# Post Your 'Crazy Inspector' and 'Stupid Rules' Stories



## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

My recent post about an exterior exit light got me thinking about all the crazy inspectors and stupid code rules we've all come across.

So I thought we should have a dedicated thread to all those goof-ball requirements that we've been forced to comply with. And I'll start out with two doozies:



Where I work, there's two inspections for commercial elevators. Both departments have conflicting requirements for how the elevator pit is wired. So we would have to wire it one way, call for that inspection, then rip it out and redo it so it will comply with the second inspection.

Funny thing was, both departments were fully aware of their conflicts and knew that only 50% of the completed installations complied with _their_ rules. 



The other story is a rough inspection I went through with a multi-hat inspection. As we were walking through this McMansion, the inspector noted a lam-beam in the framing of the attic. Mind you, this was an exceedingly complicated high-$ house, so there was a lam-beam in the middle of the attic space, about 4' above the ceiling.

On one end of the beam was a yellow chalk "N". What did the N stood for? Who knows. It may have come from the factory that way, it may have been put on by the shipping company, or the lumber yard. Or it might have been a Z or even a 2.

But the inspector stopped and eyeballed it.

He noted the beam was installed wrong. The "N" should be on the NORTH end. (Mind you, the N _just happened_ to be on the south end of the beam)

Now, I'm just a stupid electrician, but as far as I know, straight, uncut laminated beams don't have 'ends'. Heck, they shouldn't even have crowns! So how the he11 do you install one backwards, sideways or upside-down?

Half the rafters were supported by this beam, and the roof was sheathed and top-shelf archi-grade shingles were all installed. So to pull this beam out would require the roofing to be removed, a crane brought back in to yank most of the rafters off, etc.

The half-hour solution?: The builder simply took some 800-grit sandpaper, erased the N, then stopped by the dollar store that evening and bought some kid's sidewalk chalk and reproduced the N on the opposite end & side of the beam.

The hilarious part was the inspector was called back_ the next day._ He took one look at it and said, "Yep..... looks good now!"


Honest! He thought the entire roof, (rafters, shingles and all) had been removed, the beam rotated 180° and the roof reinstalled.......... _in a day_.





Now let's hear your stories!


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## Caleb1989 (May 26, 2018)

There is a local county inspector here named Bob STICKLER, no joke. And he lives up to his name lol.

What is with these inspectors that harass little old ladies? I’m doing a job right now, she had a permitted mobile home installed on her property for her son. The inspector looked over the fence at her house and started picking at everything. 
Long story short, I’m reframing an addition roof to add more insulation!
Plus she has to tear down 2 outbuildings, get her pool permitted, mind you all this stuff was done in the early 80s. Seems like it should be grandfathered in to me.


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## Seven-Delta-FortyOne (Mar 5, 2011)

I tired of arguing with inspectors who tell me that sheathed cable can't go in conduit. Even when I show them the code _requiring_ it to be in conduit when subject to physical damage. :blink:

They say, "Yeah, but that's like for a short piece". And I say, "Show that to me". :no: But they can't.

:wallbash:


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## PancakeBrock (Jun 19, 2018)

I have to call for a footing inspection before I pour them for houses. The inspector is supposed to put a tag on the ground rod. None of the inspectors get out of their truck they just pull up and say your good to go and then don't even give me the tag. I have to sit and wait for them to just say ok go ahead. Right before my footings are ready I call for inspection so I can pour them the same day. Some times they show up quick other times they don't.

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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

Not inspector story, but new employee story. 

Dug down, exposed water main for city to make tap, residential hookup. 

Guy we hired that morning, early 20s, asks. 

That pipe "the main we had exposed" feels cool, where's the hot water main? "

He lasted 2 days

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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

I asked our city engineer once. 

Shouldn't the people you send out to critique my work, know as least a much as I do about my trade? 

His reply, if he did, he'd be your competition. 

I know my line of work is a lot different than many of you, but if I had no scruples, I could have blind sided 90 per cent of the inspectors I've dealt with. 

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## inthe6 (Mar 18, 2018)

Most recent for my inspector on a full house remodel. 

Structual Framing inspection comes and he ask me to get an engineer to comment if a 3ply 2x10 header is sufficient for a 5 foot door because it was supposed to be a 6 foot door. Then he asks me to get engineer to comment if an exiting bulk head is structural. Engineer comes and doesnt know himself. Make me put a header to support nothing. 

Same inspector comes yesterday to do my plumbing inspection. Tells me everything looks great but he needs me to vent yes vent the bathtub. Not sure exacrly why he needs a separate vent pipe for thr tub. I did the plumbing myself, im not a plumber but every inspection on my jobsa


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Another crazy requirement:

Was halfway through wiring a 4-story hotel when the fire marshal demanded a shunt-trip main breaker.

Yes.... a way to turn off the main breaker.......... for the entire building..........

And: It was to be outside..... next to the door of the electrical room.


No lock. No "Break Glass To...." Just a honkin-big red mushroom button.


Oh, sure. That's not going to be an issue.


