Electrical AHJ Study 2016

Non-Local Inspectors

Non-local inspectors

Third-Party Inspectors

In some jurisdictions, third-party agencies are used in place of having an in-house inspector. In some smaller towns, the municipality will contract out with a third party such as Bureau Veritas or Middle Department Inspection Agency. This is most common in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Quick stat. 674 third-party inspection agencies were identified in the study.

Use of third-party inspection agencies
Does your jurisdiction use third-party inspection agencies? [email survey]
The majority of respondents in the original email survey (90%) do not use a third-party inspection agency. Some jurisdictions (6%) will use a third-party inspection agency when an in-house inspector is either not available or when they are short-handed. There are also times when the state inspectors (3%) will step in and help with some of the local inspections. Common third-party inspection agencies that they noted using (2%) include American Inspection Agency, Middle Atlantic Inspections, or Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Services. However, most jurisdictions in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, for example,  mostly use third-party inspection agencies to perform their electrical inspections while maintaining the electrical permitting in house.

State Electrical Inspectors

State-wide electrical inspectors are be used in a variety of circumstances. In some states, such as Minnesota, the majority of electrical inspections within the state are required to be inspected by a state electrical inspector (with the exception of a few municipalities). Other states such as Alabama use state electrical inspectors for state-owned buildings only. State electrical inspectors can also be called out to inspect local inspections if called upon by a local AHJ, such as in Arkansas.

Overview of Municipality-based Inspectors in US
Overview of Municipality-based Inspectors in the United States

References

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Construction and Building Inspectors. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-and-building-inspectors.htm

Laura Hildreth
Laura L. Hildreth is the managing editor for IAEI Magazine and has worked in editorial and technical publications within the electrical industry for eighteen years, the technology industry for over twenty years, and the news industry for even longer. Her passion is encouraging communication and learning no matter what the tool. Connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/lauralhildreth.