The final electrical inspection is the last hold point before the building department signs off the electrical permit, and on a new home it is usually one of the steps in front of the certificate of occupancy and permanent power. By then everything is finished and visible: devices, fixtures, covers, the panel directory, the outdoor disconnect. That makes the final quick when it is ready and frustrating when it is not, because the items are small and there are many of them.
This checklist is built from Miami-Dade County's published electrical inspection guidelines for residential final (code 001), with the NEC 2020 items that are checked at the end of a new home added in (source: Leviton 2020 code summary). Florida's current code adopts NFPA 70-2020 (FBC-Residential Chapter 34). Your building department and inspector have the final word, and cities can check more than the county list does; the South Florida electrical permits guide links each department.
Before you call the final
- ☐ Permit card and approved plans on site, and every earlier inspection approved (county checklist)
- ☐ All trim complete: devices, fixtures, plates and covers installed, including in closets, attic and garage
- ☐ Panel covers on, breakers labeled, directory filled in
- ☐ Power on the circuits so devices can be checked; if the permanent service is not yet energized, ask how your department handles it
- ☐ Access to every room, the attic, the service equipment and the outdoor equipment
In Miami-Dade, the final is requested with code 001 by 4 p.m. the business day before (Miami-Dade inspections); in unincorporated Palm Beach County it is 203 Final Electric, and a final that includes a service change has its own scheduling note (Palm Beach County inspection codes). The full order of inspections is in the electrical inspection sequence for new construction.
Checklist 1: devices and general workmanship
- ☐ Every deficiency from earlier inspections corrected; the final list starts with this (county checklist)
- ☐ Boxes flush with the finished surface and no gaps around them, NEC 314.20 and 314.21 (county checklist)
- ☐ Receptacles and faceplates positioned correctly on the wall, 406.4 (county checklist)
- ☐ Device grounding terminals connected, and switches, receptacles and metal faceplates grounded, 250.146, 404.9 and 406.6(B) (county checklist)
- ☐ Polarity correct on devices and luminaires, 200.11, 406.7 and 410.50 (county checklist)
- ☐ Device ratings matched to the circuit, 210.21 and 210.23 (county checklist)
- ☐ Unused openings in boxes and enclosures closed, 110.12 and 314.17(A) (county checklist)
- ☐ Fire ratings restored where wiring passes through rated assemblies, 300.21 (county checklist)
- ☐ Recessed lighting gasketed, caulked or fitted with airtight trim, FBC Energy R402.4.4 (county checklist)
- ☐ Listed equipment installed per its instructions, NEC 110.3(B) (county checklist)
Checklist 2: GFCI and AFCI protection
- ☐ Kitchen countertop receptacles GFCI protected, NEC 210.8(A)(6) (county checklist)
- ☐ Bathroom receptacles GFCI protected, and bathrooms on their 20 A circuits, 210.8 and 210.11(C)(3) (county checklist)
- ☐ All garage receptacles GFCI protected, and at least one receptacle per bay, 210.52(G) (county checklist)
- ☐ Outdoor receptacles GFCI protected, 210.8 (county checklist)
- ☐ Arc-fault protection on the bedroom circuits and the other circuits NEC 210.12 lists (county checklist)
- ☐ Outdoor outlets under the 2020 rule, 210.8(F), with Florida's exception for listed and labeled HVAC equipment (FBC-R E3408.1)
- ☐ Tamper-resistant receptacles where 406.12 requires them, including garages and accessory buildings (Leviton 2020 code summary)
The county list tells inspectors to check arc-fault branch circuits and GFCI protection by location (county checklist). Every GFCI and AFCI device should be tested before the inspection is called; a device that trips on its own under a connected load or will not reset is a problem worth finding first. Our guide to GFCI and AFCI requirements in Florida covers the rules in more detail.
