Portsmouth, VA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 7-101 puts inspection authority in the hands of an inspector from the department of permits and inspections, though the building official may designate a third party to perform the inspection instead, triggered once the permit holder or an agent requests it. After each inspection the inspector either signs off on the portion of work completed or notifies the permit holder where the work fails to meet the building code or departmental regulation, so a single inspection can end in approval or a formal notice of noncompliance.

The inspector is not limited to the standard visits: additional inspections can be ordered whenever the scope or complexity of the installed or performed work makes that judgment necessary, meaning larger or more technical jobs can expect more inspection stops than a routine remodel. Every reinspection carries its own fee, set in appendix A to the Code, due before the recheck happens, unless the building official waives it. Elevator work is carved out from that reinspection fee under § 7-136, which bundles a processing fee into its own periodic inspection schedule instead of charging a separate reinspection charge each time.