The DOB inspection timeline, explained

Inspections are where a permit meets the real world. Each one is a checkpoint the Department of Buildings uses to confirm the work matches the approved drawings — and passing them cleanly is what keeps a project moving toward sign-off.

Most builds move through a predictable sequence: foundation and footings, structural framing, the rough-ins for plumbing, electrical and mechanical, then insulation, and finally the closings that lead to a certificate of occupancy or completion.

Each phase has to pass before the next is covered up — which is exactly why sequencing matters so much.

Failures usually come down to work that doesn't match the filed drawings, or a phase that got covered before it was signed off. Both are avoidable with a superintendent who schedules inspections into the plan rather than treating them as interruptions.

We book inspections ahead of when we'll need them and keep the paperwork ready, so a passed phase flows straight into the next. Managing this in-house is what keeps approvals from becoming the thing everyone waits on.