While experience in any of these roles may be acceptable as the required pre-requisite to Building Official training – there are a couple of factors to consider; the first, is that in most cases, a minimum of 2 years is required to be considered equivalent to specialized training. Secondly, for many jurisdictions to hire a would-be Building Official, that trade experience would need to come with a Department of Labour trade certification – meaning, it’s not simply the length of time in the trades, but being able to show a learned level of skill, through gaining qualifications. While this can be a hurdle for someone recently new to the trades – exceptions can sometimes be made, depending on your situation. It’s always worthwhile to check with a local jurisdiction, to find out what their hiring process is.

Another option would be Academic training; most Provinces and Territories have trade-oriented programs that feature either a Certification, or Technologist diploma, in Architectural, Engineering, Construction Management, Estimating, or Drafting Studies, which can be considered as an equivalent to site-experience in the trades – because these programs are designed to introduce participants either to the Code directly – or, to some of the more technical elements of the construction process.

In the same way, experience as an Architect, Engineer, or Interior Designer – where working with the Codes directly – would be considered an asset; these roles come with a more specialized design scope – mechanical systems, sprinkler design, structural systems – providing a wealth of valuable knowledge to the role.

Regardless of which path you choose – the process of becoming a Building Official starts with ensuring that you have enough experience interacting with either the Codes – or Construction – to be considered capable of learning more, and further honing those skills, as you dig deeper into the field. Think of it as a way of gauging aptitude; not only jurisdictions, but regulatory bodies themselves need to be confident that you show the potential to develop more and more experience within the Construction field – and those experiences you bring to the table? Well, that helps them see what you’ve already been able to achieve!