Inspection process
Rough-in inspection
Also called: rough inspection
A rough-in inspection checks the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work that runs inside the framing while it is still open and visible. Boxes, cable, conduit, supply and waste piping, and duct are verified for support, protection, clearances, and — for plumbing — the pressure or water test that has to pass before anything gets covered. It is a gate: the wall stays open until rough-in is signed off.
Why it matters
Once drywall goes up, everything behind it is expensive to reach. The rough-in inspection is the last honest look at the piping and wiring you'll live with, so a missed nail plate, an unsupported run, or a failed pressure test caught here saves opening a finished wall later.
How it shows up on site
Each trade calls its own rough-in — electrical, plumbing, mechanical — and the AHJ typically inspects before the pre-cover walk closes the assembly. Work is judged against the applicable installation codes: NEC for wiring, the plumbing code for piping, the mechanical code for duct.
Standards it's verified against
Checklists that put rough-in inspection to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Pre-cover inspectionThe last inspection of an assembly before it is concealed — drywall, insulation, backfill, or a slab pour that hides the work underneath.
- Hold pointA stop in the inspection and test plan where work cannot continue until a required party inspects and signs off the release.
- Inspection and test plan (ITP)A document that lays out, activity by activity, what gets inspected or tested, who does it, against which standard, and what record it produces.
- Witness pointA step where a party is invited to observe the work, but the crew may proceed if that party doesn't attend within the agreed notice.
- Definable feature of workA discrete, separately inspectable task or segment of work with its own start, finish, and acceptance criteria within the QC plan.
- Preparatory phase inspectionThe first of the three phases of control — a before-work review of submittals, materials, and criteria for a definable feature of work.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.