Wayne County, NC Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Sec. 14-64 lays out the stage-by-stage inspection sequence every Wayne County permit holder must follow. Before concrete is poured into footings, grade markers, reinforcing steel and supports must be in place (wood grade markers are not allowed). The foundation stage requires bolts installed per code, spaced 12 inches from corners and four feet on center, checked before dirt is backfilled around piers and over the footing; concrete-slab work has its own pre-pour plumbing and vapor-barrier checks. Floor framing is inspected before sheathing goes down, once the crawl space is cleared of vegetation and debris, followed by exterior sheathing and nailing, then rough-in framing, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work with holes caulked before insulation.

Insulation itself is checked before sheetrock or paneling goes up. The general contractor or permit holder must then call for a final inspection once all work, including the under-home vapor barrier, is complete and ready for a certificate of occupancy. Sec. 14-64(b) requires the holder to notify the inspection department before covering any completed work; concealed work must be uncovered on request for inspection, and failing to call for inspections or proceeding without approval at each stage is itself a violation of the article. Sec.

14-64(d) bars occupancy of any new, altered, enlarged or converted building until the inspection department issues a certificate of occupancy, though a temporary certificate can cover a portion safely ready for use before the whole building is finished. Sec. 14-64(e) also lets inspectors withhold a certificate of occupancy, via a stop order, if a setback violation surfaces before it is resolved.