Checklist 3: panel, service and surge protection
- ☐ Circuit directory on the panel face, inside the door, or in an approved spot next to it, NEC 408.4(A); the county list also says to label all equipment and branch circuits at the panel (Leviton 2020 code summary; county checklist)
- ☐ Every overcurrent device and disconnect identified, 110.22 and 230.70 (county checklist)
- ☐ No open spaces in panel fronts, 110.12 (county checklist)
- ☐ Doorbell and other Class 2 transformers kept out of the panel, 312.8 (county checklist)
- ☐ Back-fed breakers secured in place, 408.36(D) (county checklist)
- ☐ Interrupting ratings adequate for the available fault current, 110.9 (county checklist)
- ☐ Working space clear, lit and not used for storage, 110.26 (county checklist)
- ☐ Surge protective device (Type 1 or Type 2) installed at or immediately next to the service equipment, NEC 230.67 (Leviton 2020 code summary)
A clear directory is required, and whoever owns the house will rely on it for decades. The 2020 code lets the directory sit on the panel face, inside the door, or in an approved spot next to the panel (Leviton 2020 code summary). Our surge protection page covers the device the 2020 code now requires at dwelling services.
Checklist 4: outside and equipment
- ☐ Outdoor emergency disconnect at a readily accessible location and marked, NEC 230.85 (a service disconnect, a meter disconnect or another listed switch or breaker on the supply side) (Leviton 2020 code summary)
- ☐ If a standby generator is part of the job: a sign at the 230.85 disconnect showing where the standby source is, 702.7(A), and an outdoor emergency shutdown for the generator, 445.18(D) (Leviton 2020 code summary)
- ☐ Wet-location covers on outdoor receptacles and weatherproof enclosures on wet-location switches; the county's commercial final spells out 406.9 and 404.4, which the NEC applies to homes as well (county checklist)
- ☐ Receptacles on balconies, decks and porches where 210.52(E)(3) calls for them (county checklist)
- ☐ Disconnects for permanently connected appliances and the HVAC equipment, NEC Article 422 Part III and Article 440 (county checklist)
- ☐ Pool equipment on GFCI protection, NEC 680.21(C), with bonding already approved at the pool rough (county checklist)
The emergency disconnect under 230.85 is new to many builders because it arrived with the 2020 code for one- and two-family dwellings (Leviton 2020 code summary). Its location should have been planned at rough, as noted in our rough-in inspection checklist. Where a generator is installed, the 702.7(A) sign at that disconnect is easy to forget, and our generator installation page covers the rest of that work.
Covers, listings and labels
Three small categories are worth a separate pass. Covers: every box has a plate, every unused opening is closed, and outdoor receptacles have covers suited to a wet location. Listings: the county's general requirements tell inspectors to verify that equipment is installed according to its listing and labeling instructions, including interrupting ratings (county checklist), so keep the installation instructions for the panel, SPD, fans, fixtures and appliances on site. Labels: the panel directory, identification of disconnects, and any required signs.
After the final
An approved final closes the electrical permit on the building department's side, subject to its own procedures. For a new service, FPL energizes only after the local inspection is complete and it has formal notice from the inspecting office (FPL Electric Service Standards, 2023 edition; check the current edition), and its FAQ says reconnection waits for the electrical inspection (FPL, how it works). The steps are in FPL's new construction service process. If the final fails, here is how corrections and re-inspections work.
Questions builders ask
Does the final include a load test?
The county list checks devices, protection, ratings and labeling, not a load test. Testing circuits under load before calling the inspection is still worth doing, because a marginal connection shows itself under load.
Can the final be done before the landscaping and pool are finished?
It depends on what is on the permit. If the pool or the outdoor equipment is on the electrical permit, it needs to be complete for the final. Ask the building department how it handles partial work.
Is the surge protector really required on a new home?
Yes, under the 2020 code, section 230.67 requires a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device for dwelling unit services (Leviton 2020 code summary).
Who fills in the panel directory?
The electrical contractor, normally at trim, so the directory matches what was installed, not the original plan.
Finishing a new build?
KRW Electric (EC13012832) handles finish electrical, trim-out and testing across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and handles the permit and inspections on our jobs. For the whole scope, see residential new construction electrical. Get in touch or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
