//Quick answer
- The inspector checks the work against the code the city has adopted, not against a preference.
- A failed inspection is a correction list, then a re-inspection.
- The most common flag in Done-Rite's experience: a missing carbon monoxide alarm.
- Your city's building department owns the checklist; confirm specifics with them.
01Definition
What is an inspection for?
It verifies that the permitted work was done the way the adopted code requires, at the point where it can still be seen. For a water heater that is after the install; for a sewer line, before the trench closes; for a repipe, with the piping exposed and under pressure; for gas, during a pressure test. The inspector signs the permit when it passes, and that signature is the record.
What does the inspector generally look at, by job?
Water heater: gas or electrical connection, venting and clearances, seismic bracing, water connections, the relief valve and its drain. Sewer: material, slope, bedding, connections, and a test before backfill. Gas: a pressure test, pipe size for the total demand, materials, support and shutoffs. Repipe: material, support, protection through framing, routing, and a pressure test at rough-in. Each list is general; the authority having jurisdiction has the actual checklist.
02When it applies
What happens when an inspection fails?
The inspector lists the corrections. The contractor fixes them and schedules a re-inspection. It is not a fine or a citation; it is the process working. Done-Rite treats a correction as its own to fix, not yours to chase.
What is the most common surprise on an Orange County inspection?
In Done-Rite's field experience, the most common thing an Orange County inspector flags on a permitted plumbing job is a missing carbon monoxide alarm, so the crew checks for one before scheduling the inspection. That is field experience with local inspectors, not a statement of what the code requires: the California Residential Code (R315.2.2) exempts installation, alteration and repair of plumbing systems from the carbon monoxide alarm trigger.
03What goes wrong
What goes wrong when work is never inspected?
The mistakes an inspector would have caught stay in the wall, in the trench or at the appliance. Some show up as a leak years later; some show up as a failed home inspection at resale; the gas and venting ones can show up as a health problem. The point of the visit is that somebody who is not the installer looks.
04Proof
- When a job needs a permit, Done-Rite pulls it and schedules the inspection.
- California CSLB C-36 licence #998069. Licensed, bonded and insured, with workers compensation.
- Six plumbers averaging more than 9 years in the trade each, plus a General Manager with 25+ years.
- 4.9 stars across 1,720+ Google reviews on the Orange profile, checked September 17, 2026.
05Action
We schedule it, we meet it, we fix anything it flags
When a job needs a permit, Done-Rite pulls it and handles the inspection as part of the work. Call or request a quote and ask how the permit fits your job.
//Please read
Educational guidance, not legal advice. Permit and code requirements are set by the building department with jurisdiction over your address and change on adoption cycles. Confirm current requirements with your city's building department before acting on anything here. Done-Rite pulls the permit when a job requires one.
Authority cited: the California Residential Code as adopted by your city, and California Business and Professions Code section 7030.5 (licence display). Reviewed by Dee Alkouri, General Manager, Done-Rite Plumbing & Rooter. Re-review trigger: any code adoption cycle or a change in Done-Rite's permit practice.
//Keep going
Learn
//Terms used in this guide
Where this applies
Done-Rite runs these calls across Orange County from its shop in Anaheim, CA, with no trip charge in any city it serves.
Common questions
A correction and a re-inspection are part of the process. Done-Rite fixes what the inspector flags on its own work. Whether the city charges a re-inspection fee is set by each building department.
It depends on the city and where the work is. Done-Rite coordinates the visit and tells you if you need to be there.
