Building departments across the country are dealing with more turnover than normal. According to a joint study by the International Code Council and the National Institute of Building Sciences, 80% of the existing building safety workforce is expected to retire within a 15-year window.
That's not just a headcount problem. The people leaving are taking decades of experience, hard-won relationships, and the day-to-day know-how that keeps a department running smoothly.
Let's look at where that loss shows up first and what you can do to stay ahead of it.
Where the retirement wave hits building departments hardest
Senior inspectors
Senior inspectors are the ones who take on the biggest, most complicated projects. They know how to read a situation on-site, make the right call, and keep things moving. When they retire, newer staff can step in, but they need more time and more support before they're making those same calls confidently on their own.
Plan review
Experienced plan reviewers know the codes well enough to spot problems early and keep reviews on track. When that experience leaves, reviews take longer, more rounds of corrections come back, and projects slow down.
Institutional memory
Every department has things that were never written down anywhere:
- Who to call when something unusual comes up
- How certain situations are usually handled
-
The history behind a property or neighborhood
That knowledge lives in the people who've been there for years. When they leave, it's gone.
This isn't normal turnover
Normal turnover is manageable. Someone leaves, the role gets filled, and the department moves forward.
What’s happening now is different. Inspectors, plan reviewers, and building officials who entered the field around the same time are reaching retirement age together. In many departments, there isn’t a strong bench behind them ready to step in.
When someone retires in that environment, you’re not just filling a vacancy. You’re replacing:
- Judgment built over decades
- Relationships with contractors, engineers, and internal teams
- Context for how and why decisions have been made
- The small daily choices that keep permits and inspections moving
What happens when there's no succession plan
When departments wait until someone gives notice, the impact shows up fast and in very visible ways.
Here’s where the strain shows up first:
- Inspections slowing down, especially next‑day requests
- Plan review taking longer as fewer experienced reviewers handle more work
- More permit counter mistakes, like missing documents or fees
- Residents feeling delays quickly, especially during busy seasons
Hiring for technical roles already takes time. Starting the search after someone leaves almost always means months of strain on the rest of the team.
How departments are keeping work moving as staff retire
Across the country, building departments are taking a few grounded, practical steps to keep work moving while retirements increase.
1. Cross-training and mentoring before staff leave
The best time to transfer knowledge is while long‑time staff are still in the building. Many departments are pairing newer staff with veterans through ride‑alongs, shared reviews, and working side by side. It’s how newer staff learn the things that were never written down anywhere.
2. Updating job requirements
Some departments realized their requirements were too strict. Strong candidates were getting screened out because they didn’t have every certification yet. Opening the door to people with the right potential brings in a wider, stronger group of applicants.
3. Bringing retirees back part-time
Many retirees are willing to return part‑time, especially for plan review. It keeps their experience available while full‑time hiring continues, and it gives new staff a smoother ramp‑up period.
4. Supplemental staff to cover the gap
Finding the right permanent hire takes time. Contract staffing keeps inspections and plan review moving in the meantime, so residents don’t feel the slowdown and the rest of the team isn’t carrying extra workload while the search plays out.
How to start succession planning in your building department
Departments that stay ahead of retirements usually start planning earlier than they think they need to. 
To avoid future backlogs, try:
- Checking in with senior staff about their timelines
- Keeping HR involved in recruiting even when you’re fully staffed
- Reviewing job postings so they reflect what the role actually needs today
- Building familiarity with the candidate pool before a vacancy opens
Early planning means fewer surprises and a smoother transition when someone retires.
Hear from a building official who's seen it firsthand
Our on-demand webinar, Staffing Continuity Strategies for Building Departments, walks through what changes when long-time staff retire and what your team can do now to stay ahead of it. It's a practical conversation with a building official who has spent 25 years helping departments navigate these transitions every day.
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