Technological advances from online permit applications to digital plan review are transforming how local, state, and national governments ensure buildings are safe and code-compliant. By speeding up processes and saving money, these tools create opportunities to address California’s housing affordability crisis and meet its ambitious clean energy goals.
Every unnecessary cost increase compounds the challenge of building homes. Luckily, local jurisdictions have new tools to reduce frictions and costs for builders. Remote inspections are among the most promising, tried-and-tested of these tools. In response to disruptions in operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many building departments pivoted to remote inspections for routine inspections if they hadn’t already. Remote virtual inspections (RVI) allow owners or contractors on the job site to send photos, recorded video, and live video to building departments to conduct remote inspections.
Many U.S. cities and counties sustained or expanded their remote inspection programs after recognizing their long-term benefits. Los Angeles County implemented its remote video inspection program in early 2019 for 14 types of simple home renovation projects. Texas and Florida both have state laws authorizing remote inspections, and Florida requires them for some permits. The International Code Council, the main code-making body in the United States, has issued best practices and considerations for remote inspections, and the National Fire Protection Association and the federal Housing and Urban Development agency have issued remote inspection standards.
SPUR identified at least 19 jurisdictions in California that offer remote inspections for at least some permits/scopes of work across both residential and commercial projects:
- City and County of Los Angeles
- City of Santa Barbara
- City of San Mateo
- City of Berkeley
- City of San Ramon
- Santa Clara County
- City of Oceanside
- Sonoma County
- City of Irvine
- City of San Diego
- Placer County
- San Bernardino County
- City of Anaheim
- City of Corona
- City of Santa Rosa
- Orange County
- Town of Paradise
- City of Sacramento
How Does the Current System Increase Costs for Homeowners?
Staffing shortages in building and planning departments are causing a permit processing backlog and long wait times for building inspections, quietly driving up costs, slowing new housing production, and delaying clean energy upgrades for California families. In 2024, California issued 56,342 building permits for single-family homes and 38,362 for multifamily housing, but the total number of inspections is significantly higher because each project requires multiple inspections (foundation, framing, electrical, and so on). The total number of inspections for single-family home projects ranges from 110,000 to 200,000 annually in California, depending on the number of inspections each project requires. Inspection of simple home renovations takes time away from the more urgent need to build new housing and drives up the cost of home improvements, including the construction of accessory dwelling units that can provide new housing.
Many of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors SPUR interviewed for a recent policy brief reported waiting 2 to 6 hours for inspections that take 5 to 15 minutes. A recent audit by the City of Palo Alto found that the most critical issue in the permit process is the long lead time for building inspections, typically two weeks between the request and the inspection. In Oakland, processing an in-kind replacement for a window or door may take up to 15 days, while processing fence, sign, or deck replacements can take up to 6 weeks.
Ultimately, California families are paying for the delays. A SPUR survey of Bay Area contractors found that, in addition to long inspection windows, many jurisdictions don't communicate the window until the day of the inspection, forcing full-day work stoppages for inspections that often take less than 15 minutes. Depending on the contractor's hourly standby rate, the homeowner may incur costs of $600 to $1,000 for each inspection. Direct costs per inspection include not just the contractor’s standby cost but also inspectors’ travel time to building sites and internal administration to coordinate work with the customer and the city. Indirect costs include the loss of billable revenue. As one contractor from the Central Valley told SPUR, “When a technician is stuck waiting for an inspector instead of completing revenue‑generating work, the lost revenue can easily reach $1,000 or more.”
A Bay Area contractor provided a cost estimate of $1,367.70 for a permit and inspection of a simple HVAC job in Pacifica, California:
- Permit fee — $167.70
- Admin/labor time (2 hours, including travel) — $400
- Plumber standby cost (4-hour window) — $800
The permit fee in this example is dwarfed by the $1,200 in administrative and standby costs, much of which would be avoidable with a remote inspection.
Many homeowners and contractors circumvent costly and cumbersome permitting for home renovation projects — a clear sign that the system needs fixing. A 2019 California Public Utilities Commission report found that only one-third of HVAC changeouts had permits, and SPUR found that, in most jurisdictions, fewer than 20% of water heater changeouts were permitted; in many jurisdictions, only 5% to 10% were permitted.
What Are the Benefits of Remote Video Inspections?
Expanding the use of remote inspections for some permits can accelerate new home construction, reduce the cost of simple home renovations including building electrification, and expedite post-disaster recovery.
According to local jurisdictions in California, including the City of San Diego and LA County, remote inspections
- Reduce travel costs and environmental impacts and free up time for building inspectors to focus on new construction. These time savings are greatest in rural communities, where inspectors must travel long distances or navigate significant traffic congestion. The City of San Diego Development Services Department (DSD) estimated that RVI saves its Building Construction and Safety Division inspectors 40-plus hours a week. The primary time savings come from eliminating travel time between job sites and reducing scheduling gaps and idle time. A Santa Rosa-based building inspector noted that this time could be better spent on complex, priority projects, such as multifamily affordable housing or wildfire rebuilds.
- Accelerate the clean energy transition by reducing costs and delays when installing a heat pump water heater or HVAC, upgrading electrical panels, or installing solar panels. Permitting and inspection delays remain a quiet but significant barrier to climate progress — driving up costs significantly and straining limited workforce capacity. Remote inspections remove friction at key choke points for electrification projects.
- Reduce work backlogs, shorten permitting timelines, minimize disruptions at job sites, and lower renovation costs. Jurisdictions such as the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, which have implemented remote inspections, report being able to conduct more inspections per day, reduce inspection backlogs, and schedule inspections with contractors more easily. Customers have a set inspection time, and inspectors spend zero time traveling to job sites.
