Alachua County, FL Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 331.03, FBC § 110.3
- Building sequence
- Foundation, framing, sheathing, wall covering, roofing, final
- Pool inspections
- Excavation/rebar stage, then final enclosure check
- Duty to request
- Permit holder must notify official (§ 110.5)
- Enforcing agency
- Alachua County Growth Management Building Division
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, separate offense per day
Summary
Alachua County requires a sequence of building-official inspections before permitted work can be occupied, under County Code § 331.03 (Florida Building Code § 110.3). Foundation, framing, sheathing, exterior wall covering, roofing and final inspections are mandatory for buildings, with separate stages for swimming pools, demolition and manufactured buildings. The building official sets the timing and elements checked at each stage.
110.3 Required inspections. The building official upon notification from the permit holder or his or her agent shall make the following inspections and shall either release that portion of the construction or shall notify the permit holder or his or her agent of any violations which must be corrected in order to comply with the technical codes. The building official shall determine the timing and sequencing of when inspections occur and what elements are inspected at each inspection.
Building
1.Foundation inspection. To be made after trenches are excavatedand forms erected, and shall at a minimum include the following building components:•Stem-wall•Monolithic slab-on-grade•Piling/pile caps•Footers/grade beams...6.Final inspection. To be made after the building is completed and ready for occupancy.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
3 of Alachua County's locally amended Building Code (Chapter 331) lists the inspections the building official must perform once notified by the permit holder or an authorized agent. For ordinary construction the sequence runs: a foundation inspection after trenches are excavated and forms erected (including a form-board survey for one- and two-family homes verifying the structure sits per the site plan); a framing inspection once the roof deck, framing, fireblocking and bracing are in place and rough openings are verified; a sheathing inspection covering roof and wall sheathing, fasteners and dry-in; an exterior wall coverings inspection for veneers and soffits; a roofing inspection covering dry-in, insulation, coverings and flashing; and a final inspection once the building is complete and ready for occupancy.
Parallel inspection sequences apply to electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas systems, each running from an underground or rough-in stage through a final inspection. Swimming pools get their own two-step sequence, after excavation and reinforcing steel, then a final inspection confirming required enclosure features, and demolition and manufactured-building projects each have dedicated inspection points. 5 to request each inspection and keep the work exposed and accessible until it is approved.
Violations & Fines
Concealing or covering work before the required inspection is approved is a code violation under Section 114.1, chargeable as a misdemeanor with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense. The building official may also require exposed work to be uncovered again for inspection at the owner's expense, and Chapter 162, Florida Statutes code-enforcement penalties apply for unpermitted work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I cover work before it's inspected?
Who schedules building inspections in Alachua County?
Are pool inspections different from house inspections?
Does an approved inspection excuse a code violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
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