Council Bluffs, IA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

CBMC 13.01.305 makes construction or work needing a permit subject to inspection by the building official, and the site must stay accessible and exposed until each stage is approved; certain work also gets continuous inspection under CBMC 13.01.306. The permit holder must post an inspection record card at the site and request each inspection, in writing or by phone, at least one working day ahead. Five inspections are named: a foundation inspection once footing excavation and reinforcing steel are in place and forms are set; a concrete slab or under-floor inspection before concrete or subfloor covers in-slab piping and conduit; a frame inspection once roof framing, fire blocking, bracing, and rough electrical, plumbing and heating work are in and complete; a lath or wallboard inspection before plaster or joint taping covers the wallboard; and a final inspection once grading is finished and the building is ready for occupancy.

Work cannot proceed beyond the point checked in each inspection without the building official's approval, and anything that fails must be corrected before it is covered or concealed. A reinspection fee applies under CBMC 13.01.305 when work is not ready at the time called, when the inspection card or approved plans are not on site, or when the site fails to match the approved plans, though the first rejection for simple noncompliance does not itself trigger the fee. Larger projects may also require a special inspector, employed by the owner or architect rather than the contractor, under CBMC 13.01.306, with a written inspection program approved before the permit issues.