Certification

There are four modules currently available: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Supervisory. The Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Certifications can be obtained in two ways. You can either provide proof of successful completion of an Academy or by examination.

Certification Dates and Locations.

Certification by Examination

Each module (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced) has a specific examination. The Basic Certification examination has 200 questions concerning 14 subject areas. The Intermediate examination contains 240 question concerning 16 subject areas. The Advanced examination contains 275 questions in 17 subject areas. Each examination is timed and is designed to test your knowledge of the subject areas. The examination process allows open book and open note. As is the case with any timed open book exam, the time allotted for research is limited. A study guide titled the California Code Enforcement Sourceguide has been published. The study guide is available through LawTech Publishing (www.LawTechPublishing.com). All the information needed to pass the exam is contained in the 300 pages of the reference text. You are invited to expand you knowledge by reading the text in the reference section.

Currently no examination is available for the Supervisory Certificate. The Supervisory certification is being revised and expanded to 40 hours of class room training. However, CACEO is currently developing a curriculum to be presented to several colleges and universities that will provide a bachelors degree in Public Administration with a certificate in Code Enforcement.

Certification Exam Requirements

CACEO will be offering experienced individuals that have worked in the construction industry and/or law enforcement industry the opportunity to bypass the formal training requirement of the Academy modules by taking the Certification Examination.

The Certification Exam has been historically offered and will continue to be available at the Annual Seminar. Additional exam sites will be offered as demand dictates. A minimum of 15 examinees are necessary to schedule a certification exam.

Prerequisites for receiving the certification are as follows:
  1. Passing grade on the examination.
  2. Successful completion of a post certified PC 832 course.
  3. Provide documentation of previous experience:
    • To bypass the Basic module – minimum of two years requisite experience
    • To bypass the Intermediate module – three to five years’ experience (subject to review by Education Committee)

Certification Exam Fees: $110 exam fee, $40 study guide fee (to be purchased separately through www.lawtechpublishing.com)

To Register: Please download and fill out the application, and submit it to the CACEO office for approval.

2010 Certification Exam Dates and Locations.

To register for a Certification Exam, please contact the CACEO office at 916-492-CACE(2223).

Academy Certification

You can obtain certification by attending one of the regional training Academies. The Colleges offering the curriculum are American River College, Sacramento; College of the Sequoias, Visalia; Rio Hondo College, Whittier and Rancho Santiago College, Orange.

Completion of each module of the training academy will enable members to obtain certification from CACEO with written documentation (a signed Certificate of Completion or college transcript) from the designated school; i.e.:

  • CACEO Basic Code Enforcement Certificate
  • CACEO Basic and Intermediate Certificate
  • CACEO Advanced Certified Code Enforcement Officer
  • CACEO Supervisory Certification

Certifications will be issued by providing proof of completion and paying a processing fee. Certifications are issued from the CACEO Corporate Office located at 1215 “K” Street, Ste 2290, Sacramento, CA 95814. The fee required for issuance of each certification from CACEO will be sixty ($60.00) dollars per module.

A Note about Certifications

Knowledge certification by nature is a process where a person has demonstrated a working knowledge of a specific subject at a point in time. As time goes on, memory fades, case law changes, new construction materials are produced, product installation requirements are updated, and codes change. For these reasons the acquisition of certification updates are desirable and necessary.

Certification Renewal

Certification renewal (or update) as a Certified Code Enforcement Officer is required to be obtained every three years. (Basic and Intermediate certifications do not require renewal.) Renewal will be issued with a fee of one hundred twenty-five ($125) dollars and the requirement of providing documentation of attendance at a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours of ongoing Continuing Education every three (3) years, starting with 2007. The first date of renewal will be December 31, 2010 for all who have received certifications in 2007.

Certified Code Enforcement Officer Renewal Form

If you completed the required training for a certification, and/or had previously requested a certification, please compile and forward copies of all documents, including any payments for certification, to CACEO (1215 K Street Ste. 2290, Sacramento, CA 95814). Please contact American River College or Rio Hondo College for copies of your transcripts if you attended those schools for the code enforcement training.

Reference Texts

  1. California Criminal Law and Evidence / Pc 832 Sourcebook (2009); LawTech Publishing, (www.LawTechPublishing.com)
  2. Mike Mangiaracina, Courtroom Testimony; Lawtech Publishing (www.LawTechPublishing.com)
  3. Carol Hawks & Jean Goodall, Crime Scene Documentation; Lawtech Publishing, (www.LawTechPublishing.com)
  4. Randal Davis, Evidence Collection & Presentation; Lawtech Publishing, (www.LawTechPublishing.com)
  5. Douglas Hansen, Redwood Kardon, Paddy Morrissey, Code Check Building For California; Taunton Publishing (www.CodeCheck.com)
  6. International Residential Code –Study Companion; International Code Council
  7. Cecily T. Talbert, California Land Planning and Planning Law; Solano Press
  8. International Property Maintenance Code 2006; International Code Council
  9. Uniform Housing Code 1997 edition; International Code Council
  10. California Code Enforcement Source Guide 2009 edition; CACEO
  11. Bickel, Branden E. and Sirkin, D. Andrew. The Condominium Bluebook 2000; Piedmont, CA, Piedmont Press, 2000.
  12. Merullo, Victor D. and Valentine, Michael J. Arboriculture and the Law; International Society of Arboriculture. IL, 1992.
  13. Council on Tree Appraisers. Guide for Plant Appraisal; International Society of Arboriculture, IL, 2000.
  14. Shigo, Alex L. Tree Pruning, A Worldwide Photo Guide; New Hampshire, 2003.
  15. Starrett, Paul, J.D. An Investigator's Guide to Interview and Interrogation for Investigations; California, 1998.
  16. Rutledge, Devallis, California Peace Officers' Legal Sourceguide 2008; Kardon,
  17. Kardon, Redwood; Casey, Michael; and Hansen, Douglas. Code Check West, A Field Guide to Building a Safe House; The Taunton Press, Inc. 2002.
  18. Steward, Marcia et al. 9th Edition of Every Landlord's Legal Guide; Nolo Press, 2009.