- Improve inspector safety and boost permit compliance. Many building departments limit their inspectors’ ability to climb on roofs or under buildings for safety and insurance reasons. Remote inspections can allow these jobs to be fully and safely inspected, without putting building inspectors at risk. RVIs reduce or eliminate the risk of injury during in-person inspections, such as falls from the roof or contact with live electrical components. Some jurisdictions have been able to add inspections (for example, for roofing and solar installations) that insurance policies previously forbade.
- Streamline disaster recovery by reducing permit delays, improving efficiency, and enabling faster rebuilding.
- Offer the opportunity to record site inspection data (photos, videos, and other forms of property notes) in a secure platform. Doing so increases accuracy and accountability for the homeowners and building departments.
“Remote inspections combine lower costs, faster processing, and increased flexibility — a combination that can result in a significant increase in productivity for inspectors and contractors. Typically, inspectors performing remote inspections can complete 50% more inspections than those performing site visit inspections. Remote inspections save time, reduce miles driven, and provide quality inspections.” — Kelly E. Charles, DSD Deputy Director and Chief Building Official with the City of San Diego
What Kinds of Projects Qualify for Remote Virtual Inspections?
According to the International Code Council, all inspections may qualify for an RVI, depending on the resources and policies of the jurisdiction. Santa Barbara’s policy, for example, states that “remote video inspections are available for all Residential and Commercial inspections unless the City Building Inspector determines the inspection is too complex."
The following systems and work are most commonly covered by an RVI:
- Water heaters
- HVAC systems
- Re-roofs
- Electrical work (minor)
- Main and sub service panels
- Rewire work
- Whole-house fans
- Ceiling fans
- New electrical circuit
- Plumbing work (minor)
- Sewer repair and replacement
- Re-plumbing of supply and drainage piping
- Fixture replacement
- Photovoltaic and battery systems
- Re-inspections of corrections
- Temporary power poles
- Minor pad footings
Local jurisdictions often offer remote inspections for the following permits at the discretion of the building inspector:
- Drywall
- Exterior siding
- Insulation
- Signs
- Window replacements
- Light foundations and footings
- Fireplace inserts
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Patios/decks
- Demolitions and sewer caps
- Residential additions and accessory dwelling units
Use of RVIs varies by jurisdiction, but the City of San Diego reported that, in 2025, its Development Services Department conducted more than 4,000 virtual inspections, representing approximately 10% to 12% of all single-family and duplex inspections. In LA County, remote inspections generally account for 20% to 40% of all eligible inspections, with higher adoption for
- Electrical final inspections
- Water heaters
- Solar photovoltaic tie-ins
- Minor mechanical or plumbing work
Building officials at LA County noted that adoption increases significantly once contractors become familiar with the process and eligibility criteria.
What RVI Tools Are Typically Used?
Most local jurisdictions offer remote inspections using Apple FaceTime, WhatsApp, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Skype, or Zoom. Others, including Santa Clara County and Sonoma County, use a software platform called Vuspex Go, which can integrate with other planning and permitting software. San Bernardino uses the EZ Inspect App.
Remote virtual inspections are offered at the discretion of building inspectors and are based on their comfort. To qualify for an RVI, contractors and homeowners must have a valid, active permit and must have submitted the required documents prior to the inspection. Whoever is on site must show evidence that they are at the job site address or the system inspection location.
What Best Practices Should Jurisdictions Follow?
The City of San Diego found no difference in RVI and in-person inspection quality; the pass/fail rate of RVI is very close to that of in-person inspections. In RVIs, inspectors have sufficient time to conduct high-quality, in-depth inspections, and senior Inspectors are tasked with auditing RVIs. Some cities have set up a process to perform on-site audits of a contractor’s work and can temporarily ban contractors from using remote inspections if they are found to have failed their audits. Some cities, including the City of Los Angeles, require an RVI participation agreement/waiver that prohibits unauthorized recording of the virtual inspection and releases the jurisdiction from any liability for what happens during a remote inspection.
“We have generally found no meaningful difference in compliance or failure rates between in-person and remote inspections when RVIs are limited to appropriate inspection types,” said Karla Tovar, public information officer with the LA County Department of Public Works. “RVIs are treated as equivalent inspections, not a reduced standard. Inspectors retain full authority to fail work or require an on-site visit.” Other jurisdictions, including the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Rosa, have similar standards, noting that the process for remote building inspections is the same as for on-site inspections.
Quality assurance measures at LA County typically include
- Publication of inspection checklists and camera protocols
- Inspector experience and knowledge standards
- Random supervisory audits of completed RVIs
- Conversion to in-person inspections when video clarity or access is insufficient
- Authority to suspend or restrict contractors from RVI use for repeated noncompliance
What Steps Should Jurisdictions Take As Soon as Possible?
Expanding remote inspections in California for simple projects could reduce costs, ease staffing pressures, and accelerate housing production, while maintaining safety and code compliance. Local jurisdictions should
- Implement and expand existing remote inspection offerings, especially for accessory dwelling units, which could help alleviate California’s housing shortage by speeding up the permitting process.
- Offer remote inspections for compliance with the state’s Wildland Urban Interface code, as Placer County does. Doing so would help California implement forthcoming Zone Zero wildfire regulations and enable property owners to retrofit their homes more quickly, increasing wildfire resilience and insurability.
Thoughtful implementation, ongoing quality controls, and more comprehensive statewide data on RVI use, outcomes, and equity impacts will be essential to ensure remote inspections are deployed effectively and responsibly at scale.