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Inspections
Residential - New Building Construction

 

How do I know when to call for an inspection?

New residential building construction requirements:

INSPECTION TYPE	Permit Type	Preparation
FOOTING	Building Permit	Before pouring concrete, the property must be flagged in such a manner that the building inspector can verify the general setback requirements. Dig your footing trench, install grade stakes to show the depth of concrete to be poured. Some footings may require additional reinforcement which must be in place at the time of inspection. After approval of the footing inspection you may proceed with the placement of concrete and the framing of your structure.
Water/Sewer	Plumbing Permit	When tapping mains/before backfill Note: Well water and septic tank must contact the Health Department for permit.
Rough-In	Electrical Permit New procedures 3/5/07 Plumbing Permit Mechanical Permit	Have the work inspected and approved before covering the wall. Inspector will inspect duct works and all equipment is in the right place.
Gas Pressure Test	Gas Permit	Have work inspected before concealing gas piping.
Framing	Building Permit	All framing are conformed to the plan with insulation. The exterior walls and roof may be covered (dried-in).  The interior of the structure shall be left open and unfinished.
Final	Mechanical Permit Electrical Permit New procedures 3/5/07 Plumbing Permit Gas Permit	After work is complete
Final	Building Permit	Inspector will check the following items: • Attic insulation • Crawl space • Grade around the house • Grade underneath the house • Handrail • Landscape • Posted house numbers • Smoke detector • Stairs • Under-house insulation
Lot Grading Certificate	Builder/Owner	Must be received in the Neighborhood Services Department Office.
Flood Zone Letter for the property in flood zone.	Builder/Owner	Must provide a FEMA flood zone letter. www.fema.gov/pdf/nfip/elvcert.pdf
Septic	Builder/Owner	Must deliver the Septic and Well Approval Letter from the Health Department to Neighborhood Services Department.
Print above chart - Required Steps pdf format

 

Who should I call to request an inspection?

The City will make every effort to provide inspections on your requested date. However, please be aware, the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code allows two working days from the date of request to perform the inspection.

You can request your inspections by mail, email, phone, fax (contact info below) or online at www.cityofchesapeake.net. Click here for instructions.

 

New Process for Requesting Inspections

Effective February 12, 2007, the Neighborhood Services Department has a new process for inspection requests.  You may request inspections by telephone, email, fax, mail and our new online inspection requests service.

All requested inspections will be directed to and processed by the City’s Customer Contact Center at (757) 382-CITY (2489).   You may also submit your inspection request online via the City of Chesapeake Customer Contact Center. 

We still accept requests by fax and email.p;

Next-business-day inspection requests by phone, fax, mail or email must be received by 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Any requests after 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
will be scheduled for Tuesday.

Instructions for Requesting an Inspection:

• Request by phone
• Request by fax
• Request by mail
• Request by email
• Request online

Request by Phone

All inspections by phone will be directed to the City’s Customer Contact Center at 382-CITY (2489). 
Operator on duty - MON– FRI, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Callers must be prepared to provide specific required information when requesting an inspection. 

• Permit Number

• Property Address

• Type of Inspections - See Required Steps pdf format

• Contractor’s Name

• Phone Number

• Requestor Name

Request by Fax

By completing our inspection request form, you may fax your inspection requests at (757) 382-8448 or (757) 382-8555.

Request by Mail

By completing our inspection request form, you may mail your inspection requests to:

City of Chesapeake
     Department of Neighborhood Services
     P.O. Box 15225
     Chesapeake, VA 23328

Request by email

You may send us an email to request your inspection(s).  Our email address is neighborserv@cityofchesapeake.net

Request Online

Inspection requests via this communication method are available 24/7.  The following are instructions to assist you in creating a valid request for an inspection:

• Go to www.cityofchesapeake.net  website and click on the Customer Contact Center Request a City Service link in the top right-hand corner of the page.

• The next screen will display a heading of Service Type with an indicating a drop-down menu. Click on the and then click on Inspection Request.

• This selection will now take you to the intake screen for your inspection request.  Appearing on this first screen will be

  Inspection Request - Request this Service.

  Click on the Request this Service link.

• Provide the address of the site you want to have inspected.  For commercial sites, there are additional spaces for information to be provided that may be of assistance to the inspector such as the building name, floor and unit number. Now click on the Continue button.

• In the appropriate boxes, indicate the permit number associated with your inspection request (Alpha character followed by 9 numerical characters). If requesting a building, electrical and plumbing inspection, you will need to indicate that permit number in the space provided by each category.

• Once you have entered the permit number, you may now select the type of inspection you need.  If you have multiple inspections for that permit, you only need to hold down the CTRL key and click each type of inspection.

• Specify the date you want the inspection as indicated, MM/DD/YYYY.  Example:  01/20/2007

• If there are any special instructions to the inspector about this inspection, please list them in the appropriate box.  Items that would fit into this field would be that the neighbor on the left has the key to the house or the lock box combination is 4567.

• In the event that we need to contact the person making the request, please provide the Requestor's Name and daytime phone number where indicated.

• Click on the Review button. Your request will be displayed for you to review and edit, start over or submit options.  When you are ready to make your request complete, click the Submit button and you’re done.

• To save steps in the future , go directly to online Inspection Request.

How do I know if my inspection was approved?

1. As of August 15, 2003, the Department of Neighborhood Services issued standard operating procedures for residential inspection stickers (click here for more details).

   Two stickers
         YELLOW – Rough-In, Framing & Insulation Inspection,
         GREEN    – Final Inspections
   will be posted at the construction site at all times during construction process.
   When approved, the inspectors will sign the requested inspection.

2. The Department of Neighborhood Services provides the citizen a daily online Inspection Results listing.

   Inspections Results Status
   Lookup results online

   Inspections Request Form

   Inspections for the previous day are updated daily after 2:00 p.m.
   The inspection status will remain on-line for seven working days only. If the requested inspection is performed more than 7 days ago, call (757) 382-6018 for your inspections results.

3. Normally, the Code Compliance inspectors will leave a yellow inspection card at the job site to notify the permit holder if the inspection is approved or rejected with the information of the reason for rejection.

When can I move in to my new home?

All new residential are required to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy after the completion of the construction inspection.

As required by Section §116.1 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, any building or structure constructed under this code shall not be used until a Certificate of Use and Occupancy has been issued by the building official.

 

What can I do if my inspections are not finalized and I must move in?

You may contact the Building Code Official in the Department of Neighborhood Services and apply for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. However, the following are guidelines to apply for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy:

1. The building permit holder is the only party eligible to request a temporary certificate of occupancy.
2. All inspections (plumbing, electical, mechanical, gas) except building final must be finalized. A final building inspection must be done before applying.
3. If the property located in the flood zone, the FEMA letter is required.
4. Septic letter (if applicable) must be received in this office.
5. The minor rejection for the building final is considered in the temporary certificate of occupancy process.

Should the applicant fail to renew and/or complete inspections/conditions of a permit authorized a temporary occupancy, this privilege will be suspended until full compliance is achieved.

Electrical Permitpdf format
New procedures 3/5/07

Plumbing Permit pdf format
Mechanical and Gas Permit pdf format

Permits are also available online in other formats.
See Forms & Permits.