Scottsdale Building Inspections for New Homes: The Sequence Through Final and CO

A Scottsdale home is inspected in a fixed order while it is being built, and each phase has to pass before the work is buried behind concrete, drywall, or stucco. The whole sequence ends with a final inspection that unlocks your Certificate of Occupancy, the document that legally lets you move in. This page lays out the order, how to schedule each one, and how the final ties to the CO.

The inspection sequence

Inspections follow the build from the ground up. The city calls each one at a point where the work is still visible. The typical order for a new house:

1. Foundation. When the footing excavation is done and steel reinforcement is set, but before any concrete is poured.
2. Under-slab. When the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical lines under the floor are in, before the slab is poured over them.
3. Roof deck. When sheathing and tie-downs are complete.
4. Framing. When walls, fire blocking, draft stops, and the rough plumbing, electrical, and mechanical are all in place, before anything gets covered.
5. Insulation. Before the drywall goes up.
6. Lath or gypsum board. Before plastering or stucco is applied.
7. Final. When the house is complete and all fixtures are set, before anyone occupies it.

The order matters because an inspector cannot approve what is already hidden. For example, suppose a framer finishes a 2,800 square foot Scottsdale house and the drywall crew hangs board over the walls before the framing inspection is called. The inspector cannot see the wiring, plumbing rough-in, or fire blocking, so the work fails. The crew has to cut out sections of new drywall to expose the framing, then re-inspect and re-patch, which can add a week and real labor cost to the schedule. The City of Scottsdale is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) , so its inspectors set and enforce this sequence.

How scheduling and the final tie to your CO

You schedule inspections yourself through the city. Projects started in the new Scottsdale SPUR portal schedule there: pick the permit, open the Inspections tab, choose the inspection type, and request a date. On inspection day you can also reach your assigned inspector by phone in an early-morning window, around 6 to 6:30 a.m. in summer or 7 to 7:30 a.m. in winter.

The final inspection is the gate to occupancy. The city is plain about what the result means:

Upon passing a Final Inspection, a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) is issued, allowing for the business to begin operation or a homeowner to move in.

If you need to move in before every last item is finished, Scottsdale can issue a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) after a special inspection. The TCO requires a refundable cash deposit equal to the total of your permit fees or two thousand five hundred dollars, whichever is greater, held until the full CO issues. The CO rules live in Scottsdale Revised Code, Chapter 31, Article VII.

When this comes into play

This process runs across the entire construction phase of your build:

• Pour days. You cannot pour a footing or slab until the foundation or under-slab inspection passes, so the inspection schedule drives the concrete schedule.
• Close-in. Framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical all get inspected at the framing stage before insulation and drywall. A failed framing inspection stops the whole cover-up.
• Move-in. The final inspection, or a TCO with its deposit, is what legally clears you to occupy. Closing a sale or starting a mortgage often requires the CO in hand.

What this means for you

Treat the inspection calendar as the spine of your build schedule, not an afterthought. Each phase has to pass before the next trade can cover its work, so a missed or failed inspection delays everything downstream. Schedule early through SPUR, and have your permit number and the right inspection type ready. If your timeline is tight near the end, ask about a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, but budget for the refundable deposit it requires. Do not move furniture or family in before the CO or TCO is issued, because occupying without it is a code violation.

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

Source

The inspection sequence, scheduling, and Certificate of Occupancy rules are published by the City of Scottsdale: Certificate of Occupancy on scottsdaleaz.gov . For the full list of inspection types and contacts, see Inspection Services .

This page is general information, not a code interpretation. Inspection steps and CO requirements change, so confirm the current process with Scottsdale Planning and Development before you schedule.