Corpus Christi, TX Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Sec. 2 of the plumbing amendments to Sec. 14-281 lays out the required-inspection sequence that structures the city's building-safety review process. The underground inspection happens after trenches or ditches are excavated and bedded and piping is installed, but before any backfill goes in. The rough-in, called out in the code as the top-out inspection, occurs after roof, framing, fire blocking, firestopping, draft stopping and bracing are in place and all sanitary, storm and water distribution piping is roughed in, but before wall or ceiling membranes go up; a pressure test on all piping is mandatory before that inspection can be approved.

The final inspection happens only after the building is complete, all fixtures are installed and connected, and the structure is ready for occupancy. Scheduling is the permit holder's job, not the city's: the code official inspects on notification from the permit holder or their agent and either releases that portion of construction or notifies the holder of violations that must be corrected. Single-family residential projects are carved out of this three-stage sequence and instead follow the parallel inspection schedule adopted under the International Residential Code (Sec.

14-291). Disputes over an inspection ruling go to the Construction Trade Advisory & Appeals Board under Sec. 14-206, which can modify or overturn a technical decision after a hearing on written appeal filed within ninety days.