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.  

At present there is one vacancy in the Town of Clarence, the salary is $22.00 per hour. 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 Zoning Inspector makes inspections of plans and premises for conformance with planning and/or zoning regulations;

Explains and interprets planning and/or zoning regulations to contractors and the general public;

Examines plot and subdivision plans and applications;

Inspects land and buildings to determine compliance with planning and/or zoning regulations;

Grants and denies certificates of conformance with zoning regulations;

Keeps records of applications and inspections and certificates granted;

Collects fees.

Qualifications:

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

A. Graduation from a standard senior high school (or possession of a high school equivalency diploma) and five years of experience in assessing of real property; building inspection, building contracting or construction, community planning or civil engineering work; or

B. Graduation from a recognized college or university with a Bachelor's degree and one year of experience in assessing of real property; building inspection, building contracting or construction, community planning or civil engineering work; or

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

Notes:

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

2. 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 'General Guide to Written Tests' 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.

Zoning inspection principles, related laws and codes, and site plan interpretation

These questions test for knowledge of the concepts, terminology, and procedures used in real property and zoning inspection, including related legal documents, and for the ability to read, analyze, and perform computations based on real property and site drawings and on real property and zoning-related written presentations.

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.

Site plan review and landscape design

These questions test for knowledge of the concepts, procedures, and materials related to property development requirements and building exterior and landscape design features, and may include questions involving sidewalks, parking, soils, and plantings, including related computations and estimates.

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.