Who is to be in charge of a local building department?

• A. Building official
• B. City clerk
• C. Mayor
• D. Fire marshal

Answer: (A)

The building department is led by the building official. This person serves as the Authority Having Jurisdiction for the jurisdiction’s building codes, overseeing plan reviews, issuing building permits, scheduling inspections, and enforcing code compliance. While the city clerk handles records, the mayor is the elected head of the municipality, and the fire marshal focuses on fire prevention and life-safety code enforcement, none of them manage the building code administration the way the building official does.