Code Enforcement Training & Certification

CEO Certification

A new code enforcement officer must demonstrate competence through written examinations. The exams test an applicant’s knowledge of a specific area of code enforcement specialization including: shoreland zoning, land use planning, building standards, internal plumbing, subsurface wastewater, and legal issues. An applicant must successfully complete the special area exam for each of the codes that they are appointed to administer and the legal issues exam. The specific exams required are based on the applicant’s job description. Exams are offered at least once a year and are free of charge for the first three attempts.

TPI Certification

A third-party inspector (TPI) is a person certified by the State Planning Office who can inspect buildings and issue a building inspection report indicating whether construction meets Maine’s Uniform Building and Energy Code. TPIs may be hired by municipalities to perform inspections in lieu of the municipal building official. Alternately, TPIs may be hired directly by the building owner. In accordance with 25 MRSA section 2371, a third-party inspector may not be appointed as a building official. To be certified a TPI must take the basic training provided by the State Planning Office and pass an examination in each code of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) for which the TPI is hired to perform inspections: residential building code, commercial building code, residential energy code, commercial building code, indoor residential ventilation code, indoor commercial ventilation code, and residential radon code.

View the list of Certified Third-Party Inspectors