Post-Install Inspection: What the City Inspector Looks For on Your Roof
The array looked finished from the curb — panels aligned, conduit neat, crew packing tools on a Thursday afternoon. Permission to operate did not follow. The inspector stood at the garage inverter for eleven minutes matching label text to the approved one-line diagram while the homeowner watched production readings on an app that had no authority to close the job.
Install Complete Is Not Inspection Passed
Mounting modules closes the construction chapter. The post-install inspection closes the code-compliance chapter. Inspectors are not grading aesthetics; they verify that what was built matches stamped plans and that safety devices required by your edition of the electrical code are present, labeled, and reachable. Until that visit passes, the utility treats your system as unauthorized generation — even if the monitoring app shows kilowatts on a sunny hour.
The Walk-Through Sequence Inspectors Repeat
Every jurisdiction reorders steps, but the same checkpoints appear on correction slips when they fail. Watch for this progression during your scheduled visit:
- Permit placard and address match — job authorized for this site today
- Roof array versus plan — module count, setbacks, and skirt placement
- Inverter nameplate and labels versus one-line diagram model numbers
- Grounding and bonding — lug torque marks, equipment grounding conductor path
- Rapid shutdown device location and listed label at the required point
- Fire service access paths — clearances on ridges, hips, and valleys
- Conduit support and penetration flashing viewed from ground where accessible
Inspectors often complete steps three through five near the inverter before they approve a roof climb. A label mismatch at the garage wall can end the visit before anyone discusses rail spacing — which surprises homeowners who assumed the roof was the whole inspection.
Labels and Placards That Fail Quietly
Rapid shutdown requirements changed across code cycles, and plan sets sometimes carry an older diagram while the crew installed a newer device family. The physical install can be correct while the sticker language or placard location is wrong for the jurisdiction's checklist. Common findings that do not require remounting panels but still fail the visit:
- Missing arc-fault or rapid shutdown placard at the main service panel
- Inverter label illegible from standing height at the inspection point
- Disconnect handle orientation blocking required working clearance
- Warning label on conduit that does not match the approved device type
- Permit card not posted where the city ordinance specifies
Production on the monitoring app proves the array generates power. It does not prove the install matches the stamped diagram the inspector signed against — and utilities will not schedule a meter swap on app screenshots alone.
Fire Setbacks Are Measured, Not Estimated
Pathways along ridges and around obstacles exist so fire crews can vent a roof during an emergency. Inspectors measure clearances with tape, not judgment from the driveway. A layout that looked compliant on paper can fail if skirt boards narrowed a path by inches during install, or if a new vent pipe appeared after the plan set was stamped. Corrections here mean remounting or relocating hardware — not swapping a label — which is why setback sheets deserve a ground-level walk before you call for inspection.
When the Crew Must Return Before the Meter Swap
A failed inspection generates a correction list, not an automatic reinspection slot. Your contractor schedules a return visit, fixes listed items, and requests a second inspection. The utility meter swap typically waits on a passed final from the building department and, in many territories, a separate sign-off forwarded to the utility portal. Homeowners who celebrate panel mount day often discover a two-week gap between a correction and the next available inspector window — during which the system may need to remain off or operate under temporary rules your utility defines.
Keep the permit folder at the inverter during inspection. When corrections are minor, the same inspector sometimes clears them on a quick return if the paperwork and labels are waiting — not buried in the house. That small habit can pull the meter swap forward without changing a single roof bolt.
