Plans Examiner

All current City of Sarasota employees must apply to job postings on the internal career site.

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NOTE: The City of Sarasota is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Veteran, E-Verify and Drug Free Workplace employer. Click to view the City's Veterans Recruitment Plan. Click to view a the City's Educational Equivalency Statement.

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Job Description:

Overview

To perform routine technical work ensuring compliance with City ordinances and regulations governing the review of building plans, site designs, and architectural designs. To inform the public on interpretations of the code and changes in the code.

Essential Functions

• Performs detailed examination of building plans and specifications for conformance with pertinent codes, laws, and/or ordinances.

• Coordinates plan and specification reviews to ensure timely response and adequate feedback to applicant.

• Informs applicant of necessary additional information, drawings, etc., and on status of plans.

• Makes suggestions for corrections of defects or inadequacies found in structural soundness and requires corrections to be made to meet the requirements of pertinent City codes and engineering standards.

• Makes technical inspection of buildings in the course of construction, alteration and repairs.

• Performs office work relative to the keeping of records, receiving of inspections request, and reviewing of blueprints, site plans, and architectural designs.

• Issues notices for corrections when necessary and confers with the contractor or owner regarding changes needed to bring the permitted project or existing deficiency into compliance.

• The intent of this class description is to provide a representative summary of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of classifications given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Incumbent may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this job description.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's degree from an accredited college or university in structural, civil, or mechanical engineering or related field,

• Two (2) years of construction experience,

• Or the equivalent in education, training, and experience, which would provide the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities,

• Hold or obtain a Plans Examination provisional certificate within 90 days of employment,

• Hold or obtain a state certificate within 12 months of employment,

• Possession of and ability to maintain a valid State of Florida Driver's License is required.

Job Based Competencies

• General knowledge of mechanical and structural engineering practices as applied to the construction and inspection of houses, apartments and commercial and industrial buildings.

• General knowledge of building codes, fire prevention and life safety codes and zoning ordinances.

• Ability to explain the City's policies, rules and regulations, codes and ordinances pertaining to building and construction.

• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, site plans, and architectural designs, and ensure compliance with appropriate codes and ordinances.

• Ability to understand and interpret fire prevention and life safety codes, building codes, state statues, local ordinances, plans, and specifications.

• Ability to enforce fire prevention codes, building codes and City ordinances with firmness, impartiality and tact.

• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with contractors, architects, public officials, the general public, and associates.

• Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations with tact and diplomacy.

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Responsibility

Under the direction of and responsible to the Department Head or designated representative. Usually no supervisory responsibilities. However, may direct other employees on special projects.

Physical Requirements

This is light work requiring exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and up to 10 pounds of force frequently. Position requires considerable physical activity including walking, lifting, reaching, stooping, pulling, grasping, balancing, climbing, kneeling, standing, and crouching. Incumbent is subject to inside and outside activities with no effective protection from weather changes and changes in atmospheric conditions. Visual acuity is required to inspect buildings, site plans, and architectural designs and blueprints for code violations. Also for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written and computer files. Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and word processing equipment is required.

Public Contact

This position requires constant public contact. The incumbent acts as a City and Department representative to the public. Must have the ability to communicate well while discussing, explaining or interpreting building codes, fire and life safety codes, ordinances and laws to the to the public.

Retirement Benefit

The City of Sarasota made the transition to become a Florida Retirement System (FRS) employer effective December 1, 2021. To learn more about what this benefit may mean for you, please visit Please note that if you are hired to work for the City of Sarasota as an FRS employer, you will be asked to complete a form to certify your FRS status, as there may be an impact to any FRS benefit you are already receiving.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Jake Brown our ADA Coordinator. Jake can be reached via email at  or via phone at

For questions pertaining to general employment or job application status, please call , or email