The frame is finished, and you need to know when insulation can start. In Raleigh, request framing inspection after electrical, plumbing, and mechanical rough-in approvals. The structure must be dried in, with required framing details still visible. Check the permit record before booking the next crew. Raleigh inspection sequence
What must pass before framing inspection
Finishing the frame does not mean it has passed inspection. Raleigh places its framing inspection after the trade rough-ins. The city also expects complete roof, wall, ceiling, and floor framing, installed blocking and bracing, and fire stopping. Framing readiness
Use the approved plans and permit record as your starting point. The NC Office of State Fire Marshal publishes the state’s code editions and amendments. Its current page identifies the 2018 NC Residential Code and explains the delayed newer code implementation. Confirm which edition governs your permit before using dimensions from a newer model-code illustration. NC code references
Before requesting inspection, ask the GC to identify any open correction, missing approval, or revised drawing. Assign someone to close each open item. Check the inspection result even if the electrician says the wiring is complete.
For the whole project sequence, see the home-building sequence. Use the framing trade scope to assign crew work and return visits. Include changes other trades made after the framer left when you check readiness.
Which trades must finish first
Raleigh’s checklist requires electrical, mechanical, and plumbing approvals before framing inspection. It also expects windows and doors set, the roof covered, and specified flashing and insulation baffles visible. City readiness requirements
Use rough-in to track concealed service work and dry-in to coordinate the enclosure handoff. Raleigh requires those trade approvals and the covered roof before framing inspection. Framing prerequisites
Check where each trade has changed the framing. Ask the plumber about any changed drain location. Ask the HVAC installer about cuts or openings made for ducts. Ask the electrician whether a late box or cable route changes a structural or fire-stopping detail.
Use this table to discuss who handles each task. Check the contract and approved design before assigning it.
Scroll to read all columns.
| Interface | Question to settle before inspection | Evidence to gather |
|---|---|---|
| Framing and plumbing | Have changed penetrations been reviewed? | Revised detail or documented correction |
| Framing and HVAC | Does the installed route match the agreed openings? | Rough-in result and field issue list |
| Framing and electrical | Is disturbed blocking or protection restored? | Trade result and completed repair record |
| Roof and openings | Are required flashing details visible? | Assembly instructions and exposed installation |
| Framing and insulation | Are inaccessible cavities addressed at the correct stage? | Permit-specific direction and handoff notes |
Check these connections before covering them. PNNL’s window guidance treats flashing as a connected drainage assembly and recommends checking integration before later coverings conceal it. A finished exterior photograph cannot show every concealed transition. Window and door flashing guidance
What the inspector expects to see
The inspector checks the work against the rules and permit. NC law authorizes inspections during construction to establish that work follows state and local requirements. Use your checklist to prepare the site. The inspector still decides whether the work passes. G.S. 160D-1113
For a Raleigh deck or porch, review the deck permit and inspection preparation before arranging checks of exposed connections.
Raleigh’s rejection list identifies missing or incorrect anchors, unmet uplift requirements, incorrect header support, portal-frame details, and missing fire or draft stopping. It also names the absence of the city-stamped plan set. These published reasons do not cover the full structural inspection. Building-trade rejection reasons
Walk the house with the current plan set. Mark each mismatch by room, elevation, or grid location. A note saying “fix header” leaves too much unresolved. Identify the opening, the drawing detail, and the responsible crew.
APA’s framing guidance emphasizes matching specified panel grades, thicknesses, fastening, and load paths. It also distinguishes anchors from hold-downs. Follow the project’s details instead of fastening every wall the same way. APA framing guidance
For roof components, gather the individual truss drawings and installation information. SBCA’s BCSI guide addresses handling, installation, temporary restraint, and permanent bracing. Give the crew the project documents and installation guidance for the truss set. BCSI guide
Use the terminology in what is a roof truss when reporting a roof-framing issue. Name the member and location rather than telling the supplier that “something at the roof is wrong.”
Check changes made after the framer leaves
Check changes made during rough-in on your final framing walk. APA warns that excessive or badly placed cuts, notches, or holes can compromise engineered wood products. Those products require the manufacturer’s guidance. Engineered member checks
Ask each trade to identify its field changes before the walk. Record the member, location, reason, and person who approved the change. Ask the responsible designer or component supplier about any undocumented change.
Obtain an accepted repair detail before patching or covering a structural cut. Keep the repair visible and retain the written response with the inspection documents.
Check temporary and permanent roof restraint and bracing too. BCSI describes both categories. Ask the framer which restraints remain, which are temporary, and where the permanent details are documented. Truss installation and bracing
Prepare the site before requesting inspection
Before requesting inspection:
- Confirm the correct permit, address, requested inspection, and governing plan revision.
- Check prerequisite trade approvals in the permit record.
- Walk the framing details against the drawings with the responsible foreman.
- Collect accepted changes and correction details in the site plan set.
- Keep the required connections, flashing, protection, and stopping visible.
- Provide access and identify the person who can answer scope questions.
- Hold the insulation release until the recorded result allows the next stage.
Use these steps to prepare the site. Raleigh’s checklist sets the requirements, and the inspector answers permit questions. When to request inspection
A photograph can help locate a detail in your correction record. Take a wide photo and a close-up. Include the drawing reference in your notes so the returning crew can compare the installation with the accepted detail.
If the framing inspection fails
Start with the written inspection result. Separate incomplete prerequisites, access problems, installation defects, and questions requiring designer review. Name who handles each item before sending the report to the subs.
For each correction, record the location, required action, responsible person, and evidence needed for reinspection. Read why residential inspections fail for a correction process that covers the other trades too.
Check whether a repair affects another approved system. Ask the GC to coordinate any required follow-up with the inspector. Keep the repair accessible until the inspector accepts it.
Release the house to insulation
Raleigh puts concealed-insulation inspection after framing approval and before wall or ceiling coverings. After framing passes, prepare for insulation inspection. Drywall still has to wait. Insulation stage
Use the insulation inspection checklist to prepare the next handoff after the framing result is recorded.
Give the insulation crew the approved assembly details, completed correction list, and unresolved questions about adjoining work. Identify who repairs damage from later trade visits. Then use insulation inspection before drywall to prepare the next release.
If your project is outside Raleigh, confirm its sequence with its own authority. Durham, for example, lists courtesy open-floor and sheathing checks before later layers conceal those details. Check each city’s list before applying it elsewhere in the Triangle. Durham inspection requirements
Find related local checkpoints in NC permits and inspections.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha Search helps you find framing crews by trade, ZIP code, and radius. Portfolios and builder endorsements give you material for the first conversation, and Messages lets you discuss the scope. Verify credentials directly and use the permit record and approved drawings for the inspection release.