Escondido, CA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 6-17.1 sets the general inspection rule: construction or work requiring a permit is subject to inspection by the building official, and it must stay accessible and exposed until the official approves it, with the permit applicant responsible for keeping the work accessible at his or her own expense. Section 6-17.1.4 lets the building official require a lot survey to confirm the structure sits where the approved plans show. Section 6-17.2 requires the permit holder to post or make available an inspection record card so the official can log each inspection, and that card must stay available until final approval.

Section 6-17.3.1 puts the burden on the person doing the work to notify the building official when it is ready for inspection, and the official may require at least one working day's notice, given in writing, by phone, or by other means at the official's option. Section 6-17.4.1 bars work from proceeding past the point of each successive inspection until the building official approves that stage, and anything found noncompliant under § 6-17.4.2 must be corrected before it is covered or concealed. Section 6-17.4.3 requires a final inspection and approval of every building and structure once it is complete and ready for occupancy.

Section 6-17.5 lists required inspections for plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems, reinforcing steel, structural framework, and fire-resistive joint and penetration protection, none of which may be concealed until inspected and approved, plus specific staged inspections such as the underground inspection made before backfill and the foundation inspection made after excavation and reinforcing steel placement.