Laredo, TX Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

7(6) of the Land Development Code, part of the Expedited Plan Review (EPR) program provisions, governs the mechanics of building inspections in Laredo. A general contractor must submit every inspection request to the Building Official or designee no later than the day before the inspection is needed, and the contractor or an agent must be physically present while the inspector is on site. Inspectors deliver a copy of their report either in person at the site or by fax, and the general contractor is responsible for passing any required remedial action along to subcontractors.

A complete set of plans stamped 'Reviewed for Compliance - APPROVED' must be kept at the site during every inspection, and the site must stay reasonably clear of trash and debris; a Certificate of Occupancy or final electrical service cannot be authorized at a location that has not been cleared of debris. If a project fails an inspection, Laredo does not charge a re-inspection fee, but it does impose a mandatory cooling-off period: re-inspection cannot happen sooner than three days after the original inspection, and if the same site fails a second time, that wait extends to five additional days.

7 requires the Development Services Director to appoint building inspectors with at least five years of relevant field experience (or a partial substitution of college credit hours) who must earn trade certification within one year of hire, and it makes it their duty to inspect any premises believed to be in violation and to first pursue voluntary compliance. 5 requires the Building Official to keep a complete record of every permit and certificate of occupancy issued, available to any requester.