Tampa’s new-home inspection list is not a calendar that can be copied unchanged onto every project. It names separate site, structural and trade inspections; the inspector can require more for the actual scope. Use it to identify work that must remain visible and the records that still block completion.
Pre-site review and site clearing are different events
The City’s residential inspection requirements describe a pre-site inspection when plans are submitted, without a separate inspection request. The site-clearing inspection is another stage, before construction: tree-protection and silt barriers must be in place, required pruning completed, permitted trees removed or relocated, and demolition complete.
Those conditions do not authorize tree removal or demolition without the applicable approvals. They also show why the old idea of documenting only an “untouched site before clearing” was insufficient: the inspection checks specific completed preparation and protections. Ask the inspector which stage is being requested and what must be ready.
Three hold points to discuss at the start
| Before the work becomes harder to inspect | What the City’s guidance connects to that point | Coordination question |
|---|---|---|
| Covering underground work or placing a slab | Underground trade work, testing and inspection; foundation/slab requirements | Which underground and structural results must be available before this pour or backfill? |
| Insulating and closing framed spaces | Trade rough-ins, framing approval and insulation inspection | Which results apply to this area, and is framing approved before insulation? |
| Requesting final completion | Trade, roof, grading/drainage, tree, site and building stages as applicable | Which required results, documents or linked permits are still outstanding? |
This is LSL’s planning comparison, not a construction instruction or authority to reorder inspections. The City’s new-residential list includes elevation-certificate checks, wall/roof sheathing, electrical power release and other project-dependent items in addition to these groups. Have the builder identify the actual inspections on the permit rather than checking off only the examples here.
A finished house can still have an unfinished permit
The City’s completion-delay page identifies unaccepted certificates, unresolved utility conditions, unpaid fees, expired child permits and missing final approvals as potential obstacles. Some examples concern large or complex projects, such as separate fire-system permits; they do not apply automatically to every house.
Ask for the particular outstanding item, its responsible party and the action needed. “Final inspection scheduled” does not answer whether an earlier certificate was accepted or a related permit is expired. The separate project-completion guide explains how the City directs readers to its Project Coordination Status Report.
What the builder should hand over
Request the final permit/inspection status and applicable completion certificate, accepted revisions, required certificates and any unresolved conditions. Keep warranties and equipment startup records too, but do not treat them as substitutes for the public completion record.
This combined guide replaces the former site-clearing and new-home inspection ledgers. LSL read the City’s inspection and completion pages on September 21, 2026, and grouped their actual dependencies into the hold points above. We did not inspect a site, generate a private status report or approve a construction sequence. These instructions apply to the City of Tampa, not every property with a Tampa mailing address.