jar546
CBO
There is a persistent and misguided belief in some parts of Pennsylvania that inspectors are only required to perform the mandatory inspections listed in §403.64 and §403.65 of the UCC. That belief is not just wrong, it is a disservice to the profession and to public safety.
Let’s be clear. The list in §403.64 represents the minimum. It does not define or limit the full scope of an inspector’s legal responsibility.
The actual obligation is found in §403.45(a), which states:
That means the job is to confirm compliance with the entire UCC, not just a short checklist of milestones. If insulation, duct sealing, firestopping, energy code measures, or structural fastening methods are on the plans and required by the UCC, they must be inspected, whether or not they appear on that short list.
The role of the inspector is also defined by their certification. Under § 401.7, each certification category, such as mechanical, energy, accessibility, plumbing, or electrical, comes with a detailed set of duties. These are not vague or optional. They are tied to what the inspector is certified to do, and those tasks must be performed during the inspection process.
For example, a certified Energy Inspector under §401.7(10):
Their duties include:
If you are certified as an energy inspector and you are not inspecting insulation, duct sealing, and related items, you are not meeting the standard set in §401.7. And if you are signing off on the final inspection without verifying those items, you are violating §403.45(e)(7), which requires confirmation of energy code compliance at the final.
Now let’s apply this same logic to another certification. A Plumbing Inspector under §401.7(9):
And more specifically:
This is not a summary. That is the literal scope of work that a certified plumbing inspector is legally required to verify. If none of those items are being inspected because someone claims they are not on the “mandatory” list, then the UCC is not being enforced, and the inspection is not valid.
So let’s stop pretending that the mandatory inspection list is the beginning and end of our responsibility. It is not. Your certification, the approved plans, and the Uniform Construction Code itself all require much more, and the code is explicit about that.
If someone chooses to ignore that, they are not just cutting corners. They are opening themselves and their municipality or company up to liability. Worse, they are undermining the integrity of what we do.
It is time we raise the bar and hold the line. We are not just box checkers. We are code officials.
Let’s be clear. The list in §403.64 represents the minimum. It does not define or limit the full scope of an inspector’s legal responsibility.
The actual obligation is found in §403.45(a), which states:
That means the job is to confirm compliance with the entire UCC, not just a short checklist of milestones. If insulation, duct sealing, firestopping, energy code measures, or structural fastening methods are on the plans and required by the UCC, they must be inspected, whether or not they appear on that short list.
The role of the inspector is also defined by their certification. Under § 401.7, each certification category, such as mechanical, energy, accessibility, plumbing, or electrical, comes with a detailed set of duties. These are not vague or optional. They are tied to what the inspector is certified to do, and those tasks must be performed during the inspection process.
For example, a certified Energy Inspector under §401.7(10):
Their duties include:
If you are certified as an energy inspector and you are not inspecting insulation, duct sealing, and related items, you are not meeting the standard set in §401.7. And if you are signing off on the final inspection without verifying those items, you are violating §403.45(e)(7), which requires confirmation of energy code compliance at the final.
Now let’s apply this same logic to another certification. A Plumbing Inspector under §401.7(9):
And more specifically:
This is not a summary. That is the literal scope of work that a certified plumbing inspector is legally required to verify. If none of those items are being inspected because someone claims they are not on the “mandatory” list, then the UCC is not being enforced, and the inspection is not valid.
So let’s stop pretending that the mandatory inspection list is the beginning and end of our responsibility. It is not. Your certification, the approved plans, and the Uniform Construction Code itself all require much more, and the code is explicit about that.
If someone chooses to ignore that, they are not just cutting corners. They are opening themselves and their municipality or company up to liability. Worse, they are undermining the integrity of what we do.
It is time we raise the bar and hold the line. We are not just box checkers. We are code officials.