New California Law Lets Homeowners Get Building Inspections by Video
Homeowners and contractors in California are about to spend a lot less time waiting around for building inspectors. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1738, authored by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, establishing a statewide framework that requires covered cities and counties to offer remote inspections for qualified residential projects.
The bill passed the California Senate 29–6 and received final Assembly concurrence 68–0. Under the new law, a homeowner — or a contractor with the homeowner's written consent — can request that all or part of a building-permit inspection be conducted remotely, either by live videoconference or through recorded photos and videos, at the jurisdiction's discretion. Local inspectors keep their authority and professional judgment; the law just adds a remote option alongside the traditional in-person visit.
The covered work list reads like a homeowner's to-do list: residential reroofs, qualifying photovoltaic (solar) and energy-storage installations, minor electrical and plumbing work, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors — for single-family and two-family dwelling units. That covers a large share of the small projects that currently stall waiting for an inspector to drive out.
Supporters say the change will speed up residential and renewable-energy development, lower costs, and free up inspectors for the jobs that genuinely need an in-person visit. For South Bay homeowners — where solar installs, reroofs, and ADU-related electrical work are constant — this is a practical win: fewer scheduling headaches, faster project timelines, and less downtime on renovations that are already fighting 7% mortgage rates and tight contractor schedules.
Source: PRNewswire (VuSpex) — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vuspex-highlights-passage-of-ab-1738-as-governor-newsom-signs-bill-expanding-virtual-inspections-across-california-302884110.html
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