ICC, AACE to Develop Joint Exams for Inspector Certifications; Reaffirms Certification Partnership

The International Code Council (ICC) and American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE) for the first time will use the same exam for members of both organizations seeking certification as either a Property Maintenance & Housing Inspector or a Zoning Inspector.

Pictured at the signing are, from left: Dominic Sims, Chief Executive Officer, International Code Council; David Dufresne, Executive Director, Education & Certification, International Code Council; and Sherri Johnston, President, American Association of Code Enforcement, and Environmental Code Manager for the city of Mesquite, Texas.   Senior staff members from the Code Council and AACE met on July 18 in ICC's Birmingham, Alabama, office to finalize a new certification agreement and explore other opportunities for the two organizations to work together. The meeting, the culmination of ongoing discussions about how to improve the current certification program and processes, included Sherri Johnston, AACE President; Dominic Sims, ICC COO; David Dufresne, ICC Executive Director of Education & Certification; and Robert von Kampen, ICC Vice President of Certification & Testing. Under the terms of the new agreement, ICC and AACE will collaborate on the development, delivery and management of a single set of updated exams for the Property Maintenance & Housing Inspector and Zoning Inspector certifications. The new combined certification programs, based on the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code and the 2012 International Zoning Code respectively, will be available in January. In fact, the Exam Development Committee for the two exams, which included Roy Fyffe, AACE Second Vice President, was meeting in Birmingham at the same time, enabling President Johnston to see first-hand the work involved in creating these professional certifications. "Giving our memberships a single set of certification exams was a key driver for this new agreement," Johnston said. "This agreement will greatly simplify the exam scheduling and certification process, while at the same time provide a higher level of customer service to our membership desiring these certifications." The Code Council and AACE are both organizations dedicated to the public's health, safety and welfare through the enforcement of the Code Council's model codes. Memberships of both organizations are code enforcement officers, whether they inspect framing, plumbing, junk vehicles or other nuisance issues. A key goal of both organizations is to provide the tools necessary for their memberships to be in a position to succeed and thrive on the job. "Code Council and AACE members deserve our best efforts to provide a set of exams that speak to the core needs of code enforcement professionals while validating critical areas of skills and knowledge," ICC Executive Director of Education & Certification David Dufresne said. "We are excited to be able to continue our long-standing relationship with AACE." The current certifications, with a separate set of exams for ICC and AACE members and based on the 2009 codes, will remain active and available until the new exams launch in January. In addition to the new agreement, ICC and AACE staff discussed other ways in which the partnership between the two organizations can be strengthened to provide an even higher level of service to the memberships. These conversations are ongoing, and expect to result in even more opportunity for members to learn, interact and make an impact in their communities. "Our memberships are what makes the organizations strong; becoming actively involved in your respective organization and providing your ideas and thoughts concerning the betterment of this partnership is in part the reason we are where we are at today," said Johnston. "We would ask that you continue to be involved and provide your valuable input concerning our organizations."