The International Code Council (ICC) is a U.S.-based membership association. ICC is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures in the built environment.
ICC inspectors are qualified individuals who provide continuous on-the-job inspection and support public safety by ensuring buildings are constructed in accordance with approved plans and specifications.
ICC certification is an internationally recognized certification that allows you to work worldwide. ICC certification will give you the opportunity to advance your career or enter a new field and earn top wages. Having multiple ICC certifications will make you more marketable, professionally recognized, and allow you to increase your wages.
ICC certifications are valid for three years. Certificates must be renewed on or before the expiration date (when they become inactive) to be current.
To renew your certifications, you must first earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by participating in continuing education and professional development activities, including taking courses offered by OIC. You can accrue CEUs to meet the renewal acquirement within your three-year renewal period. For more information about certification renewal, please refer to the ICC website.
ICC Memberships are available for a grace period of 90 days past the expiration date. During this time, simply log in to your myICC page and pay your invoice. After the grace period, you’ll need to reinstate your membership. Please refer to the ICC Reinstatement forms for more information.
If your certifications have been expired for less than 6 years, you can still renew them on your myICC account. If your certifications have been expired for more than 6 years, you can reinstate the certifications without the need to re-test for a fee. Log in to your myICC account to reinstate. Please refer to the ICC website for the current fees and required CEUs.
Follow the instructions for recovering your password on the ICC website.
Visit the ICC website to find contact information for various ICC departments.
Candidates must pass exams and hold a current certification in the prerequisite categories listed below and meet applicable requirements for the corresponding designation.
Please refer to the ICC site for more information.
ICC certifications show employers that you have a working knowledge of the code and have passed the very difficult ICC exam covering that specific area of construction. ICC provides certifications for both residential and commercial construction as well as plan inspectors and structural inspection and beyond.
Having ICC certification can allow you to work as an employee for the city, county, a private inspection company, a third party inspection company, a quality control company, or a lab. ICC certified inspectors can also work as independent contractors.
A deputy inspector and a special inspector are the same.
Regular inspectors typically work for the City and County Building Departments. Jobs range from residential inspections to commercial construction. Special inspectors work on larger commercial construction projects including buildings, dams, bridges, and highways.
As an independent contractor you have the flexibility to work full- or part-time and pick and choose the jobs you want to take on. Basically, it is like owning your own business. You also have the ability to bill at the standard minimum of 4 or 8 hours. If the inspection takes less than 4 hours, you can bill for 4 hours. If it takes between 4 – 8 hours, you can typically bill at 8 hours.
As an employee, you have the potential to receive various benefits such as health benefits, a retirement plan, holiday pay, and sick leave. Salaried employees have a stable income and a somewhat structured environment. You are assigned to various jobs daily as needed.
How much you make as an inspector will vary based on factors like your location, experience, employer, and more. On average, a starting salaried position for an inspector in most areas ranges from $50K to $70K per year. With multiple ICC certifications and experience, $100K is not out of the realm of possibility. Average salaries for sub-contracted inspectors start around $30/hour and can range up to $50/hour, again depending on location, experience, and number of ICC certifications.
The best ICC certifications to get are Reinforced Concrete or Building Inspector. Reinforced concrete inspectors are highly sought after by private inspection companies and labs and this is one of the highest paid positions. The Reinforced Concerete Inspector certification is considered a good base to build onto later with Bolting and Welding certification. Many people also pursue Building Inspector certification because it is required to be considered for a job with the city or county.
The ICC codebooks and reference materials are very complex and cover a lot of information. This makes it very challenging to locate the answers within the allotted exam time. Our ICC exam prep courses will help you efficiently navigate through the material so that you can easily find the answers needed in the time given.
The staff at Online Inspector Certifications (OIC) has over 25 years of inspection experience and 15 years of education experience in the construction industry. Our self-paced online courses feature clear, easy-to-follow ICC study guides and practice exams that are continously updated to reflect the most current inspection exam questions. We are experts at preparing you to pass your ICC exam and get ICC certified, and our students have a 95% first time exam pass rate.
Please refer to the ICC exam catalog. Please note the different code years on some exams.
Price varies based on the books needed and by course. Please refer to the ICC Code books ,ASTM Standards, AWS , and PTI.
On average, our online ICC exam prep and continuing education courses take about 40 hours to finish. Except for GR & Fireproofing. These courses take about 20 hours and 30 hours. The time varies from person to person based on their experience and knowledge.
