Code Officials Retiring in Record Numbers

A recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) in conjunction with the International Code Council (ICC) found that 31 percent of code officials in the U.S. plan to retire by 2019 – and an additional 51 percent will retire in the next 15 years.

The survey also shows that, unfortunately, there aren’t enough young people entering the building inspection field to offset these losses. To draw more people to this career path, the ICC has come up with a few possible solutions. In the coming years, the member-focused organization plans to gain exposure in communities by participating in internship and mentoring programs as well as developing new materials that explain how the role of a code official impacts economic development.

Although the code official is currently a declining profession, it is not one that the building industry can afford to lose. Because the ICC puts out a new International Building Code every three years, it’s imperative that there is a group of building safety professionals tasked with keeping up with the evolving code requirements, and ensuring that architects, engineers, and builders are creating safe, sustainable, and resilient structures.

LP is and will continue to be committed to producing products designed to efficiently help the industry meet building codes and reduce complexity for builders, architects, engineers and code officials.