Inspection and Field Verification
Plans are a promise; inspections are verification
The building official must inspect or cause to be inspected all work for which a permit was issued. Typical required stages include footing and foundation before concrete placement, under-slab and underground plumbing or electrical, lowest floor elevation in flood hazard areas, framing and masonry, lath and gypsum board before covering, and a final inspection. Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspected and approved; if it is covered early, the building official may require it to be uncovered at the permit holder's expense.
Notice and sequencing
The permit holder must request inspections, ordinarily with advance notice; the code does not require the inspector to guess when work is ready. Partial approvals let work proceed in stages. Special inspections and structural observation under IBC Chapter 17 are separate from the building official's inspections and are identified in a statement of special inspections submitted with the plans.
Limits on the inspector
The inspector verifies compliance with the code and the approved documents. The inspector does not design, does not direct the contractor's means and methods, and cannot waive a code requirement. Approval of one stage does not waive correction of a defect found later, and a signed inspection record is not a certificate of occupancy.
Worked example
A contractor covers anchor bolts and sill plates before the foundation inspection. The correct outcome is not a permanent failure: the building official may require the work to be exposed again for inspection at the permit holder's cost and may withhold further approvals until it is.
Rule of thumb
If the next step will hide the current step, inspect the current step first.