When you disagree with an inspector's call
At the top of stair 2 the building inspector writes an order: handrails too low, correct and rebook. The approved drawings show the rails at 920 mm, your foreman checked them yesterday, and the occupancy inspection is next week. The foreman is already telling the inspector he is wrong.
Take over the conversation, ask which requirement the call rests on and how it was measured, check your evidence, and if you still disagree, use the authority's review route, not an argument at the stair. The result stands until the authority changes it, and you will meet the same inspector next week. Most disputes turn on checkable facts, such as the approved drawing, the clause or the point a dimension is taken from, and settle fastest on paper.
- Step in, thank the inspector and ask which requirement applies: a code article, a permit condition or the approved drawing.
- Ask how it was measured. The reference point matters: US federal accessibility standards, for example, measure handrail height above the stair nosings.
- Check you are right: the approved revision, the clause and your own photographed measurement.
- Weigh a compliant repair against the review delay, after confirming an approved repair method. Cost alone does not decide whether a fix complies.
- If you still disagree, ask how the authority reviews a disputed call, and send one page with the clause, drawing and photos, copied to the inspector.
- Obey the order meanwhile; do not cover the work.
At the stair
Common mistakes
- Letting the foreman argue your case at the stair.
- Going over the inspector's head without telling them.
- Covering the work while the dispute is open.
What to say
Words that keep it calm
Check your understanding
An inspector fails a firestopping seal you believe complies, and redoing it takes two hours. Do you ask for a review?
