One of the comments that keeps popping up on my TikTok videos is “Why bother pulling a permit if the inspector isn’t going to look at anything?” That is not just trolling. That is a legitimate criticism of our profession, and it should make every inspector stop and think.
We all know there are inspectors who show up, shoot the breeze with the contractor, sign off the job, and drive away without ever looking at the work. They think they are being friendly, they think they are avoiding conflict, or maybe they are just burned out and going through the motions. Whatever the reason, they are damaging this profession and giving all of us a bad name.
On the other end of the spectrum are the inspectors who turn every inspection into a power trip. They invent rules that do not exist in the code. They write contractors up because it is “their way” or “the way they did it in the trade.” They create failures out of nothing because they think passing an inspection without writing something up means they are not doing their job. In reality, it just shows they do not know their job.
So here we are stuck between two extremes. On one side, the pass everything inspector who cannot enforce the minimum standards. On the other side, the "my way" inspector who forces personal preferences instead of the actual code. Both are poison. Both destroy credibility. One creates an environment where substandard work passes for years until another jurisdiction finally enforces the code. The other creates resentment and mistrust because contractors feel like they are being shaken down by an inspector on a power trip.
This is not complicated. The job of an inspector is to enforce the minimum code. Nothing more. Nothing less. The code is the standard. Not your opinion. Not your mood. Not your fear of confrontation. And not your personal history in the trade.
The inspectors who pass everything and the inspectors who make up their own rules both fail the public. They also fail the contractors who actually care about doing things right. Worst of all, they fail to uphold the credibility of our profession. Every time one of these inspectors walks off a site, they reinforce the idea that permits and inspections are a joke.
I care deeply about this industry. That is why I am saying this bluntly. If you recognize yourself in either of these categories, you need to take a hard look at why you are still doing this job. The public deserves better. The contractors deserve better. And our profession deserves better.
We all know there are inspectors who show up, shoot the breeze with the contractor, sign off the job, and drive away without ever looking at the work. They think they are being friendly, they think they are avoiding conflict, or maybe they are just burned out and going through the motions. Whatever the reason, they are damaging this profession and giving all of us a bad name.
On the other end of the spectrum are the inspectors who turn every inspection into a power trip. They invent rules that do not exist in the code. They write contractors up because it is “their way” or “the way they did it in the trade.” They create failures out of nothing because they think passing an inspection without writing something up means they are not doing their job. In reality, it just shows they do not know their job.
So here we are stuck between two extremes. On one side, the pass everything inspector who cannot enforce the minimum standards. On the other side, the "my way" inspector who forces personal preferences instead of the actual code. Both are poison. Both destroy credibility. One creates an environment where substandard work passes for years until another jurisdiction finally enforces the code. The other creates resentment and mistrust because contractors feel like they are being shaken down by an inspector on a power trip.
This is not complicated. The job of an inspector is to enforce the minimum code. Nothing more. Nothing less. The code is the standard. Not your opinion. Not your mood. Not your fear of confrontation. And not your personal history in the trade.
The inspectors who pass everything and the inspectors who make up their own rules both fail the public. They also fail the contractors who actually care about doing things right. Worst of all, they fail to uphold the credibility of our profession. Every time one of these inspectors walks off a site, they reinforce the idea that permits and inspections are a joke.
I care deeply about this industry. That is why I am saying this bluntly. If you recognize yourself in either of these categories, you need to take a hard look at why you are still doing this job. The public deserves better. The contractors deserve better. And our profession deserves better.
