EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Inspections - State Certification Mandate

Utah state law requires that construction inspections be completed only by inspectors licensed by the state in the subject area in which they inspect. Local jurisdictions had difficulty complying with the mandate because there were so few state licensed inspectors available. Additionally, experienced non-licensed inspectors had to worry about passing an examination in order to keep their jobs.

SOLUTION:

Inspector Certification

The State of Utah approved a program designed by the state chapter of the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) to assist inspectors in passing ICBO’s national voluntary certification examinations.

DESCRIPTION:

The State of Utah passed legislation in April 1989 requiring that all building inspectors be certified in their particular area of expertise by July 1, 1993. Under this law, inspectors can obtain a state license in one of two ways:

(1) Pass a national exam in the field of licensure requested (building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical). This permits inspection of residential and commercial buildings. ICBO offers its national voluntary examination to meet this requirement.

(2) Pass a State exam, administered by a private testing agency, in the field of licensure requested (building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical). This permits residential inspections only— an option preferable to inspectors in rural areas with little or no commercial construction.

ICBO’s Utah chapter assigned Ed Domian, the submittor of this program, to design a preparatory course for the organization’s national certification exam. This course, to be held at centrally located sites around Utah, is subsidized in part by the state’s assessment of a 1% surcharge on building permit fees. Originally, the complete 4-code course took 28 months to complete, but now lasts only 12 months due to refinements.

The substance of the course involves familiarizing participants with the code book, and not simply preparing them for potential examination questions. This teaching strategy, combined with open-book tests and discussion sessions, makes the course a valuable learning experience for its participants whether or not they passed the exam. Training materials are provided by the state, and courses are offered in evenings so participants do not have to take time off from work.

SAVINGS:

• Not quantified, but reported as "substantial."

• The model increases productivity and reduces time, cost, and complexity;
• The program will help a lot of states and is a viable alternative to the Virginia Code Academy approach (see Model # 99-5);
• Could be modified for use at the Federal level if these functions were privatized;
• Could be modified for use regionally based upon a multistate compact like the IBC or if privatized;
• Could be used at the local level through a cooperative agreement with the state.

• None listed.

The Streamlining Committees designated this program as a streamlined model without modifications.

IMPLEMENTATION:

This program was implemented by ICBO, after receiving statutory accreditation of their national voluntary examination by the State Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL).

Mr. Domian designed the preparatory course based on the results of a survey that he distributed, which asked the following questions:

(1) How far would you be willing to travel to attend courses?

(2) How many courses could you attend each month?

(3) What materials should be covered?

(4) In what areas do you need certification?

These survey answers were crucial to Mr. Domian in determining the necessary curriculum and scheduling logistics, as well as to sell the program to potential participants.

The cost of the program was $14,000, which includes teaching four code courses in two locations over a twenty-eight month period and compensating instructors at $125 per day of teaching. As stated above, a state building permit surcharge of 1% was instituted to help cover some of this cost.

EVALUATION BY STREAMLINING COMMITTEES

The Education & Certification Task Group stated that this program reduces time, cost, and complexity by creating greater efficiency, uniformity, productivity, and quality of inspections. Its outstanding points include

• State funding provided to support education and certification

• Eliminates duplication of efforts within the state

• Standard legislation mandates the program

Education & Certification reviewed this program a second time to resolve some important questions. After discussing the submittor’s responses to the group’s questions, the program was advanced without modification to the Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC)