Whatcom County, WA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

The installer, whether the homeowner or a licensed manufactured home installer, must request the footing inspection after the footing forms and rebar are in place but before any concrete is poured, then a separate tie-down, blocking, and vapor-barrier inspection, and finally a final inspection once every part of the installation is complete. Every inspection request must reach PDS Building Services at least one working day before the inspection is wanted. Occupancy is tied directly to that last step: the home can only be lived in once the installation has passed final inspection and met every condition on the issued permit.

If an inspection turns up work that doesn't comply with the chapter or the permit conditions, the local enforcement agency issues the installer a list of required corrections with a completion deadline; if the outstanding items don't threaten health, safety, or habitability, the agency can still let the owner occupy the home while corrections are pending. This inspection sequence sits inside the county's manufactured-home chapter (replacing IRC Appendix E) and applies alongside the footing, foundation, and anchoring standards set out earlier in the same section, including the requirement that footings be installed below the frost line and evenly bedded on undisturbed, compacted soil.