Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment. Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states

There is one anticipated vacancyin the Town of Amherst. and the salary range is $52,652 - $73,062 annually. *Salaries may vary at other municipalities or agencies. The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill this vacancy and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.

Examples of Duties:

A Code Enforcement And Planning Officer making inspections of building construction and repair within a municipality and enforcing the provisions of local building and zoning laws and the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code;

Reviews, checks and passes on plans and specifications submitted with building permit applications for compliance with building code, the zoning ordinance and applicable laws prior to issuing permits;

Inspects buildings and structures in the process of construction or repair for compliance with approved plans and specifications and all requirements of applicable ordinances and laws, including N.Y. State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code;

Issues building permits and furnishes the prescribed certificates of occupancy upon application;

Explains the requirements of the local building code, local zoning ordinances and the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code law and other applicable laws to building contractors and to the general public;

Provides for removal of illegal or unsafe conditions and secures the necessary safeguards during construction;

Orders unsafe conditions in existing structures to be removed and arranges for condemnation notices to owners and builders of improper or hazardous structures;

Inspects existing buildings and structures to insure their conformity with safety standards and elimination of fire hazards;

May conduct investigation of source, origin, and circumstances of fires and fire prevention code;

Investigates complaints and assists in prosecuting violations of the building and fire prevention code and zoning ordinances;

Prepares reports and keeps related records and may supervise a small size staff;

Reviews planning and environmental aspects of federal and state assisted projects; problems, zoning analyses, and performs related field studies;

Tabulates land use and other data; analyzes map data and drafts reports;

Develops graphic presentation material as assigned;

Conducts field surveys of existing land use, urban renewal conditions, traffic;

Attends local planning agency meetings to describe planning proposals;

Performs research investigations including statistical analysis, library research and personal contact with other agencies;

Develops planning data from interviews with agencies or persons involved in specific projects;

Assists municipal Board and Planning Commission in establishing and implementing goals and objectives of municipality; special permit review, rezoning applications and SEQR intake committee matters are included.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

 A)     Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor's degree majoring in urban or regional planning, public administration, environmental studies, political science, sociology, municipal government, economics, geography, architecture or landscape architecture or a Bachelor's degree including a minimum of thirty-two (32) semester hours of courses directly related to the above fields; and  two (2) years of experience the building trades, engineering, code enforcement, architecture, building inspection, public health inspection, fire-fighting or fire inspection; or:

 B)     Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two (2) year college  with an Associate Degree in architectural drawing, landscape, architectural planning or closely related field, and four (4) years of experience in ............. the building trades, engineering, code enforcement, architecture, building inspection, public health inspection, fire-fighting or fire inspection; or:

 C)   An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL TRAINING** & CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT required under Section I59-A, New York State Executive Law: 434.5 Certification of Code Enforcement Personnel

a)      The N.Y. State Fire Administrator shall certify code enforcement personnel as having successfully completed one or more of the training programs set forth in this Part as follows:

Probationary and non-permanent code enforcement personnel scheduled to perform code enforcement duties an average of more than 20 hours per week shall successfully complete a certified basic training program within 18 months of initial appointment. Code enforcement personnel not appointed for probationary terms but appointed on other than a permanent basis and scheduled to perform code enforcement duties an average of between 10 and 20 hours per week shall successfully complete a certified basic training program within 24 months of initial appointment. Code enforcement personnel not appointed for probationary terms but appointed on other than a permanent basis and scheduled to perform code enforcement duties an average of less than 10 hours per week shall successfully complete a certified basic training program within 36 months of initial appointment. Training may be suspended during periods of non-service, but all periods of service shall be counted toward the fulfillment of the applicable requirement.

b)      Equivalent New York State Fire or Code Enforcement Training courses, federally-sponsored course, courses taught at an accredited college or university or courses taught by a professional society may be substituted, in whole or in part as the case may be, for the specific course requirements contained in this Part. Adequate documentation regarding course content and attendance shall be submitted to the State Fire Administrator as a prerequisite to certification.

Notes:

1. NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC OFFICER LAW REQUIRES UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.

2.  *Public Administration pertains to the management of public affairs, particularly executive functions involving the management of governmental or institutional affairs. Such functions include financial, personnel, purchasing and operations management. Human services, social services, health services or engineering is NOT considered as qualifying experience in city, county or regional planning.

3. ** A list of courses required under the minimum basic code enforcement training program is on file at the Erie County Department of Personnel. 

4. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full time experience requirements.

5. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

 Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Inspection procedures and principles

These questions test for knowledge of the appropriate practices and methods to use when inspecting various types of building facilities and projects; including proper adherence to plans and codes; dealing with residents, owners, and contractors; and inspection record keeping. 

Building construction and rehabilitation

These questions test for knowledge of the various methods and materials used when constructing or renovating various types of buildings and their components. 

Understanding and interpreting building plans and requirements

These questions test for the ability to read, analyze and perform computations based on technical drawings and written technical material related to building facilities and projects. All the information needed to answer the questions will be presented in the written material and/or drawings.  

Understanding and interpreting codes and ordinances

These questions test for the ability to read and analyze various codes and requirements. Candidates will be provided with written selections related to code provisions (mainly dealing with zoning, housing and property management issues) and will be asked questions based on those reading passages. All the information needed to answer the questions will be presented in the written selections. Candidates will not be required to have any special knowledge related to the content areas covered in the reading selections. 

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", "Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.