Required Building Inspections for a New Residential House

IRC Section R109.1 establishes the required inspection types for one- and two-family dwellings. As summarized by Jaspector's IRC 2018 guide, those are:

1. Footing
2. Foundation
3. Plumbing, mechanical, electrical and gas systems (rough-in)
4. Frame
5. Final

Subsection numbers and wording differ between sources and between editions, and local amendments rewrite them. Search results for this guide disagreed on which subsection holds the frame and final inspections, so check the section numbers in the edition your jurisdiction adopted. The five types above are consistent across the sources we read.

The building official can also require more inspections than the code lists.

City handouts converge on one pattern. The wording below comes from published city pages, and each city's list is a minimum for its own permits.

1. Footing

The footing inspection happens after excavation and reinforcing steel are in place and before concrete goes in. Boise's residential inspection guide says it ensures the footing is properly placed and sized, that any reinforcing steel is installed, and that setbacks are verified against the city-approved (stamped) plans.

That last item matters for the site plan. If the footing is in the wrong place, the error is already in concrete once it is poured. If you haven't built a clean site plan yet, see our guide to the site plan for a building permit.

2. Foundation

The foundation inspection is a separate step in the model code. The Jaspector summary puts it after the anchor bolts are set and before framing or backfill. Some cities fold it into one visit with the footing, and others split it. Olathe, Kansas lists footing, foundation and under-slab plumbing, electrical and mechanical as required residential inspections, followed by garage floor slabs.

If your house has a slab, ask whether the city wants a separate under-slab inspection for the trades before you pour. Olathe does.

3. Rough-in plumbing, mechanical, electrical and gas

These inspections cover the systems that will be hidden behind walls and floors. Rexburg, Idaho schedules framing after the roof, masonry, framing, fire stopping, draft stopping and bracing are in place, and notes the rough-in trade inspections usually come before framing approval.

The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors makes the same point: the electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing inspections must be completed and approved before the framing inspection. Trade permits are often pulled separately from the building permit, and they are inspected separately.

4. Framing

NACHI describes the framing inspection as usually the inspector's last chance to see everything that will be concealed inside the structure. Durham, North Carolina lists framing as its own required inspection after the foundation and slab inspections. Its framing check confirms that floor framing to the foundation is complete, including shims and squash blocking.

Rexburg's description adds that the framing inspection includes the house wrap. Don't hang drywall, and don't close any wall, until framing and the rough-ins have passed.

5. Insulation

Insulation is not one of the five core types in R109.1 as summarized above, but many cities schedule it as its own inspection. Fayetteville, North Carolina says insulation inspections are made after an approved framing and rough-in inspection and after the permanent roof covering is installed, with insulation and vapor retarders in place and before walls are closed. Richland County, South Carolina treats insulation as a separate inspection after the roughs pass.

If your jurisdiction does not list this step, the energy-code items may be checked at the framing or final stage. Read the permit card rather than guessing.

6. Final

The final inspection comes after the permitted work is complete and before occupancy. That wording appears in the Gig Harbor, Washington amendment to R109.1. Trade finals usually come first. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma describes its final building inspection as made after the building, yard and driveway are complete, and says the electrical, plumbing and mechanical finals should be approved before it.

Foxborough, Massachusetts says final building inspections may only be conducted after the plumbing, gas, electrical and fire finals are approved. Olathe states that all inspections must be complete before a certificate of occupancy (CO) or temporary certificate of occupancy is issued. For what that certificate is and how it differs from a certificate of completion, see certificate of occupancy vs certificate of completion.

Each of these differs from one jurisdiction to the next, and no model code settles them:

• The exact list. Foxborough states that its list is a minimum and that a project may need additional inspections depending on site conditions and scope.
• How inspections are requested and how far ahead you must call. Cities use phone lines, online portals or both. This is posted on the permit or the department's page.
• The local amendments. Cities adopt the IRC on their own schedule and change it.

To find the local list, start with the building department's inspections page, then your permit card or approved plan set. Our walkthrough on how to get a building permit shows where the inspection list sits in the process. For your city's own rules, see the jurisdiction pages under building permits, as one example.

An inspection that fails or gets skipped holds up everything that comes after it, since most work sequences are locked behind the previous approval. A few habits help.

• Make a one-page inspection list at permit issuance. Copy it from the permit card. Write each step next to the trade or crew that has to be ready for it.
• Track approvals as dated records. The record that matters is the date the inspector approved, not the date you requested it. You will want it for the final and for any dispute later.
• Don't cover anything until it passes. Each hidden-work step exists so the inspector can see it. Uncovering finished work to show it is slower than waiting.
• Close your corrections first. If plan check left open items, resolve them before the inspector arrives. How to respond to a plan check correction letter covers that process.