Barrow County, GA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Barrow County Code § 22-98 lays out the inspection sequence the building official runs on every permitted project in unincorporated Barrow County. For building work the required stops are the foundation inspection, made after trenches are excavated and forms erected but before backfill; the slab inspection, made after trenches, forms, backfilled plumbing lines, gravel and the vapor barrier are in place; the frame inspection, made once the roof, framing, fire blocking, bracing, concealed wiring, pipes, chimneys, ducts, vents and siding are complete; and the final inspection, made once the building is ready for occupancy.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas systems each carry their own underground, rough-in and final stages under the same section, and energy work gets a frame and final check on wall insulation, sealing and equipment SEER ratings. Under subsection (g), work cannot proceed past the point covered by an inspection without a written release from the building official, and subsection (h) bars covering or concealing reinforcing steel, structural frame, insulation, or plumbing, mechanical or electrical work before that release issues. The permit holder or agent must post the permit card on the premises before work starts and keep it there until a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued (subsection (e)).

The building official inspects under subsection (d) at various intervals during the work and again at final completion, before a certificate of occupancy or completion can be issued under § 22-99. He may also accept reports from recognized private inspection services if satisfied as to their qualifications and reliability, but a certificate cannot rest on such a report unless it is written and signed by a responsible officer of that service (subsection (c)).