Rochester, NY Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Under § 39-210(I) of the Code of the City of Rochester, permitted work must remain accessible and exposed until the Code Enforcement Official has inspected and accepted it; the permit holder is responsible for notifying the official when each stage is ready. The code lists ten inspection points that apply where relevant to the job: the work site itself before the permit issues, footings and foundations, preparation for a concrete slab, framing, building systems including underground work and rough-in, fire-resistant construction, fire-resistant penetrations, solid-fuel-burning heating appliances, chimneys, flues or gas vents, Energy Code compliance, and a final inspection once all permitted work is done.

If an inspection turns up noncompliant work, § 39-210(I)(3) requires it to stay exposed, uncovered and unused until it is brought into compliance, reinspected, and found satisfactory; simply covering over failed work does not close out the inspection. Inspections outside normal business hours, on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, carry a $50-per-hour charge under § 39-210(I)(4), billed for a minimum of four hours if an inspector is called in with no other inspections scheduled in that window. The inspection duty sits inside the broader building permit process set out in Article II of Chapter 39: permits are issued by the Commissioner under § 39-209, the Commissioner may attach conditions to a permit, and building permits or copies must be displayed on the job site throughout construction under § 39-210(B).

Separately, the Commissioner can halt work entirely with a stop-work order under § 39-211 whenever work proceeds in violation of the accepted plans, in an unsafe manner, or without a required permit. Completion of the inspection sequence, capped by the final inspection, is also the trigger for issuing a certificate of occupancy or letter of completion under § 39-210(F).