What Inspections Happen During a New Home Build?
Who inspects what, when, and the difference between a code inspection and a quality check.
A new home goes through a defined sequence of inspections by the building department, plus separate inspections from your lender and, if you choose, your own independent inspector. Each one checks something different.
Municipal code inspections
Your building department inspects at defined stages, and work generally can't be covered until the relevant inspection passes. The typical sequence:
- Footing, before concrete is poured, verifying depth and reinforcement
- Foundation and waterproofing, before backfill
- Under-slab plumbing, before the slab is poured
- Framing, once the structure is up and the house is dried in
- Rough plumbing, rough electrical and rough mechanical, before insulation
- Insulation, before drywall
- Final electrical, plumbing, mechanical and building, at completion
- Certificate of occupancy, which is what legally allows you to move in
The exact list and sequence varies by jurisdiction. Summit County, for example, issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and inspects across all phases. In unincorporated Stark County the health department is involved for septic, well and plumbing. See Stark County and Akron and Summit County.
Health department inspections
If you have a septic system, the board of health inspects the installed system. If you have a well, water is sampled and tested after drilling. See well and septic.
Lender draw inspections
Separate from code inspections. Your lender sends someone to verify that the work being billed for is actually in place before releasing each draw. These check completion, not quality or code. See draws.
Our own quality checks
Code inspections are a floor, not a ceiling. They confirm that what's built meets minimum requirements. They don't check whether the trim is tight, the tile is level, or the paint is right. That's our job, throughout, and it's a different standard.
Should you hire your own inspector?
Some buyers do, typically at framing and again before closing, and there's nothing wrong with it. A good independent inspector gives you a second set of eyes and peace of mind. If you're going to do it, tell us early so we can schedule around it rather than being surprised. And choose someone experienced with new construction specifically, since it's a different job from inspecting a forty-year-old house.
What to do yourself
Walk the house at framing and at rough-in with your plan in hand. See staying involved and the final walkthrough.