Building inspection

A building inspection is an inspection performed by a building inspector, a person who is employed by either a city, township or county and is usually certified in one or more disciplines qualifying them to make professional judgment about whether a building meets building code requirements. A building inspector may be certified either as a residential or commercial building inspector, or as a plumbing, electrical or mechanical inspector or other specialty-focused inspector who may inspect structures at different stages of completion. Most building inspectors employed by governments are certified by the State or the International Code Council (ICC). These inspections are done to assure compliance with whatever building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical or specialty codes, such as swimming pool codes, that are being enforced by the jurisdiction in which they work. There are many categories and levels of ICC certified inspectors.

The term building inspector is sometimes used for persons who inspect houses to assure compliance with the plans and to check workmanship as well as code compliance, or a home inspector consulted in conjunction with a house sale. These building inspectors are private contractors and are not connected with any governmental department or agency.