Training

The Maine Office of State Fire Marshal offers a basic training program designed to provide information needed for certification and to help new code enforcement officers and local plumbing inspectors understand statutory requirements. Check the Training Calendar to see the workshops currently being offered.

Training is free for individuals holding appointment as a municipal code enforcement officer or local plumbing inspector. Workshop space is reserved first for new CEOs working off their grace period, then recertifying CEOs, then others. The basic program of training includes:

  1. Shoreland Zoning – covers applicable state laws, state shoreland zoning guidelines, wetlands identification and delineation techniques, review and permitting, report procedure, and inspection, and enforcement techniques.
  2. Land Use Planning – covers applicable local, state, and federal land use regulations, zoning, municipal planning board and appeals board procedures, floodplain management, state subdivision law, site plan review, review and permitting, report procedure, and inspection and enforcement techniques.
  3. Internal Plumbing – covers State of Maine Plumbing Code, applicable laws, plumbing practices, application review and permitting report procedure, and inspection and enforcement techniques.
  4. Subsurface Wastewater Disposal (also referred to as External Plumbing) – covers State of Maine Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rule, applicable laws, soils and site evaluation, review and permitting, report procedure and inspection and enforcement techniques.
  5. Building Standards – consists of the seven (7) individual codes within the building standards specific area: residential building code, commercial building code, residential energy code, commercial energy code, indoor residential ventilation code, indoor commercial ventilation code, and residential radon code. Each covers the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, code purposes and organization, applicable state laws, review and permitting, report procedure, occupancy approval requirements, inspection and enforcement techniques. Each area is its own certification consisting of exam and training. CEOs have to only be certified in the area that they are to enforce.
  6. Legal Issues – covers legal authority of a code enforcement officer, applicable laws and rules, structure and practice of the municipal code enforcement office, municipal planning board and appeals board procedures, application review and permitting procedures, inspection procedures, and enforcement techniques.

We also regularly post links to training sessions sponsored by other agencies and professional groups for which CEOs/LPIs can get recertification credits, and may be found on the Calendar. Please note some of these trainings are not sponsored by this office, so be sure to register with the appropriate training sponsor. To receive credit for these trainings you will need to submit the Applications for Credit for Outside Training.

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 Department of Public Safety, Office of State Fire Marshal 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 Department of Public Safety, Office of State Fire Marshal 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 energy code, indoor residential ventilation code, indoor commercial ventilation code, and residential radon code.

To search for Certified Third-Party Inspectors, click here. Use "Show Additional Search Options" to specify Third-Party Inspectors.