Building Inspector Combination​/Certified I​/II​/III​/Senior

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 Department is seeking applicants who are committed to understanding, executing, and improving the customer experience to best achieve the above goals and objectives. This includes providing excellent service and guidance to residents, property and business owners, developers, and other stakeholders throughout the planning, building, and code enforcement processes. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as the department values building positive relationships and fostering collaboration with other departments, agencies, and the community.

Additionally, applicants who possess a strong knowledge of planning principles, building codes, and/or regulatory requirements will be highly valued, as they will play a key role in ensuring compliance and promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable development practices.

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 that inspections are performed by professionals with focused expertise while maintaining the flexibility necessary to address the complex needs of diverse projects. 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 that every inspector is fully trained and qualified to perform inspections across all three trades – building, electrical, plumbing/mechanical – for single-family residential projects.

This cross training enables inspector to conduct comprehensive inspections covering all trade disciplines for these types of structures, streamlining inspections, promoting code consistency, and enhancing public safety.

For multi-family, commercial/industrial, and other complex projects, inspectors are assigned according to their specialty certification to ensure appropriate expertise for each inspection type. Electrical Inspectors evaluate wiring, panels, devices, and system installations to ensure safe and code-compliant electrical systems. Building Inspectors focus on structural and architectural elements such as foundations, framing, roofs, walls, fire separation assemblies, accessibility features, and energy efficiency compliance.

Plumbing/Mechanical Inspectors examine water supply, drainage, gas piping, HVAC, and associated systems for proper installation and operation. BIC positions review plans, issue permits, and perform detailed field inspections on new construction, alterations, and repairs covering a wide array of structures and occupancies. Their combination certification and cross-training allow them to assess all aspects of a project for compliance with building,…