By Allison Carrier, Marketing and Communications Manager, Town of Scarborough
Spend a day with Brian Dobson, one of three Code Enforcement Officers for the Town of Scarborough. Code enforcement officers are responsible for enforcing local, state, and federal regulations for building construction and development that occurs in Scarborough. Once a building permit is issued, code officers conduct on-site inspections at specific points throughout the project. Here’s what a typical day looks like for Brian:
5:00am Time to get up. “I’m an early riser,” says Brian. “That’s my quiet time.” The routine consists of feeding his two cats, making coffee, and sitting down with his iPad for a round of Wordle and to catch up on the news.
6:30am Start getting ready for work. “We’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation now, so getting breakfast is more of a challenge lately.” He heats up a breakfast burrito in the microwave and leaves soon after to commute from his Saco home over to Scarborough Town Hall.
7:30am Arrive to work. “My first task in the office is to check my voicemails and emails. I usually have around thirty to go through.” Inquiries range from follow up on last week’s inspections to questions about a building permit. Because he’s out doing inspections throughout the day, he is diligent about responding to his emails while at his desk.
8:15am Brian and the two other code officers gather for an impromptu check-in in the Planning office. They’ll share what they’ve been working on and if there are any schedule changes for the others to cover. “We really rely on each other,” he says of the team dynamic. They also catch each other up on any town news from over the weekend. It’s quick, usually only around 15 minutes, but a helpful way to start the day before heading into inspections.
8:50am Brian arrives early to his 9:00am inspection. He takes a municipal vehicle and brings his tablet to look up property and permit details, and a printed schedule as backup. This first scheduled inspection is at a house on Maple Avenue for a new garage with a finished space above it. It’s an insulation inspection, which happens prior to closing in the space. He looks to make sure they’ve filled all the holes, that it meets energy code, and that the spray foamed areas are sealed before sheetrock begins.
Prior to this insulation inspection, he had been here for a framing inspection. “My job is to help everybody out,” Brian says. He works with the contractor to keep the project moving along and make sure it’s done right. This makes the homeowner happy and ensures they’re getting a good quality product that’s safe. He’ll come back again for the final inspection, the end of the building permit process.
9:30am The next scheduled inspection is at 10:00am and is about twenty minutes away. Brian checks his phone for voicemails on his drive over to the Pine Point property. “My job described in one word would be ‘multitasking’.”
10:00am Brian is meeting with a contractor for a framing inspection for an addition on the house.
Brian is also a former contractor. After 25 years as a contractor with his own business, he was ready for a change. “Now that I’m older, I wanted a job that wasn’t so hard on my body.” He got his first code officer job with the Town of Kennebunk and was there for about a year before starting with the Town of Scarborough in 2015. Brian loves to learn and was ready to apply his construction background into code enforcement. With the big volume of inspections in Scarborough and it being a new profession, it took him a while to learn the details. Still, he attributes his contractor background to his success as a code officer and developing positive relationships with those he works with.
11:00am His next inspection on the schedule is on Market Street off Haigis Parkway. It’s a foundation inspection for what will be a new 3-story commercial building. “I typically do residential inspections, but I’ve been learning more about commercial permitting over the past several months and going to those sites too.”
12:00pm After a morning of inspections, Brian comes back to town hall for lunch. “A lot of people like to step out for lunch, but I’m out all morning so I like to sit at my desk.” He’ll take the time to catch up on emails and voicemails while he eats.
12:40pm Off to his next inspection, starting at 1:00pm. This one’s for a new house off Beech Ridge Road and the homeowner is a former code officer himself. Brian is here for an insulation inspection, but before starting he checks on a few things that were missing from the framing inspection the last time he was there. “My goal is to make it easy for them. As long as they do the work that’s all I care about.”
2:00pm Brian arrives at a new house being constructed off Black Point Road across from Ferry Road for a full framing, electrical and plumbing inspection. Because this home is in the Prouts Neck area, it will need to be finished with construction by June 15.
3:00pm The last inspection of the day is a unique one. Brian meets with staff at a NorDx building on Route One for renovations to their hazardous storage room. They talked through the process of replacing the flooring while safely displacing the toxic chemicals that are typically stored in the room. Deputy Fire Chief John Brennan was also there to talk through fire prevention measures.
4:00pm With a typical day of inspections wrapped up, Brian heads back to the office to take another look at emails and get back to people before ending his work day around 4:30pm.
6:00pm Brian and his wife head out to eat while their home kitchen renovation is underway. “Now that I’m not a contractor by day, it’s much more enjoyable to work on my own projects off-hours.” They decide on Pat’s Pizza, one of their local favorites. His brother lives locally, so he and his wife meet them for dinner too.
7:00pm Now it’s the morning routine, but in reverse. Brian comes home, feeds the cats, and watches a series on TV to unwind. “We’re watching The Queen, Band of Brothers and I’m also a big Celtics fan, so sports too.”
8:15pm Brian ends the evening with a soak in the hot tub to fully relax before bed. By 9:30-10:00pm it’s lights out and the end to a full day.
