The rough electrical inspection happens with the framing open, boxes set and cable pulled, before insulation and drywall go up. It is the last time an inspector can see most of the wiring in a building, and the stage where fixing something is still cheap. This is a working checklist built from Miami-Dade County's published electrical inspection guidelines, with the 2020 code items that affect rough-in added at the end.
Florida's 8th Edition building code adopts NFPA 70-2020, the 2020 National Electrical Code, for electrical work (FBC-Residential Chapter 34). The items below cite that edition. The 9th Edition, which would bring in NEC 2023, is proposed to take effect Dec 31, 2026 and is not yet adopted (Florida Administrative Register notice). The building department that has your address, and the inspector at the site, have the final word; the South Florida electrical permits guide links each department.
Where this list comes from
Miami-Dade publishes the guidelines its electrical inspectors use, stage by stage: foundation grounding, slab, rough and final, for residential and commercial work (Miami-Dade electrical inspection guidelines). We have grouped the residential rough items the way a crew works, trimmed the wording, and kept the section numbers so you can look each one up. It is not the whole code, and a city inspector may check things the county list does not mention. Print it, walk the house with it, and tick each item before calling the inspection.
Before you call the inspection
- ☐ Permit card and the approved plans on site; the checklist starts with both (county checklist)
- ☐ Earlier inspection records and notes reviewed, since inspectors read them before they start (county checklist)
- ☐ Notice of Commencement recorded and posted where the job requires one, under section 713.13, Florida Statutes
- ☐ Framing, blocking and plumbing complete in the areas being inspected, so nothing moves after approval
- ☐ Access for the inspector to every room, attic space and the service location
In Miami-Dade the inspection is requested with the permit number and code 002 for Rough, by 4 p.m. the business day before (Miami-Dade inspections). Where rough sits among the other stops is covered in the electrical inspection sequence for new construction.
Checklist 1: all areas
- ☐ Cables through or along framing kept 1-1/4 in back from the edge, or protected with steel nail plates, NEC 300.4 (county checklist)
- ☐ Boxes at every junction, outlet and pull point, and all of them accessible, 300.15 and 314.29 (county checklist)
- ☐ Cables secured to boxes, 314.17(B) and (C) (county checklist)
- ☐ Box fill within limits for the number and size of conductors, 314.16 (county checklist)
- ☐ Boxes set so they will finish flush with the wall surface, 314.20 (county checklist)
- ☐ Equipment grounding conductors spliced and connected to metal boxes, 250.8, 250.146 and 250.148; sized per 250.122 (county checklist)
- ☐ Ceiling boxes where a paddle fan could go listed for fan support, 314.27(C) and 422.18 (county checklist)
- ☐ Recessed luminaires kept clear of combustibles and insulation, 410.115 and 410.116, and cans airtight or with airtight trim under the energy code, R402.4.4 (county checklist)
- ☐ Bonding for other metal piping systems, NEC 250.104(B) (county checklist)
- ☐ Smoke alarms spaced, interconnected and on arc-fault protected circuits, with the checklist citing NFPA 72, FBC R315 and NEC 210.12(A) (county checklist)
- ☐ Boxes in fire-rated walls handled so the rating is kept, 300.21 (county checklist)
Protection from nails and screws, box fill and fan boxes matter most at this stage because they are the hardest to fix once drywall is up. A cable inside the 1-1/4 in zone gets a steel plate now, a fan location gets a fan-rated box now, and a box that is over-full gets a larger box or a second one now.
Checklist 2: room by room
- ☐ Kitchen: at least two 20 A small-appliance circuits, countertop and island receptacle spacing, and correctly sized circuits for the dishwasher, disposal, range and cooktop, NEC 210.52(A) to (C), 210.23 and 422.10 (county checklist)
- ☐ Dining room: receptacles on the small-appliance circuits, 210.52(B) (county checklist)
- ☐ Bathrooms: a receptacle within 36 in of each basin on a 20 A bathroom circuit, 210.52(D) and 210.11(C)(3) (county checklist)
- ☐ Hallways 10 ft or longer: at least one receptacle, 210.52(H) (county checklist)
- ☐ Stairways with six or more steps: switches at each floor level, 210.70(A)(2) (county checklist)
- ☐ Laundry: a dedicated 20 A circuit and a receptacle within 6 ft of the appliance, 210.11(C)(2) and 210.50(C) (county checklist)
- ☐ Garage: at least one receptacle per bay and a wall-switched lighting outlet, 210.52(G) and 210.70(A)(2) (county checklist)
- ☐ Outdoors: receptacles at front and back, and switched lighting at outdoor entrances, 210.52(E) and 210.70(A)(2) (county checklist)
- ☐ Mechanical equipment: a service receptacle for the HVAC equipment, 210.63 (county checklist)
- ☐ Attics: cables protected near attic entrances and scuttle holes, 334.23 (county checklist)
Receptacle spacing is checked against the approved plans and the code, so a late change to cabinets, an island or a wall layout needs to reach the electrician before rough, not after. Changes after approval may mean another inspection.
