What Happens at a Framing Inspection

By the framing stage, the structure is up but still fully exposed, which makes this the inspector's best and often only chance to verify the structural elements before they disappear behind insulation and drywall — correct lumber sizing and spacing, proper connections and hardware at load paths, header sizes over openings, and that the framing actually matches what was approved on the permitted drawings.

It typically happens alongside, or right after, the rough-in inspections for electrical and plumbing, since all three trades need the framing finished but the walls still open. A failed framing inspection is disruptive but far cheaper to fix than the same problem discovered after drywall — which is exactly the trade-off this inspection stage exists to protect against.