HyreRemodel
Plan Your Remodel

When a job goes wrong

Remodel Failed Inspection: What to Do Next

A remodel that failed inspection needs the inspector’s written correction notice first: it lists what must change before a re-inspection. The contractor who pulled the permit usually makes the corrections and rebooks.

Hold the payment tied to that stage until it passes, and keep every notice. A failed inspection is common and fixable; ignoring one is not.

Last updated

What are your rights after a failed inspection?

After a failed inspection, your main right is the one in the contract: the contractor agreed to do work that meets code, and the permit holder is responsible for corrections.

Payments tied to “passed inspection” stages are not yet due. See remodeling contracts on staging payments, and the FTC (retrieved October 22, 2026) on paying only once work is done.

Which documents should you gather?

  • The permit, its number and the name on it.
  • The inspector’s correction notice, with each item listed.
  • The approved plans the inspector checked against.
  • The contract’s payment schedule and any change orders.
  • Photos of the failed work, before it is covered.

Who should you contact?

Talk to the permit holder first, usually your contractor, and ask for a date to correct and rebook. The building department can explain any item on the notice and tell you the permit status; inspection rules and re-inspection fees are set locally.

If the contractor will not correct the work, your state contractor board takes complaints (find it in the license lookup directory), as does your attorney general (Find My AG).

How do you get the job finished?

The job gets finished one passed inspection at a time. Ask for each fix in writing, attend the re-inspection if you can, and keep the signed-off card or record.

If a correction changes the design, it is a change order. When the final inspection passes, close the permit; some places also issue a certificate of occupancy for larger work.

Plan the next stage. Plan Your Remodel: describe what failed, and a person at HyreRemodel reads it and replies.

Questions people ask

Who pays to fix a failed inspection?
If the work was the contractor’s and did not meet code, the correction is normally the contractor’s responsibility under most contracts. If the failure traces to an owner change or an owner-supplied item, read the contract. Get the answer in writing.
Is there a fee to re-inspect?
Some building departments charge a re-inspection fee; others do not. Ask yours, and agree in advance who pays it.
Can work continue after a failed inspection?
Not on the failed part. Work that the inspection covers, such as closing walls after a rough-in inspection, should wait until it passes.
What if the contractor never pulled a permit?
Then there was no inspection to fail, and the work may need a permit after the fact. Call the building department; see permits and approvals.

Related