Spend a day with Brian Dobson, one of three Code Enforcement Officers for the Town of Scarborough. Code enforcement officers are responsible for enforcing local, state, and federal regulations for building construction and development that occurs in Scarborough. Once a building permit is issued, code officers conduct on-site inspections at specific points throughout the project. Here’s what a typical day looks like for Brian:
5:00am Time to get up. “I’m an early riser,” says Brian. “That’s my quiet time.” The routine consists of feeding his two cats, making coffee, and sitting down with his iPad for a round of Wordle and to catch up on the news.
6:30am Start getting ready for work. “We’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation now, so getting breakfast is more of a challenge lately.” He heats up a breakfast burrito in the microwave and leaves soon after to commute from his Saco home over to Scarborough Town Hall.
7:30am Arrive to work. “My first task in the office is to check my voicemails and emails. I usually have around thirty to go through.” Inquiries range from follow up on last week’s inspections to questions about a building permit. Because he’s out doing inspections throughout the day, he is diligent about responding to his emails while at his desk.
8:15am Brian and the two other code officers gather for an impromptu check-in in the Planning office. They’ll share what they’ve been working on and if there are any schedule changes for the others to cover. “We really rely on each other,” he says of the team dynamic. They also catch each other up on any town news from over the weekend. It’s quick, usually only around 15 minutes, but a helpful way to start the day before heading into inspections.
8:50am Brian arrives early to his 9:00am inspection. He takes a municipal vehicle and brings his tablet to look up property and permit details, and a printed schedule as backup. This first scheduled inspection is at a house on Maple Avenue for a new garage with a finished space above it. It’s an insulation inspection, which happens prior to closing in the space. He looks to make sure they’ve filled all the holes, that it meets energy code, and that the spray foamed areas are sealed before sheetrock begins.
Prior to this insulation inspection, he had been here for a framing inspection. “My job is to help everybody out,” Brian says. He works with the contractor to keep the project moving along and make sure it’s done right. This makes the homeowner happy and ensures they’re getting a good quality product that’s safe. He’ll come back again for the final inspection, the end of the building permit process.
9:30am The next scheduled inspection is at 10:00am and is about twenty minutes away. Brian checks his phone for voicemails on his drive over to the Pine Point property. “My job described in one word would be ‘multitasking’.”
10:00am Brian is meeting with a contractor for a framing inspection for an addition on the house.
Brian is also a former contractor. After 25 years as a contractor with his own business, he was ready for a change. “Now that I’m older, I wanted a job that wasn’t so hard on my body.” He got his first code officer job with the Town of Kennebunk and was there for about a year before starting with the Town of Scarborough in 2015. Brian loves to learn and was ready to apply his construction background into code enforcement. With the big volume of inspections in Scarborough and it being a new profession, it took him a while to learn the details. Still, he attributes his contractor background to his success as a code officer and developing positive relationships with those he works with.
11:00am His next inspection on the schedule is on Market Street off Haigis Parkway. It’s a foundation inspection for what will be a new 3-story commercial building. “I typically do residential inspections, but I’ve been learning more about commercial permitting over the past several months and going to those sites too.”
12:00pm After a morning of inspections, Brian comes back to town hall for lunch. “A lot of people like to step out for lunch, but I’m out all morning so I like to sit at my desk.” He’ll take the time to catch up on emails and voicemails while he eats.
12:40pm Off to his next inspection, starting at 1:00pm. This one’s for a new house off Beech Ridge Road and the homeowner is a former code officer himself. Brian is here for an insulation inspection, but before starting he checks on a few things that were missing from the framing inspection the last time he was there. “My goal is to make it easy for them. As long as they do the work that’s all I care about.”
2:00pm Brian arrives at a new house being constructed off Black Point Road across from Ferry Road for a full framing, electrical and plumbing inspection. Because this home is in the Prouts Neck area, it will need to be finished with construction by June 15.
3:00pm The last inspection of the day is a unique one. Brian meets with staff at a NorDx building on Route One for renovations to their hazardous storage room. They talked through the process of replacing the flooring while safely displacing the toxic chemicals that are typically stored in the room. Deputy Fire Chief John Brennan was also there to talk through fire prevention measures.
4:00pm With a typical day of inspections wrapped up, Brian heads back to the office to take another look at emails and get back to people before ending his work day around 4:30pm.
6:00pm Brian and his wife head out to eat while their home kitchen renovation is underway. “Now that I’m not a contractor by day, it’s much more enjoyable to work on my own projects off-hours.” They decide on Pat’s Pizza, one of their local favorites. His brother lives locally, so he and his wife meet them for dinner too.
7:00pm Now it’s the morning routine, but in reverse. Brian comes home, feeds the cats, and watches a series on TV to unwind. “We’re watching The Queen, Band of Brothers and I’m also a big Celtics fan, so sports too.”
8:15pm Brian ends the evening with a soak in the hot tub to fully relax before bed. By 9:30-10:00pm it’s lights out and the end to a full day.
Allison Carrier’s “Day in the Life” column gives readers a peek into the lives and work of municipal employees. Thank you, Allison.