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

480sparky said:


> Another crazy requirement:
> 
> Was halfway through wiring a 4-story hotel when the fire marshal demanded a shunt-trip main breaker.
> 
> ...


I could see me back in my early 20s hitting that SOB every night I came home from the bar. 

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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I had a landlord once who made a fortune in concrete. He knew his stuff.

Goes to build his own house and the plans called out 8 inch pier bump outs. He does 12 inch.

New just out of school inspector chick stops by to look at it and tells him to make them smaller. He asks why. They are bigger than the plans say. He says, yep. They're stronger that way. Nope, I won't allow it,it isn't on the plans.

A quick call to the county who he dealt with all the time and it was good to go.

One I dealt with was we were siding some apartments. Nailing inspection was good to go. Got signed off.

Next day same inspector stops by after we had the side of the building nearly finished. He wants the siding removed because he took the plans home and wants to look at something.

Sure, but I'd it is good, we'll send the county a bill and ask them why you are taking plans home. Lol. He got in his car and left. Never really saw him again.

Then there was the guy who would stop people in the middle of the street and ask where they were going with a water heater. He jumped through the window of one plumbers truck and tried to grab the keys.

I got lots of stories about him.

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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

One AHJ just had a nasty disagreement with the GC on a job, and a few hours later, the electrical inspection occurred. He failed my rough electric due to kitchen counter top spacing. In one instance the receptacles were 48.5 inches apart. Technically he was right. 

You know how most of us think while we're sleeping in this business? Well that night while asleep, I remembered they were installing tile backsplash. These receptacles turned an inside corner, and once the tile was set, the actual distance shrunk to 47.75 inches apart. 

Math is your friend! :laughing:


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Our city building department merged with our county department 10 years ago due to their incompetence. At one point, the lead inspector broke into a property to do an inspection. Same guy was also accused of assaulting a contractor during an inspection.

My final attempt to deal with them was for a smoking deck at a local bar. They kept throwing hurdles at us when we attempted to get permits. At one point, I flat out told the inspector that what they were telling us did not apply to our situation. The inspector replied, word for word, "Then we will find something that does apply!"

I walked away from the job and told the customer that he should call his lawyer. He didn't want to ruffle feathers, so he ended up pouring a concrete patio instead.


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## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

When I built my house the inspector failing a 2ft section of tall wall. 

The other two sections of tall wall had a split wall design but for the last two feet return the house we just did two full length studs with fire blocking. 

Made the engineer come out to confirm that full length studs where as strong as the split wall design.


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## cedarboarder (Mar 30, 2015)

A story I heard last year... inspector wanted a handrail down the middle of a residential hardwood staircase. Pretty sure he got it confused with commercial code. The inspector was chased out the house after some arguments and told to never come back. They sent another inspector the next week :laughing: no handrail in the middle.
I got a story but ill save that for when I got some more time. It's a long one. A repair turns in to a stop work order..


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

Amazingly good inspectors here but I have had some infuriating plans examiners. One didn't like the layout on the pages, so made me have the architect redraw the plans, requiring money spent and a waste of many hours of my time at the building department. No change to the information at all. 




480sparky said:


> as far as I know, straight, uncut laminated beams don't have 'ends'. Heck, they shouldn't even have crowns! So how the he11 do you install one backwards, sideways or upside-down?


Technically, they are weaker upside down due to higher grade tension members on the bottom. And you can order them with a crown.


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## Seven-Delta-FortyOne (Mar 5, 2011)

Golden view said:


> Technically, they are weaker upside down due to higher grade tension members on the bottom. And you can order them with a crown.


Didn't know you had to order them with a crown. Every one I've ever installed had one, whether we wanted it or not. :laughing: They all have an arrow, or "top" marked on them.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Golden view said:


> ...Technically, they are weaker upside down due to higher grade tension members on the bottom. And you can order them with a crown...





Seven-Delta-FortyOne said:


> Didn't know you had to order them with a crown. Every one I've ever installed had one, whether we wanted it or not. :laughing: They all have an arrow, or "top" marked on them.


Glulams generally come stamped with an up/top indicator.

The "crown" is technically called a camber and it is a called out number by architect/engineer.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

Stunt Carpenter said:


> When I built my house the inspector failing a 2ft section of tall wall.
> 
> The other two sections of tall wall had a split wall design but for the last two feet return the house we just did two full length studs with fire blocking.
> 
> Made the engineer come out to confirm that full length studs where as strong as the split wall design.


That's straight up strange. We got told by an inspector that they want to see full length studs with blocking for a tall wall and not split wall design. I think he thought the sections would fold or tip over. We did make sure to lap our sheathing over the split and I don't recall if it was also strapped with strong tie straps...

I'll have to check a code book about that sometime.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

Doing fire alarms in Oakland, California. Our fire engineer had to explain to the East Indian plan inspectors the difference between "optional" and "mandatory" that was stated in their own city code requirements.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Structural Engineer has 40 hours in designing a slab and provides all the calcs.

DSA plan check has 80+ hours in checking it and red lined several items.

SE went to back check and got everything approved as shown on his submission.


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