When you pull a building permit in Florida, the work does not end with the permit being issued. Inspections are built into the process, and understanding what they are and what inspectors are actually looking for makes the whole thing less stressful.
A building inspection is a visit from a county or city inspector who verifies that work in progress or completed work matches what was approved on the permit, meets the Florida Building Code, and is safe. The inspector is not looking to fail you. They are looking to confirm that the work is done correctly, and most of the time it is.
Inspections are required at specific stages of construction, not just at the end. Common inspection types include:
Your contractor schedules inspections through the county or city's online portal or by phone. You typically do not need to be home, though many homeowners prefer to be.
Inspectors work from the approved permit drawings and the Florida Building Code. They are checking that the work matches what was permitted, code-required clearances and dimensions are met, materials meet code specifications, and safety systems like smoke detectors and GFCI outlets are in place.
They are not coming to your house to find reasons to fail you. Most inspectors are experienced tradespeople who have seen a lot of construction. They know what good work looks like.
The inspector marks the inspection as failed and leaves a correction notice that lists specific items that need to be addressed. Your contractor fixes those items and requests a re-inspection. That is it. A failed inspection is not a crisis. It is part of the process when something was not done to code.
Common reasons for failed inspections:
Some of these are quick fixes. Others require more work. Either way, re-inspection is standard practice.
A permit that passes final inspection gets a Certificate of Occupancy or a final sign-off, depending on the permit type. This closes the permit. An open permit, one where work was done but the final inspection never passed, is a problem that shows up in real estate transactions and can affect your insurance coverage.
If you bought a home with open permits from previous owners, check with your county building department. In some cases you can transfer the permit to your name and close it out. In others, you may need to bring the work into compliance first. Either way, it is better to know before you try to sell.
Inspections are checkpoints, not obstacles. A licensed contractor who does good work does not fear them. If your contractor is trying to avoid scheduling inspections or suggests you move forward without them, that is worth asking about directly. The inspection record on your permit is part of your property's history. Make sure it is clean.