Murrieta building inspections

Applies to: Building Permit

1. 1

   Online only - the phone and counter routes were withdrawn

   "All Inspection Requests must be submitted online; inspections are no longer scheduled over the phone or at the counter. Inspections will need to be scheduled through the Customer Self-Service Portal (CSS Portal)." A fallback exists: "If you are unable to submit your request for an inspection through the CSS Portal, fill out and submit the online Building Inspection Request form."

2. 2

   A 4:00 PM cut-off, introduced on a named date

   "Effective January 1, 2026, inspection requests will be cut-off times at 4:00 PM each day. Please know that if requested after 4:00PM, or on a non-working day, inspections will not be scheduled for the following business day." Restated plainly elsewhere: "If you are requesting an inspection for the next business day, the request must be submitted no later than 4pm the previous day."

3. 3

   AM and PM windows, published on a daily run sheet

   "Inspections are Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM." The city publishes a run sheet - "To see if you have an Inspection today or to see what time your inspection is" - where "AM listed on the run sheet - inspections will be performed between 8:00 AM-12:00 PM" and "PM listed on the run sheet- inspections will be performed between 12:00 PM-4:00 PM."

4. 4

   Solar is always a morning job

   "All Solar inspections will be conducted during the AM hours." Not a preference - a rule, and it removes the choice for photovoltaic work.

5. 5

   The time you ask for is only a request

   Stated twice on the same page, in capitals: "REQUESTING AN AM OR PM TIME IS ONLY A REQUEST AND NOT GUARANTEED", and "the requested dates and times are NOT guaranteed."

6. 6

   Three failures on a residential job cost money

   "On residential inspections only: 3 failed inspections or late same-day cancellations will result in a re-inspection fee." The rule is scoped to residential work, and a late same-day cancellation counts the same as a failure.

7. 7

   Booking is online but cancelling on the day is a phone call

   "To cancel the inspection the day of call the Building Department (951) 461-6062." The portal takes the booking; the telephone takes the same-day cancellation - and cancelling late is itself one of the events that can trigger a re-inspection fee.

8. 8

   Paperwork closes before the final

   "All final project documents must be submitted digitally before final inspections." The documents are a precondition of the final inspection, not something to hand over at it.