New Custom Home

New Home & Multiplex Inspections Checklist in BC

Building a new home or multiplex from the ground up requires completing British Columbia's full 15-stage municipal inspection sequence. In BC, no trade work may be concealed behind concrete, backfill, sheathing, insulation, or drywall until the municipal inspector has physically examined and signed off on the work. Here is the chronological inspection checklist for new builds across BC.

New Construction Inspection Sequence

The complete chronological inspection schedule required for new custom homes, laneway houses, duplexes, and multiplexes in BC.

Stage & Trade	When to Call	What Is Checked
1. Excavation Building Inspector	Prior to placing footing formwork or pouring mud slabs.	Native soil bearing capacity, excavation depth, bedrock, and water table conditions.
2. Footing Forms Building Inspector	Formwork complete with rebar, prior to pouring concrete footings.	Footing widths/depths, rebar placement and size, keyways, and ground clearance.
3. Foundation Forms & Survey Building Inspector & BCLS	Forms erected with rebar and anchor bolts, prior to pouring walls.	Wall thickness, anchor bolts, rebar ties, and certified BCLS Forms Survey for setbacks.
4. Perimeter Drain Tile Plumbing & Building	Piping laid with washed rock, prior to backfilling around walls.	4″ perforated drain tile slope, washed crushed rock bedding, sumps, and damp-proofing.
5. Under-Slab Poly & Plumbing Plumbing & Building	Under-slab DWV piping and vapour barrier laid, prior to pouring slab.	Plumbing head pressure test, 6-mil poly ground cover, radongas rough-in, and sub-slab foam.
6. Exterior Sheathing Building Inspector	Plywood/OSB fastened to exterior walls, prior to house wrap.	Fastener spacing (6″ edge / 12″ field), structural shear walls, and hold-down brackets.
7. Rain Screen & Flashing Building Inspector	Building paper/house wrap, strapping, and window mockups installed.	10mm drainage cavity, bug screens at base/top, window sill pans, and self-adhered flashing.
8. Rough-In Trades Plumbing, Gas & Electrical	All supply/drain pipes, gas lines, HVAC ducts, and wiring pulled.	DWV water column / air test, potable water pressure, ventilation duct sizing, and wiring.
9. Structural Framing Building Inspector	Rough-in trades approved and roof watertight, prior to insulation.	Load-bearing studs, headers, engineered floor joists, point load transfers, and fire stops.
10. Mid-Construction Step Code Energy Advisor (CEA)	Framing passed and air barrier sealed, prior to or during insulation.	Blower door test (ACH@50Pa) verifying continuous airtightness before concealing poly.
11. Insulation & Vapour Barrier Building Inspector	Batts/spray foam and 6-mil poly sealed with acoustical sealant.	R-values (R-22+ walls / R-50+ attic), continuous sealed poly, and electrical box gaskets.
12. Fire Drywall Inspection Building Inspector	Drywall hung in secondary suites / garage separation, prior to taping.	5/8″ or 1/2″ Type X drywall fastener spacing (7″–8″ o.c.) and fire-stop caulking.
13. Final Step Code Blower Door Energy Advisor (CEA)	Building fully finished with all fixtures, doors, and trim installed.	Final airtightness test, EnerGuide rating, and submission of As-Built Step Code Compliance Report.
14. Final Plumbing Inspection Plumbing Inspector	All fixtures connected, backflow preventers set, and water meter installed.	Fixture operation, trap seals, water heater T&P relief valve, and cross-connection control.
15. Final Building Sign-Off Building Inspector	All trade finals passed, site graded, handrails/guards up, alarms tested.	Stair rise/run, smoke/CO alarms, exterior drainage slope, and release of Occupancy Certificate.

Project Roadmap & Scope of Work

Select a phase below to jump to the details

1
Groundwork, Footings & BCLS Foundation Survey
2
Under-Slab Plumbing & Sub-Slab Poly Barrier
3
Exterior Envelope, Sheathing & Rain Screen Mockup
4
Rough-In Trades, Framing & Mid-Blower Door Test
5
Insulation, Fire Drywall, Final Tests & Occupancy

Building a new custom home, duplex, laneway house, or multiplex in British Columbia is subject to the most thorough inspection regime in Canadian residential construction. Every structural element, plumbing run, air barrier seal, and safety fixture must be inspected and stamped before it can be legally closed in.

Prematurely covering uninspected work is a major building code violation that can result in immediate stop-work orders and costly uncovering mandates. Here is the full guide to passing your new build inspections on the first attempt.

The Golden Rule of BC Inspections: The Approved Paper Set on Site

Before calling any inspection, you must have the official city-stamped paper drawing set printed in full size (24″ × 36″ or 30″ × 42″) and placed in a weatherproof plan box or table on site.

Municipal building inspectors will cancel the inspection immediately if the stamped paper set is missing or if workers are referencing unapproved PDF drafts on their phones.

The 5 Major Inspection Phases

Phase 1: Groundwork, Footings & Legal Survey

Excavation Inspection: Confirms bearing soil capacity and excavation depth before forms are placed.
Footing Forms: Verifies footing dimensions, rebar sizes, and soil clearances before concrete is poured.
Foundation Forms & BCLS Survey: Verifies wall forms, anchor bolts, and includes submitting a certified BCLS Building Location Survey from a registered BC Land Surveyor proving the foundation matches approved property line setbacks.
Perimeter Drain Tile & Damp-Proofing: Confirms 4″ perforated drain tile slope, washed rock, and foundation asphalt emulsion before backfilling.

Phase 2: Under-Slab Poly & Sub-Slab Plumbing

Under-Slab Rough-In: Examines DWV plumbing lines under hydrostatic pressure, 6-mil poly vapour barrier, sub-slab rigid foam insulation, and radon soil gas rough-ins before pouring the basement or garage slab.

Phase 3: Exterior Envelope & Rain Screen

Sheathing & Shear Walls: Verifies plywood/OSB fastening patterns (6″ edge / 12″ field) and engineered hold-down anchors.
Rain Screen Drainage Plane: Verifies 10mm cavity strapping, base insect mesh, window sill pan flashings, and self-adhered membrane wraps before siding, brick, or stucco.

Phase 4: Rough-In Trades, Framing & Mid-Blower Door

Rough-In Trades: All plumbing DWV, gas piping, HVAC ducting, and electrical cables must be approved before the framing inspection.
Framing Inspection: Examines all load-bearing studs, engineered floor joists, point load transfers, headers, fire stops, and structural hold-downs against the approved architectural plans.
Mid-Construction Step Code Test: Certified Energy Advisors (CEAs) perform an airtightness blower door test to catch building envelope air leaks before insulating.

Phase 5: Insulation, Fire Drywall & Occupancy

Insulation & Poly: R-values checked (R-22+ walls, R-50+ ceilings) and continuous 6-mil poly sealed with acoustical sealant.
Fire Drywall: 5/8″ Type X drywall between secondary suites or garage walls inspected before taping and mudding.
Final Plumbing & Building: Smoke/CO alarms tested, stair handrails verified, exterior grading confirmed, leading to the issuance of the Occupancy Certificate.