Inspections

Once a building permit is issued Applicants can begin work on the project and call in for required inspections.  Building Inspections are completed by the Hamilton County Planning and Development Department (Buildings + Inspections).  There are also other inspection that are completed by other agencies which are required before an Certificate of Occupancy can be issued.

Hamilton County Planning + Development Department:  The Planning + Development Department staff certified building inspectors verify the construction matches the approved plans. Applicants are required to schedule all necessary inspections and the number of inspections varies per the project. To verify the inspections required for your property, call (513) 946-4550 to speak with one of our permit specialists.

Contact Information
  (513) 946-4550 - Permit Specialists

Inspections can be requested by code number:

  • 110 Soil/Footer
  • 120 Foundation
  • 130 Slab
  • 140 Piers
  • 150 Demolition
  • 210 Framing
  • 220 Insulation
  • 320 Fire Dampers
  • 347 Above Ceiling
  • 370 Smoke Detectors
  • 390 HVAC
  • 410 Hood, Duct, Fan
  • 430 Alarm – Operational
  • 440 Tampers & Flows
  • 460 Sprinkler
  • 470 Limited Sprinkler
  • 480 Fire Suppression
  • 481 Visual
  • 490 Hydrostatic Test
  • 495 Flow
  • 500 Flushing
  • 505 Collector line
  • 680 Line Pressure
  • 890 Line Visual
  • 890 Gas Line
  • 990 Final Inspection

Contacting an Inspector

Inspectors are typically in the office and available for phone calls between 7:30AM and 8:30AM, Monday thru Friday. Buildings + Inspections Directory

Other Potential Inspections from Outside Agencies

Applicant can schedule with each Department or agencies for any applicable inspections.

  • Erosion and Sedimentation Control – Hamilton County Soil and Water District
  • Local Fire Department
  • Driveway Inspections – Hamilton County Engineers Office
  • Water inspection - Greater Cincinnati Water Works
  • Sanitary Sewer inspections – Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati
  • Onsite Sewer Collections Inspections – Hamilton County Public Heath
  • Electrical Inspections - I.B.I.. (Inspection Bureau, inc.  )
  • Plumbing – Hamilton County Public Heath

Occupancy

Certificate of Occupancy (CO) - For most projects, a certificate of occupancy (CO), is the final step that will allow the use to be occupied for its designed use. A final inspection must be completed to verify all requirements have been met. Upon verification, the CO is signed by the Building Commissioner and sent to the applicant.  Partial Permits and non-occupancy will be issued a Certificate of Completion (CC).

Temporary Occupancy Permits (TCO) – A temporary occupancy certificate can be issued; however, all life safety issues need to be addressed prior to requesting a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO). Additional fees   are required for the issuance of a TCO. If you wish to inquire about the suitability of a TCO for your project, please contact your inspector at (513) 946-4550.

Request an Investigation

An investigation is a referral or investigation request brought to the attention of the department by another agency, i.e., zoning or fire, or a member of the public. Not all requests for investigation fall under the jurisdiction of the DBI. Requests involving other agencies will be referred to the appropriate agency.

All requests for investigation must be in writing and MUST INCLUDE the name, address and telephone number ofthe person making the request, the specific address of the violation, and a detailed description of the nature of the investigation request.

Anonymous requests WILL NOT BE ACTED UPON.

DBI does not normally notify the person making the referral of the results of the investigation or the status of remediation, if required. Persons interested in the results of an investigation should contact the department by phone.

Requests for investigations may be directed to:

Hamilton County Planning and Development, Division of Buildings and Inspections
138 E. Court Street, Room 801
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 946-4550

or you may contact James Noyes  .