Code Officer

Alachua County; Gainesville (AL); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Alachua County is seeking a code enforcement officer to interpret and enforce county codes and ordinances. You will conduct compliance reviews, inspections, and issue citations for violations, while preparing notices of violation and presenting cases to the Special Magistrate or County Court.

This role requires a high school diploma and 3 years of related experience, or equivalent training, plus a Florida driver's license. A FACE Level 1 certification must be obtained within 12 months of hire.

Qualifications

• Graduation from high school or equivalent and three years codes enforcement or related experience.
• FACE Level 1 certification must be obtained within 12 months of employment.
• Valid Florida Driver License required with MVR meeting policy.

Responsibilities

• Interpret and enforce Alachua County codes and ordinances.
• Conduct compliance reviews and inspections and issue citations.
• Prepare notices of violation and present cases to Special Magistrate or County Court.
• Maintain detailed case files and periodic statistics reports.
• Coordinate inspections of illegal dumping and respond to citizen inquiries.

Skills

Code enforcement knowledge

Inspection procedures

Written and oral communication

Tools

Code enforcement software

Job description

Summary

Graduation from high school or equivalent and three years codes enforcement or related experience; or any equivalent combination of related training and experience. Applicants within six months of meeting the minimum education/experience requirement may be considered for trainee status.
Level 1 certification by the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE) must be obtained within 12 months of employment in this classification.
A Valid Florida Driver License is required and a Motor Vehicle Record that meets the requirements of Alachua County policy #6-7; Motor Vehicle Records will be reviewed prior to employment. If, in the past 24-month period, the applicants Motor Vehicle Record has more than three (3) moving traffic infractions or three (3) or more at fault motor vehicle accidents (or combination of both and /or a conviction/pending charge for driving under the influence) or is in violation of any standard mandated by Federal or State Law or Regulation, the minimum qualifications are not met for the position.

Successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen & physical examination and successful completion of all applicable background checks pre-hire and ongoing are required.

Examples of duties

This is independent, specialized technical work in the field, involving the interpretation and enforcement of the Alachua County codes ordinances.
An employee assigned to this classification may be directed to support the enforcement of ordinances generally associated with other divisions or departments and is responsible for conducting various compliance reviews and inspections, reporting violations, and issuing citations.
Work is performed under the direction of a higher- level supervisor and is reviewed through conferences, reports, and observation of results obtained.

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

This is an emergency essential classification. Upon declaration of a disaster and/or emergency, all employees in this classification are required to work.

Exudes a positive customer service focus.

Advocates building organizational culture through aligning decisions with the County's core values.
Investigates citizen complaints and/or requests related to standard housing, zoning, land development, refuse, recycling, yard trash and illegal dumping.
Prepares notices of violation to be sent to violators after inspection; communicates with alleged violators regarding complaints, the process he/she will be involved in and the resolution to the violation.
May issue citations for enforcement and violations through both administrative and court actions.
Initiates follow-up actions and contact with violator to ensure compliance with code. Notifies supervisor when it appears that no compliance progress is attempted.
Prepares and maintains detailed files of ongoing cases.
Prepares and presents information to the Special Magistrate regarding alleged violations; provides date of incident, photographs, and written statements from witnesses, etc.
Prepares monthly summary report of actions including notice of violations, affidavits from inspections, results of compliance or noncompliance and hearing requests for Special Magistrate.
Remains current on adoption of new State statutes and County code, ordinances, and regulations.
Reports statistics on inspection activity.
Coordinates inspections of illegal dumping activity.
Responds to inquiries from citizens to discuss code complaints and interpretation of ordinances and regulations.
Inspects sites for other county offices to determine the status of a parcel, whether it contains dwellings and/or the presence/size of solid waste containers.
Drives a County and/or personal vehicle to perform required duties.

Performs the duties listed, as well as those assigned, with professionalism and a sense of urgency.
NOTE: These examples are intended only as illustrations of the various kinds of work performed in positions allocated to this class. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Thorough knowledge of County ordinances, policies and procedures.
• Thorough knowledge of procedures of code enforcement inspection.
• Knowledge of regulations pertaining to solid waste, recycling, yard trash collection, and illegal dumping for residential and commercial properties.
• Considerable knowledge of County-wide geographic area.

Abilities

• Ability to utilize code enforcement software to prepare notices of violations.
• Ability to prepare and to present code enforcement cases to the Special Magistrate or County Court.
• Ability to read and comprehend maps, plats, and aerial photographs.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to deal courteously and tactfully with the general public both in person and over the phone.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers and the general public.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear, and use hands to finger, handle or feel. The employee is frequently required to walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; bend, squat, and twist, reach with hands and arms and smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and outdoor weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet, humid conditions (non-weather); work near moving mechanical parts; work in high, precarious places; risk of electrical shock, and vibration.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.