Pete Roque, 4LEAF National Director of Code Enforcement, Receives 2024 Raising the Profile Award

Pete Roque, National Director of Code Enforcement at 4LEAF, is on a mission to change the perception of the code enforcement profession, referring to code enforcement officers as community partners who keep streets clean and ensure buildings are safe.

Not only does Roque help raise awareness about code enforcement and educate kids about the industry at a young age, but he is determined to make it easier for people to enter the field and hone their skills with training opportunities that are free and accessible. He also wants to be an essential resource for all things related to code enforcement and regularly posts about the topic on his social media channels.

2024 Raising the Profile Award

His ongoing dedication and unwavering commitment to code enforcement are just two of the reasons why Roque was selected as the recipient of the International Code Council’s 2024 Raising the Profile Award.

“I think he’s really onto something big that could do a lot of good for communities, and not just communities in California but across the nation,” said Lorena Soules, CBO, CAS, Building Official for the City of Redondo Beach, CA. Soules nominated Roque for the award.

Roque has already helped to educate people about code enforcement by serving as an adjunct professor at both Irvine Valley College and Santiago Canyon College. He has taught classes for a number of organizations, including the Code Council, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. Roque has also been a strong proponent of initiatives to open the building safety industry to women, including his assistance in establishing the Women in Code Enforcement and Development (WICED) chapter of California.

“One of my mentors once told me, ‘You always have to leave it better than you found it,’” said Roque. “When I was on the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO), our state organization, one of the things that I really wanted to do was create a path for certification, and we did that. We brought legislation to actually create certification that’s recognized in the state of California. We did it in a way that nobody thought could be done. I was very proud of that.”

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Roque was humbled by the award, but remains focused on his many goals to advance code enforcement – both as a profession and as a source of good for the community.

“I’m not big on praise for myself, but it’s gearing me up to do more,” said Roque. “There are so many deserving people out there that try to raise the profile for others. For me to get this award is very humbling.”

 A New Code Enforcement Conference

One of Roque’s latest projects includes CodeComply Summit, the first-ever national code enforcement conference on the West Coast. Roque is working on the conference (scheduled for July 2025 in Orange County, CA) with the board of directors of the Code Council’s Code Enforcement Chapter of Orange County (CECOC). He is also working on the conference with Rachel Patterson, Senior Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Westminster, CO, WICED of Colorado President and Secretary of the Code Council Colorado Chapter.

The conference will be hosted by CECOC, the first Code Enforcement Chapter in California and a chapter of the Code Council.

“We want everyone to be aware that there are awesome opportunities for people in Code Council chapters who want to improve their development,” said Roque. He believes that establishing additional tools for code officials and offering additional career paths will help develop his colleagues and the code enforcement industry.

“There are also opportunities for a code enforcement officer that wants to dabble in building safety and get their building certificates to [further] develop their careers,” he added.

A Multimedia Mind

Roque previously teamed up with Patterson to work on an animated series, Fiona the Fox, which is still in development. The duo recently produced a coloring book, Code Enforcement Officer Cora Teaches Code Enforcement, to provide kids with a fun way to learn about the topic. Printable copies can be found on Roque’s website, Code Enforcement Educators, which he launched in 2016 to provide access to free training.

Roque has also provided a print release to allow modification of the book, allowing jurisdictions to utilize the coloring books at their own for events, such as National Night Out, career days or available at the front desk or at a local park.

“I’d go to conferences and hear people say, ‘There’s no training out there,’ or ‘It’s too expensive,’” Roque recalled. “I’d hear it all the time. I’m more about solutions, so I launched a website back in 2016. We made it free to the public so people could learn about what we’re doing in the industry. Visitors can [listen to our] podcasts with industry leaders from across the country, obtain training, learn about code enforcement, get the latest news in the industry and get publications, which can be used in one’s presentations.”

Roque also wrote a children’s book, Code Enforcement Officer Lucas Cleans Up Our Street, with his son Luke. He uses the book to teach kids about code enforcement and building safety and often passes out copies at trainings and seminars and encourages others to pay it forward by reading to kids.

Roque’s most artistic venture yet may be his code enforcement version of Lotería, a traditional Mexican card game that is similar to bingo but played with cards instead of balls. He produced several hand-drawn cards that have become very popular with code officials.

“I’ve been giving it out – there are about 300 copies floating out there,” said Roque. “We give one per jurisdiction because they’re so limited. It’s been a hit. I get people calling me up, ‘Hey, can you get me a copy?’ We don’t sell them, we just give them away. It’s an amazing thing to teach Spanish to code officials.”

Roque concluded by saying that he believes there is a lot of work to be done within the space, but by creating new opportunities and partnerships for code enforcement and building officials, he and others can continue to strengthen the industry.

To learn more about the Code Council’s annual awards, click here.