Building Inspector I/II

About The Position

The County of Riverside's Transportation & Land Management Agency (TLMA) – Building & Safety Department is seeking motivated, knowledgeable, and customer-focused Building Inspectors to join our team across multiple regional offices. These positions perform complex residential and commercial building inspections to ensure compliance with state and local codes, ordinances, and regulations.

Competitive Candidates At All Levels Will Demonstrate

• Hands-on experience conducting field inspections for residential and commercial projects
• Knowledge of construction methods, materials, safety requirements, and state/local building codes
• Experience overseeing construction projects through all phases — foundation, framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and final occupancy inspections
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with contractors, property owners, developers, and the public
• A commitment to excellence, accuracy, and timely service delivery

These roles offer the opportunity to contribute directly to community safety, support responsible development, and ensure high-quality building practices throughout Riverside County.

Pay

• Building Inspector I: $34.69 - $46.55 hourly
• Building Inspector II: $40.85 - $54.85 hourly

Examples Of Essential Duties

Building Inspector I

• Assist the public in completing applications for building permits; receive building plans for plan checks and provide necessary procedures, forms, and information.
• Learn to determine whether proposed structures conform to accepted standards regarding type of construction, specified construction materials, occupancy, building location, and appropriate land use requirements; input data into the permit tracking and financial software programs according to established procedures.
• Provide public information over the counter and by telephone concerning the issuance and fee schedule for building and water quality permits.
• Make field inspections of simple structures under the direct supervision of a qualified building inspector; with experience and proficiency, check non-technical building plans, collect fees, issue permits, and perform field inspection work under less close supervision.
• Attend in-service training classes covering all phases of plan check and building inspection work; confer regularly with supervisory staff concerning training needs and progress.

Building Inspector II

• Inspect buildings and structures being built, altered, moved, or rehabilitated for compliance to building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and accessibility, and mobile home codes, regulations, and ordinances; inspect work at each of the required stages of completion and indicate corrective action if necessary.
• Review plans for compliance to building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and accessibility, and mobile home codes, regulations, and ordinances; determine whether proposed structures conform to accepted standards regarding type of construction, specified construction materials, occupancy, building location, and appropriate land use requirements.
• Receive permit applications and issue permits at the public counter; coordinate with other permitting agencies; input data into the permit tracking and financial software programs according to established procedures.
• Conduct initial and follow-up inspections/investigations pertaining to environmental enforcement, including, but not limited to, water quality, habitat conservation, grading inspections, or code violations.
• Explain regulations to builders, contractors, property owners, and the general public regarding necessary plans and information needed for the issuance of permits; attend continuing education classes as required.
• Route scheduled inspections and enter inspection requests and results into laptop/tablet; print inspection corrections for the builder; enter detailed time and labor data into the automated information system on a daily basis.

Minimum Qualifications

All Levels

• Education: Graduation from high school, possession of a Certificate of Proficiency issued by the California State Board of Education or attainment of a satisfactory score on a G.E.D. test.
• Driver's License: Possession of a valid California Driver's License may be required.

Building Inspector I

Option I

• Experience: 6 months to 1 year as a permit technician, framing, constructions with the County of Riverside.
• AND Valid International Code Council (ICC) B1: Residential Inspector or B2: Commercial Inspector certification.

Option II

• Experience: One year of performing building or construction related work or inspection (College level course work in building construction, inspection technology, engineering, architecture, or a closely related field to the assignment may substitute for up to one year of the required experience on the basis of 30 semester/45 quarter units equaling one year of experience.)
• AND Valid International Code Council (ICC) B1: Residential Inspector or B2: Commercial Inspector certification.

Building Inspector II

Option I

• Experience: One year as a Building Inspector I with the County of Riverside.
• AND Valid International Code Council (ICC) B5: Building Inspector [Prerequisites: B1: Residential Building Inspector and B2: Commercial Building Inspector].

Option II

• Experience: Two years of experience performing building inspection, grading inspection, plans examining, civil engineering, architecture, or environmental enforcement experience. (College level course work in building construction, inspection technology, engineering, architecture, or a closely related field to the assignment may substitute for up to one year of the required experience on the basis of 30 semester/45 quarter units equaling one year of experience.)
• AND Valid International Code Council (ICC) B5: Building Inspector [Prerequisites: B1: Residential Building Inspector and B2: Commercial Building Inspector] Plumbing Inspector and P2: Commercial Plumbing Inspector] certification.

Knowledge & Abilities

Building Inspector I

Knowledge Of: Building and grading codes and regulations, modern building materials, terminology, and practices; the principles of environmental enforcement inspection procedures and methods; permit tracking, financial and word processing software programs.

Ability To: Read and interpret building and grading plans and specifications; read, understand and interpret complex, technical written material; analyze, interpret and accurately review water quality permits and best management practices; make inspections, enforce regulations and detect substandard materials and workmanship; deal tactfully and effectively with builders, contractors and the general public; make accurate data entries and use automated inspection and time labor information using a personal computer.

Building Inspector II

Knowledge Of: Building and grading codes and regulations, modern building materials, terminology, and practices; the principles of environmental enforcement inspection procedures and methods; permit tracking, financial and word processing software programs.

Ability To: Read and interpret building and grading plans and specifications; read, understand and interpret complex, technical written material; analyze, interpret and accurately review water quality permits and best management practices; make inspections, enforce regulations and detect substandard materials and workmanship; deal tactfully and effectively with builders, contractors and the general public; make accurate data entries and use automated inspection and time labor information using a personal computer.

Supplemental Information

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Angela Tavaglione at atavaglione@rivco.org or (951) 966-3590. Please allow 1-2 business days for response.

Veteran's Preference: The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, attach the required documents to your job application. Documents include a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service. For spousal preference, and as applicable, the following documents: a copy of your marriage certificate, spouse's death certificate, a letter of spouse's disability and/or letter of service-related death (if available) from the U.S. Veteran's Administration. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. For complete details and documentation requirements, please review the Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 here: https://rivcocob.org/board-policies

Reasonable Accommodations: The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: https://rc-hr.com/disability

Work Location and Telework: In-person attendance is the standard work expectation for County of Riverside assignments. Certain assignments may be eligible for a hybrid telework schedule; however, telework arrangements are subject to management approval, operational needs, and/or may be modified or discontinued at any time. Employees who telework are expected to be able to report to their assigned worksite on short notice or as operational needs require. Unless otherwise specified for a particular position, employees are expected to reside in California following appointment. Limited exceptions may apply. Applicants should contact the assigned recruiter for additional information regarding work location expectations, telework eligibility, and residency requirements.

Proof of Education: If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted. If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE).

Work Authorization Requirement: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. The County of Riverside does not participate in visa sponsorship programs, including H1-B visas, and will not provide sponsorship for any employment-based visas.