Unfinished Basement regulation codes

[Esmeralda Ramirez]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if unfinished basements that have electrical (outlets, lighting), plumbing (washer & dryer hookups, main water plumbing, and  bathroom plumbing), heating and cooling ducking within the “unfinished” space, require an inspection from the county or since that work was completed within the Unfinished area, it’s excluded from being inspected? If the electrical, plumbing and air ducts within en unfinished basement need to follow certain building codes, can anyone help with guiding me to the appropriate reference point?

Thank you

[Richard Grace]

Hi Esmeralda,

Generally speaking, when a single-family home is constructed that includes an unfinished basement, any mechanical, electrical, or plumbing systems installed in that unfinished basement receives an inspection just like the rest of the home. If alterations to any of these systems are performed after the final inspection of the home (such as finishing the basement), a permit(s) would be required and additional inspections performed based on the scope of the alterations. The reference to these requirements would be in sections 108 and 113 of the following document;

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/images/SBC/CodeBooks/2012%20Virginia%20Construction%20Code.pdf

I hope this gets you started to where you need to go 🙂

[Author]

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