General Regulations, Permits, and Code Administration
Permits and the sequence of work
A permit must be obtained before work begins. The application identifies the owner, the contractor, the scope, and the occupancy; plans may be required for commercial or complex work. Once issued, the permit (or a copy) is kept on site, and the work must match the approved scope. Changes to the plan require a revised permit before the change is installed.
Inspections
Typical inspection points:
- Rough-in - all piping in place and tested but before it is covered, including the water test or air test on DWV and the pressure test on water piping.
- Final - fixtures set, water heater installed and vented, traps primed, and the system functional.
- Special inspections - building sewer, water service, gas piping, backflow assemblies.
Concealing work before inspection is the classic violation; the AHJ may order it uncovered at the installer's expense.
Code administration concepts
The AHJ has authority to approve listed materials and alternative methods, issue stop-work orders, require correction of defective work, and deny a certificate of occupancy until final approval. Appeals of an AHJ decision typically go to a local board of appeals, not directly to court. Variances are granted only for practical difficulty, not convenience. Ordinary maintenance and repair (replacing a faucet washer or a lavatory supply tube) normally needs no permit; replacing a water heater, adding a fixture, or rerouting a drain does.
Worked example: a remodeler frames a wall over a newly run drain without calling for rough-in inspection. The inspector is entitled to order the wall opened, the drain exposed and tested, and the work re-inspected - the contractor bears the cost and the delay.