Inspection Policies

Request Building inspections, Site inspections, and Fire Marshal inspections for building and trade permits on the CSS Portal.

• Required Inspections:  Each permit requires inspections based on the scope and nature of the work performed.  Work must not be covered up or progress until it passes required inspections.
• The inspection list is shown on the permit in the CSS Portal.  You must schedule and pass ALL required inspections.  If you think a required inspection is not applicable to your project, call the Permit Techs at 678/512-3250 to discuss.
• Who Should Request: Inspections are requested by the licensed contractor, who is responsible for ensuring that work is ready for inspection, or by the job superintendent.   
• Cutoff Time:  Inspections requested by 4:00 PM on a business day will be scheduled for the next business day.  Future dates may also be requested, up to a week in advance.
• Confirmation:  You will not receive an email confirmation that your inspection has been scheduled as requested, but you can log into the CSS Portal to verify that it’s on the schedule. 
• Time Requests:  Scheduled inspections are routed geographically, so we don’t make appointments for specific times except in special circumstances, such as early concrete pours. 
• Contractor on Site:  The contractor/job superintendent should be on the job site during inspections.  Permits must be posted, and the approved plans must be available to the inspector, or the inspection will fail.
• Arrival Time: The inspector is not expected to call contractors to alert them of expected arrival time.  It may be done as a courtesy when time allows, but most days they are very busy.
• Cancel or Reschedule:  You may cancel or reschedule an inspection in the CSS Portal before the 4:00 PM request cut-off time.  To cancel on the day of the inspection before 8:30 a.m., call 678/512-3250.  After 8:30 a.m., please notify us, but if the inspector is en route to the job site, the inspection will fail (Not Ready), and a re-inspection fee will be charged. 
• Combo Inspections:  For building projects with trade sub-contractors, the General Contractor schedules all inspections. Wall Cover, Ceiling Cover, Rough, and Final are combo inspections.
• Final Inspections: Permits must pass all required final inspections. Allowing the permit to expire without passing all inspections or obtaining a required Certificate of Occupancy may result in penalties and or citations.
• Optional Inspections:  Optional inspections may be available to contractors if the applicable to the project.
• Inspection Order:  Inspections are listed in the order they are usually performed for the type of permit you hold.  Some inspections cannot be scheduled until prerequisite inspections have passed.
• Concurrent Inspections: Building, Site, and Fire Marshal inspections may be scheduled for the same day. The Inspectors will not arrive at the same time.
• Inspection Results:  An Inspection Report is emailed as soon as the inspection result is entered. The inspection results may also be viewed in the CSS Portal by any permit contact, along with any comments.  Results are typically entered the same day.
• Re-Inspection Fees:  Re-inspection fees are charged for all failed inspections.  Invoices are sent to the Billing Contact on the permit.  They may be viewed and paid on the CSS Portal. Fees must be paid before the next inspection can be scheduled.

For assistance with scheduling inspections, contact the Permit Technicians at 678-512-3250 during business hours.  For questions about inspection results, contact the Inspector directly.

Inspection Results

• Pass:  The work inspected is code compliant.
• Partial Pass:  At the inspector’s discretion, a Partial Pass result may be given.  Typically used for complex commercial projects.
• Re-Inspection Required / Non-compliance / In Violation:  These results all mean the inspection has Failed. The work inspected is not code compliant. The issues will be noted in the Inspection Report.  When all corrections are completed, the inspection may be re-scheduled.  Re-inspection fees are charged and must be paid before re-scheduling.
• Canceled: The inspection was canceled before the cut-off time.

Inspections may fail if the work is not compliant with applicable codes and regulations or is not ready for inspection, the contractor/job superintendent is not on-site, the approved plans are not on-site, the permits are not posted, the inspector does not have access to the job site, or the inspection is canceled after the cut-off time.

How to Request Inspections in the CSS Portal

Note: Case Number = Permit Number = Job ID. These are different names for the same thing.

• Log in to the CSS Portal.  Click on My Work, then the Request Inspections tab to select from the list, which displays your available inspections.  Locate the permit and the inspection type you would like to request and select it.
• Check the box to the left of the Case Number for each inspection you’re requesting.  Multiple inspections for multiple properties and/or multiple types of inspections may be requested simultaneously.
• Click the blue Request Inspection button.
• Click on the Calendar to the Requested Date section’s right and choose the date.
• Enter on-site contact name and phone number.
• Enter comments: lot number, gate code, special instructions
• If scheduling just one inspection, click the Submit button. If scheduling more than one inspection, click the Request All button.  A message with a green check mark confirms that the request was completed.