Checklist 3: service, grounding and panels
- ☐ Service load calculation to support conductor size, Article 220 and 230.42 (county checklist)
- ☐ Service disconnects located outside or nearest the point of entrance, and grouped, 230.70 to 230.72 (county checklist)
- ☐ Working clearances and dedicated space at the service equipment and panels, 110.26 (county checklist)
- ☐ Overhead services: drip loop and weatherhead, point of attachment and mast, 230.24 to 230.28 and 230.54 (county checklist)
- ☐ Underground service conductors at proper depth and protected, 300.5 (county checklist)
- ☐ Grounding electrodes joined into one system, electrode conductor unspliced and sized, 250.50, 250.52, 250.64 and 250.66 (county checklist)
- ☐ Main and system bonding jumpers installed, 250.28, and bonding of metal water piping, 250.104(A) (county checklist)
- ☐ Feeders and panelboards rated for the load and the location, 310.15 and 408.3 (county checklist)
On a new home the service is often roughed in with the rest of the house, then finished and released for the utility later. FPL's own standards say its approval of the service arrangement is not a substitute for inspection by the local electrical inspection authority (FPL Electric Service Standards). The utility side is covered in FPL's new construction service process.
Checklist 4: 2020 code items that show up at rough
These are not on the county's list by section number, but they were added or changed in the 2020 code and they need space, circuits or boxes planned at rough, even if the device itself goes in at trim. The summary we cite is Leviton NEC 2020 summary.
- ☐ Garage vehicle bays: a dedicated 120 V, 20 A circuit for the bay receptacles, NEC 210.11(C)(4) (Leviton NEC 2020 summary)
- ☐ Garages and accessory buildings: boxes set for tamper-resistant receptacles, which 406.12 now requires there, so the right devices are on the trim order (Leviton NEC 2020 summary)
- ☐ Service equipment: room planned for the Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device that 230.67 requires, integral to or immediately next to the service equipment (Leviton NEC 2020 summary)
- ☐ Outside: the emergency disconnect location planned at a readily accessible outdoor spot, 230.85 (Leviton NEC 2020 summary)
- ☐ Outdoor outlets: GFCI planned for outdoor outlets under 210.8(F), keeping in mind Florida's amendment exempting listed and labeled HVAC equipment (FBC-R E3408.1) (FBC-R Chapter 34)
The surge protective device and the outdoor emergency disconnect are two items that are easy to leave until trim and then find there is no room for. Both are covered on the final list too, in our final electrical inspection checklist. For GFCI and AFCI rules in more depth, see GFCI and AFCI requirements in Florida.
Things we see get flagged
We do not have statistics on rough inspection results, and neither does the county's checklist. Things we see get flagged include items that change after the electrician leaves: another trade drilling through a stud near a cable, insulation or a duct pushed against a recessed can, a fan location moved without the box changing, or a late cabinet change that leaves a countertop without the right receptacle spacing. A walk-through with the checklist right before the inspection is the time to catch them. If the inspection does fail, here is what happens next.
Questions builders ask
Can insulation go in before the electrical rough is approved?
No. The rough inspection is done with walls open. Insulation and drywall go in after the approval, following whatever sequence the building department sets for the building inspections.
Do the devices have to be installed at rough?
No. At rough the boxes, cable, panel and grounding are in place; receptacles, switches, fixtures and covers go in at trim and are checked at final. What has to be right at rough is the box type, location and fill.
Is the county checklist the same in every city?
No. It is Miami-Dade County's document for its own inspectors. Cities have their own inspectors and can look at additional items, so treat it as a strong baseline, not the last word.
What about pool wiring?
Pools have their own rough and slab inspection in Miami-Dade (code 048) and their own section in the county checklist. See pool electrical bonding in Florida.
Getting rough-in right
KRW Electric (EC13012832) handles electrical rough-in on new homes, additions and commercial work in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and handles the permit and inspections on our jobs. See also residential new construction electrical. Send us the plans or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
