Residence Requirements:

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 vacancy each in the Town of Grand Island, Town of Hamburg and Village of Kenmore.  *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.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Code Enforcement Officer makes inspections of building construction and repair within a municipality and enforcing the provisions of local building and zoning laws, and under the general direction of the municipal legislative body or administrative officer, is responsible for enforcing state and municipal standards for the construction of all buildings and equipment therein, including standards for materials used and for safety and sanitary conditions;

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 of all requirements of applicable ordinances and laws, including New York 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-sized staff.

Qualifications:

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

A. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two or four year college or university with an Associate's degree in engineering, construction, fire protection, architectural technology, or related field; or:

B. Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and two years of experience in the building trades, engineering, 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 REOUIREMENT required under Section I59-A, New York State Executive Law: 434.5 Certification of Code Enforcement Personne1- The New York 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.

Notes:

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

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. 3. 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:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Building, housing and zoning laws and codes

These questions test for knowledge of, and the ability to apply, provisions of the Building and Residential Codes of New York State (and the portions of other codes applicable to these two codes), and the general concepts of zoning, including related laws and regulations.

5. Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  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.