After Columbus Building and Zoning Services issues your permit, inspectors check the work in stages, starting at the footings and ending with final structural approval. Work must be inspected before it gets covered up. Schedule online or at (614) 645-8235, up to midnight for the next business day. A permit cannot close until every required inspection is approved.
This applies inside Columbus city limits. Which inspections your job needs depends on the permit: a roof replacement has one, while an addition can have most of the list below. In unincorporated Franklin County and in the suburbs, a different office runs inspections, so check yours.
The Order of Inspections
From the city’s 2026 inspection guide. Your job only has the ones its permits call for.
| Stage | When it happens |
|---|---|
| Footing | Before concrete goes in |
| Foundation and slab | Before they get backfilled or poured over |
| Rough mechanical, electrical and plumbing | Before walls are closed |
| Rough structural | After framing, before walls are closed |
| Insulation | Before drywall |
| Final mechanical, electrical and plumbing | When the trades are finished |
| Final structural | At the end. Approval allows the certificate of occupancy |
Scheduling and Trips
- Schedule online or at (614) 645-8235, up to midnight for the next business day
- Time-of-day requests are not guaranteed, so someone needs to be ready
- Each visit uses a trip, whether it passes or fails
- When your trip balance reaches zero, more trips must be purchased before another inspection
- Failing to cancel on time also loses a trip
If an Inspection Fails
The inspector notes what needs correcting. It gets fixed, then a new inspection is scheduled, which uses another trip. Work that the failed inspection covers should stay open until it passes.
Each extra visit costs a trip and time on the schedule, so it pays to make sure the work is really ready before calling for an inspection.
Occupancy and Closing the Permit
Under the Residential Code of Ohio, new space cannot be used or occupied until a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. Keep it: buyers, appraisers and insurers may ask for it.
City vs. county permits and historic districts: Columbus service area →
Questions, Answered
How do I schedule a building inspection in Columbus?
Online through the city, or by calling (614) 645-8235. Requests made by midnight are for the next business day. You cannot count on a specific time of day.
What happens if I fail a building inspection in Columbus?
The work gets corrected and re-inspected. Every visit uses a trip no matter the result, and more trips have to be bought once your balance runs out. The city does not publish a set correction deadline, so ask your inspector.
What is the last inspection on a house project in Columbus?
Final structural, after the final mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspections. Final structural approval allows the certificate of occupancy, and all required inspections must be approved before the permit closes.
Who schedules the inspections, me or the contractor?
Whoever holds the permit is responsible, which on a hired job in Columbus means the licensed contractor. Homeowners can only pull permits for work they do themselves on a single-family home they live in. Ask at signing who will be calling for inspections.
Want someone else to manage the inspections?
See how we run a job from permit to final, with real project photos and reviews, on our General Contractor page, or request a free written estimate.