All of our online courses will be available for 120 days except for Spray-Applied Fireproofing Special Inspector course, which will be available for 90 days. GR will be available for 60 days.
For a fee, you can extend your online course for an additional 30, 45, or 60 days.
To become fully certified all certifications require the Special Inspector General Requirements certification.
Reinforced Concrete Certification also requires a current valid ACI Field Tech 1 certification and meet education and/or work experience. Please refer to the ICC website for more information or download a Reinforced Concrete Special Inspector application.
Prestressed Concrete Certification also requires the Reinforced Concrete Certification. Please refer to the ICC website for more information.
Structural Welding also requires the Structural Steel and Bolting Certification. Please refer to the ICC website for more information.
You have the ability to login from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. However, you can only login to one device at a time.
Depending on which ICC exam you plan to take, the topics will differ. For detailed information, please refer to the ICC website to read about the type of ICC certification that interests you.
ICC exam questions are presented in a 4-answer, multiple choice format with only 1 correct answer.
While most ICC exams are open book exams, you are only allowed to use approved reference guides during the exam. Refer to the ICC exam catalog to get a list of approved references by course.
Photocopies of copyrighted materials are not allowed.
A passing score is the score set by the ICC and/with the Exam Development Committee (EDC) as the minimum score needed to pass the exam. This score is technically called a scale score and is set as 75 for the National Certification exams.
You will have 6 exam attempts within a 6-month period. Once you have attempted an ICC exam 6 times, you must wait 6 months from the first attempt to register again.
No work experience is needed. Everyone 18 and older is eligible to take the ICC Inspector Certification exam.
You will receive the results immediately upon completion of the exam.
You must provide a government-issued photo identification (e.g. drivers license, passport) with the same legal first name and last name as your exam record. Your ID must not be expired and must have a signature.
The ICC provides a list of what materials are allowed during the PRONTO exam.
Pronto 101 provides information about the system, along with a sample quiz.
There is also a Special Inspector Plans Exercise available. Highly recommend you review several times.
Both exams are free of charge.
The practice exams in OIC’s courses will also give you a good preview of what to expect on your ICC exam.
You’ll have multiple ways to get technical support with our proctoring service for PRONTO called ProctorU 24/7, 365 days a year. Below is their contact information:
Phone: 1-855-772-8678, Option 1
Text Support Prior to connection time: send a ticket for support
Text Support During connection time: You will have Live Chat support available
Hours of Operation: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
No, the allotted time for your exam does not begin until the exam has been unlocked by your proctor.
You may take a 5 minute bathroom break at any time during the exam. Please note the time clock will continue to run during the break. Upon return, an additional desk scan will be required before continuing the exam. If the break exceeds the 5 minute mark, the Proctor will terminate the exam.
Please refer to the ProctorU website for information on how to uninstall ProctorU software.
Refer to this link for what to expect on exam day.
If you already have a current Special Inspector certification, you do not need to take the GR exam.
No. The General Requirement exam is a one-time requirement.
No. You can take the exams in any order you wish.
You have 18 months to pass all necessary modules and prerequisites to achieve the special inspector certification. You don’t have to take it any particular order.
Yes, prior to the start of your exam, there is a tutorial that will provide instructions on using the various functions, such as how to zoom in and out, open and close exhibits, how to scroll using the scroll bars.
Exams are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Schedule up to 45 minutes in advance, but it is dependent on the availability of a proctor.
You’ll have multiple ways to get technical support with ICC’s proctoring service for PRONTO called ProctorU 24/7, 365 days a year.
Below is their contact information:
Phone: 1-855-772-8678, Option 1
Text Support Prior to connection time: send a ticket for support
Text Support During connection time: You will have Live Chat support available
Hours of Operation: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Contact ICC at cu*************@ic*****.org .
Please refer to the instructions for cancelling or withdrawing from the exam on the ICC website.
You will need to purchase the exam first and then schedule your exam.
Please refer to the How to Book a PRONTO Exam.
Please refer to the Proctor U equipment requirements.
Windows 10S mode is not supported
You can only use the Guardian Browser for the exam. Make sure you download the browser prior to the start of the exam.
Yes you can. Refer to equipment requirements.
Yes, you can, but a strong and stable internet connection to support screen sharing and remote proctoring software is required. Wired connection is recommended. Please refer to the ProctorU website for information on internet connection.
No, you can not. If you have more than one monitor, you will need to disconnect all but one.
However, testing enhancements are in progress to allow for this functionality. Please refer to the ICC site for the most up to date information.
