Engineering Insights & Education

How Do I Prevent Inspection Holds?

Written by Legacy Engineering | Nov 17, 2023 4:36:36 PM

At Legacy Engineering, our inspectors are fully licensed for a variety of inspection types. From mechanical to threshold, our inspectors can be out to your site the next day. Preventing inspection holds is crucial to maintaining project timelines and avoiding delays that could cost you thousands.

Avoiding potential impediments in the construction process can affect both residential and commercial developments. Ensuring that your inspections pass will enhance the overall efficiency of your project timeline. 

To ensure that your project remains on schedule, follow these simple steps to prevent inspection holds. 

Review the Permit when it's Issued

All the major local building department websites allow you to review any holds placed on the permit. Holds are typically assigned due to additional information needed that wasn't present at permitting. For example, if you don't have steel shop drawings or truss drawings when your permit is issued, the building department may place a hold on your framing inspection, preventing it from being scheduled until the building department receives the needed plans. It may take a few days for the building department to address removing the hold, so addressing this ahead of time will save you a big headache later. 

Understand the Florida Building Code



It is crucial that you are fully educated on the current Florida building code. Becoming aware of the most updated code before construction will establish a firm understanding in order to comply with the specific requirements in your jurisdiction. 

Have a Preconstruction Meeting



Having your plans reviewed together by the inspector along with the entire project team including subcontractors can bring up potential issues. The inspector can alert the project team to any common issues which may arise, and trades can ask interpretation questions long before they are encountered in the field, avoiding costly rework or delays. 

Follow the Approved Plans

Stick to the architectural and engineering plans that have been finalized. Deviation from the final plans can lead to additional revisions and holds, thus extending the time before you can start building. 

Schedule Inspections

Don’t wait until the last minute. Schedule your inspections in a timely manner to ensure the inspections are scheduled in the correct order. For example, framing inspections cannot be scheduled if the prerequisite inspections are not completed. 

Be Present

While not required, being present during inspections will help you create a familiarity with the inspector and create a consistent communication flow. Inspectors might have comments or questions that you could answer on-site, instead of emailing or calling back and forth, which elongates the entire process. Busy and can't be on site? An advantage of working with Legacy for your inspections is that we guarantee that we will reach out to the permit PoC anytime we encounter and issue an inspection. We seek to resolve the issue on the spot so we can ensure things don't stop and keep moving.

Use Quality Materials


High-quality materials and a skilled construction team may seem like a given but are a serious component of the construction process. Experience and quality will reduce avoidable and potential holds during inspections. 

 

Proactive measures, such as reviewing plans, scheduling inspections in a timely manner, and being present, contribute to a smooth inspection process. Adherence to building codes ensures structural integrity, safety, and complete compliance with regulations. Delays in inspections can disrupt project schedules and increase expenses. If you are ready to move forward with scheduling your inspections, please visit How Do I Schedule Private Provider Inspections and discover just how simple scheduling your inspections is with Legacy Engineering.