Common Electrical Rough-In Inspection Fails

Missing or insufficient nail plates protecting wiring where it runs through studs near the surface is one of the most common fails — without them, a drywall screw or a picture-hanging nail can pierce a live wire years after the inspection passed. Improperly secured cable, junction boxes without covers, and outlets that aren't within reach of the required spacing along a wall round out the usual list.

Arc-fault and ground-fault protection requirements have also expanded in recent code cycles, covering more rooms than they used to, which trips up renovators working from an older mental checklist. Since rough-in inspection happens before drywall goes up, it's the one point in a project where these issues are cheap and easy to fix — after that, it means cutting into a finished wall.