NEC 90.22: final inspection checklist

How Article 90 frames the final

NEC Article 90 sets the foundation for enforcement. 90.4 hands authority to the AHJ, 90.7 covers examination of equipment for safety, and 90.8 expects wiring to be planned for future expansion. The final inspection is where the install meets the Code year your permit was pulled under, plus any local amendments.

Translation: pass your own punch list before the inspector shows up. Walk it the way they will. What follows is the checklist that gets jobs signed in residential and light commercial.

Service and grounding

Start at the service. Most red tags live here.

• Service disconnect labeled and readily accessible per 230.70(A)
• Grounding electrode conductor sized per 250.66, unspliced where required
• Two ground rods 6 ft apart unless a single rod tests under 25 ohms (250.53(A)(2))
• Main bonding jumper installed at the service per 250.24(B)
• Neutral bonded only at the service, never at a subpanel (250.24(A)(5))
• Intersystem bonding termination installed per 250.94

If you ran a subpanel, the neutral and ground bars must be isolated. This is the single most common remodel fail. Pull the deadfront and verify with eyes, not memory.

Branch circuit protection

GFCI and AFCI requirements expand almost every cycle. Verify against the adopted Code year for your jurisdiction, not the latest published.

For 2023 NEC residential work...

• GFCI: bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, basements, laundry, dishwashers, and within 6 ft of sinks or tubs per 210.8(A)
• AFCI: most 120V dwelling circuits per 210.12(A), check the listed exceptions
• Tamper-resistant receptacles in dwellings per 406.12
• Weather-resistant receptacles and in-use covers outdoors per 406.9(B)

Field tip: carry a GFCI/AFCI tester and trip every protected circuit before the inspector arrives. If a breaker won't reset on the test button, the breaker is dead, not the wiring. Swap it now, not in front of the AHJ.

Boxes, devices, and connections

Open every cover the inspector might. Box fill is calculated per 314.16. An overstuffed box is a write-up even if the circuit works fine.

• Devices flush, no broken ears, terminal screws torqued per 110.14(D)
• Conductor ID correct: white grounded, green or bare EGC. No reidentification of grounded conductors smaller than #4 (200.6, 250.119)
• Cable clamps engaged, sheath inside the box per 314.17(B)(C)
• Unused knockouts filled per 110.12(A)
• Wirenuts seated, no bare copper visible, no aluminum to copper without a listed connector

Mechanical execution of work under 110.12 is subjective but enforced. Sloppy strap work, sagging cable runs, and crooked devices fail finals.

Working space and panel access

Working space gets ignored until the inspector pulls a tape measure.

• 30 in wide by 36 in deep by 6.5 ft tall clear in front of every panel and disconnect per 110.26(A)
• Dedicated electrical space above the panel: 6 ft or to the ceiling, no foreign piping per 110.26(E)
• No panels in clothes closets, bathrooms, or over stairs per 240.24
• Circuit directory legible, specific, and accurate per 408.4(A). "Lights" is not a description

Real-world: homeowner stacked storage bins in front of the panel after the rough. Inspector showed up, area was clear. Fifteen minutes after the sticker, bins were back. Not your problem once it is signed, but it is your problem until then.

Final walk: the punch list

Last pass before you call it in. Run it in this order, top of the structure to bottom, then exterior.

1. Every receptacle tested with a plug-in tester. Open neutral or reversed polarity is an instant fail
2. All luminaires energized, trims and covers in place
3. Smoke and CO interconnected, chirping on test, AFCI compatible where required
4. Bath fans operational and ducted to exterior, not into the attic
5. Pool, spa, and hot tub bonding grid continuous per 680.26 if applicable
6. EV charger circuit on its own dedicated breaker, sized per Article 625
7. PV or generator interlock listed and labeled per 705.10 and 705.12
8. Class 2 and low voltage separated from line voltage per 725.136
9. Permit posted at the meter, approved plans on site, all prior corrections cleared

Carry a tester, a #2 Phillips, a fine marker for the directory, and a roll of red tape for anything you cannot fix today. If you find a problem, repair it before the inspector does. If you cannot repair it, call the office and reschedule. A clean fail beats a dirty pass every time, because the dirty pass is the callback you eat next month.