Hayward, CA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Inspection stages
- Foundation, Under-floor, Shear Wall, Rough Frame
- Later stages
- Lath/Gypsum Board, then Final
- Completion permit fee
- 60% down to 10% by stage passed
- Legal basis
- Amended CBC Sec. 105.5.2.1
- Entry rule
- Daylight hours, consent or warrant required
- Refusing entry
- Misdemeanor under Sec. 9-3.204
Summary
Hayward's Building Code local amendments spell out the building inspection sequence, Foundation, Under-floor, Shear Wall, Rough Frame, Lath or Gypsum Board and Final, through the fee schedule for lapsed completion permits under Section 105.5.2.1. All work requiring a permit is subject to inspection by the Building Official, and inspection findings determine what percentage of a project's valuation still owes fees when a permit expires.
Fees for completion permits as described in Section 105.5.2 shall be based upon the percentage of work that has passed inspection prior to the expiration of the renewed permit... This schedule is intended to apply to conventional wood frame building construction. Completed Inspections / % of Updated Valuation: None 60; Foundation 55; Under-floor 50; Shear Wall 40; Rough Frame 30; Lath or Gypsum Board 20; All, except Final 10. [Sec. 9-3.206]: All buildings within the scope of this code and all construction or work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the Building Official in accordance with and in the manner provided by the Hayward Building Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 28 Update 1 | Charter: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
204 lets the Building Official enter during reasonable daylight hours, with the owner's consent or an inspection warrant, to check compliance. 1, which prices a completion permit issued after an initial or renewed permit has expired before work is finished: the fee is a percentage of the project's updated valuation keyed to which inspections have already passed. For conventional wood-frame construction, the schedule runs from 60 percent of valuation still owed if no inspections have passed, down through 55 percent after Foundation, 50 percent after Under-floor, 40 percent after Shear Wall, 30 percent after Rough Frame, 20 percent after Lath or Gypsum Board, and 10 percent once every inspection but the Final has passed.
For work that is not conventional wood-frame construction, or is not a complete building, the Building Official instead sets the completion fee based on the number of inspections still remaining. If fees or valuation have changed since the original permit issued, both are updated to current rates before the completion permit is priced.
Violations & Fines
Continuing construction after a permit lapses without obtaining a completion permit is treated as unpermitted work: the Building Official may require resubmittal of plans, a new plan review and revaluation before allowing the job to proceed, and if more than a year passes after expiration without a completion permit, no further extensions are allowed and a wholly new permit and fee are required. Refusing to allow the Building Official reasonable, daylight-hours entry to inspect permitted work is a misdemeanor under Section 9-3.204.
Frequently Asked Questions
What inspection stages does Hayward require for a building permit?
Can a Hayward building inspector enter my property without notice?
What happens if my building permit expires before inspections are done?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hayward
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