Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, WA Home Inspector (King of the House)

I recently wrote a post showing a high deck with missing nails in a single joist hanger. Let me be clear about it, I had to be up on a ladder to catch this easy to miss construction oversight.

I was surprised by the number of comments from those in the real estate industry who were shocked that municipal code inspectors had not zeroed in on this one. Stop right there. You will probably not see any similar comments of dismay from the working home inspectors. In fact, I know two inspectors who have, over the past two days, written posts about this myth of being able to rely on a municipal inspection as proof that a home is properly built. Codes are a good thing and they are information stored in multiple books.

What is in these books consists of bare minimum standards.  The jurisdictional code inspectors, using whatever variation of rules that apply to their jurisdiction, are a good safeguard. But, essentially, they are only offering cursory reviews. They are NOT detail-oriented inspections. Please do not assume that a house that passed a city or county or state code inspection is "clean" and does not have multiple mistakes on premises and some potentially serious safety problems.

A municipal code inspection is usually done by an employee of a government body.

The people who do the inspections are busy and saddled with many such inspections per day. The work load is heavy, with cities and counties trying to get more work from fewer people, so the inspectors spend a short period of time at multiple sites. They do not,  like a home inspector does, spend hours on a single job.

Let us look at a typical code inspection (and I admit there can be some variations): In the beginning of the project, assuming new construction, the code inspector will visit the site and look at forms for the footing/foundation to make sure that, as is required, reinforcing steel is in place for the concrete pour.

Next comes the rough-in inspection where the inspector signs off on all the framing components -- there can also be other "special" inspections along the way.  In some jurisdictions the rough-in inspection comes after the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are also in place. 

The code inspector will have a few more on-site visits to look at some of the other systems and components. For example, they want to see the wiring and the insulation inside cavities that will be covered prior to the sheet rock being installed.

As to decks and landings, requirements are basic. I have seen builders put up a simple three foot square landing and some steps. The municipal code inspectors, if it meets minimum codes, will sign off on it. The only time they would be likely to catch anything at decks, assuming there are decks when they do the final (see below) is on that final inspection where they are primarily interested in handrails and guardrails and, inside the house, smoke detectors. No way are they going to be crawling in the crawl space -- they never do that at any point in the process -- nor will they be crawling under or climbing up a ladder to see the fine details of a deck. Sure, they should be able to see, from the ground, missing lag bolts or lag screws at the ledger but not the finer details at any high or very low deck. 

Then there is real estate scenario two: A year down the road, the homeowner will take down the landing and any rails that met basic code and  build the real "dream" deck. That deck is likely to be a botched-up mess with no joist hangers, no lag bolts or screws, no flashings, no positive connections, no guardrails or handrails and steps with uneven risers. Later down the road, when this deck has weathered a bit, everyone affiliated with the sale, except for the seller who is mum and the home inspector, will argue that all of this house met the code. Not! Some did, some did not and even those areas that were inspected by the municipal inspectors might have mistakes on premises.

The point: The municipal inspectors are important. They do a good job at steering the boat through rough waters but what they do is basic. The job is not detail oriented. They look at, and paint, the big picture.

Here is a photo from my files. This high-end house had been given a final occupancy permit.

That would imply that it met the codes. Fact is that the missing rails at the long run of steps is a code oversight and a safety issue. Code violation + final occupancy = not a good combination. This, honestly, could have been caught from the city inspector's car. I have numerous such photos, some of the most egregious being obvious safety issues in sub-panels. The problems were signed off on, missed, by the electric inspector.

Municipal code inspectors, in general,  do a good and important job based on their specific role and their standards or guidelines of performance. Their standards are very different than the standards of practice of a qualified, or state licensed, home inspector. Be glad that jurisdictional code inspectors exist, but realize that they are only one safeguard in the construction process. They are not the end all be all. Myth busted!

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith