Paradise Valley Building Inspections for New Homes: Scheduling, Sequence, and CO

A new home in Paradise Valley gets inspected in a set order as it is built, and each stage must pass before the work is buried behind concrete, drywall, or stucco. The sequence follows the International Residential Code (IRC) Section R109, which the Town adopted. It ends with a final inspection that is required on every permit and clears the home for occupancy. This page covers how to schedule, the order of the stops, and how the final ties to your move-in.

How to schedule, with the next-day cutoff

You request each inspection yourself, and you need a valid permit number to do it. The Town gives two ways, and it is direct about both:

The Town of Paradise Valley has now implemented an interactive phone response system that provides access for the scheduling of building inspections 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You may dial into this system at 480-348-3581. Calls received before 3 p.m. will be issued a confirmation number, and the requested inspection performed the next business day.

The second way is online through the Citizen Portal, the Town's Accela permitting system, where you can request inspections, track status, and upload documents. You must have a valid permit number for either system. The 3 p.m. cutoff is the one to plan around: a request logged at 2:45 p.m. lands the next business day, while one at 3:15 p.m. slips a day. If the system gives you trouble, a Building Services staff member answers at 480-948-7411.

For example, suppose your superintendent calls in a framing inspection at 4 p.m. on a Thursday thinking it will be seen Friday. Because it missed the 3 p.m. cutoff, it is scheduled for the following business day, and on a holiday week that can push the drywall crew back several days. Logging the request before 3 p.m. the day before is the habit that keeps the trades moving.

The inspection sequence

Paradise Valley inspects the build from the ground up, calling each point while the work is still visible. The IRC sets the required stops, and the Town is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) that enforces them. In order:

1. Foundation, before concrete. Footing trenches, rebar, hold-downs, and the electrical grounding are checked after forms and reinforcement are set, before any pour.
2. Rough plumbing, mechanical, gas, and electrical. Checked before they are covered and before framing, while pipes, ducts, and wires are open.
3. Framing. Checked after the roof is on and the rough trades pass, covering framing, firestopping, draftstopping, and bracing.
4. Final. Made after all work is complete and before anyone occupies the home.

An inspector cannot approve what is already hidden, so the order is fixed. This matters more in Paradise Valley than in most of the metro because the Town runs an older code cycle (the 2015 IRC), and large custom estates here carry long inspection lists. A failed stage means correction notes, a fix, and a re-inspection before work continues.

The final inspection and occupancy

The Town states that a final inspection must be performed on every permit, including demolition permits. On a new home, that final is the gate to occupancy. After it passes and any holds clear, the Town issues the Certificate of Occupancy (CO), the document that legally lets you move in and that a closing or mortgage usually requires. The final inspection is therefore the single most schedule-critical visit on the whole job.

This plays out at three moments in your build. On pour days, the foundation inspection has to pass before concrete goes in. At close-in, the rough and framing inspections gate the cover-up. At move-in, the final and the CO clear you to occupy.

What this means for you

Build the inspection calendar into your schedule and protect the 3 p.m. cutoff. Schedule through the 480-348-3581 line or the Citizen Portal the day before you need an inspection, and always have your permit number ready. Never let a crew cover wiring, plumbing, or framing before it passes, because exposing it again costs a week. Do not move family in until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued, because occupying without it is a code violation.

This entry closes the Paradise Valley module loop. The codes your work is inspected against are in Paradise Valley Adopted Building Codes , and the permit that authorizes the build is in Paradise Valley Residential Building Permit Requirements . For the full journey, see the steps to building a custom home in Arizona .

Source

The phone scheduling system, the 3 p.m. cutoff, the permit-number requirement, the Citizen Portal option, and the every-permit final inspection rule are published by the Town of Paradise Valley: Inspection Scheduling on paradisevalleyaz.gov . You schedule online through the Citizen Portal . The required inspection stops come from 2015 IRC Section R109 , the edition the Town adopted.

This page is general information, not a code interpretation. Scheduling steps and CO requirements change, so confirm the current process with Paradise Valley Building Services before you schedule.