San Bernardino's virtual inspection program allows homeowners and contractors to complete required building inspections through a live video call on a smartphone or tablet, cutting the traditional multi-hour wait window down to a scheduled few minutes.

How A Virtual Inspection Works

The process begins when a customer, either a homeowner or a licensed contractor, schedules an inspection through the EZ Inspect app or by calling the Inspections Help Desk, choosing a specific appointment time rather than an open-ended arrival window.

At the scheduled time, the customer connects with a County inspector over a live video call, using a smartphone or tablet with a stable WiFi or 4G wireless connection.

During the call, the inspector directs the customer to point the camera at specific components of the work, such as wiring, plumbing connections, or structural framing, and asks questions much as they would during an in-person walkthrough.

Not every project qualifies for this format; the County notes that while most building-related categories, including building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, and certificate-of-occupancy inspections, may be considered for virtual review, the size and complexity of a given project can still require an in-person visit.

Once the inspection concludes, the customer receives a pass or fail determination along with any inspector comments, delivered either by email or directly within the EZ Inspect app if that's how the inspection was scheduled.

For certain simpler project types, the app also supports a self-certification pathway, letting contractors complete a guided checklist and submit documentation without a live video session at all, further speeding up the permitting timeline.

Requirements To Participate

To use the virtual inspection option, a customer needs a smartphone or tablet connected to either WiFi or 4G wireless service, since the entire inspection depends on a stable live video connection.

Customers are encouraged to download the EZ Inspect contractor inspection app ahead of time so they can schedule and manage inspections directly, rather than relying solely on phone calls to the Inspections Help Desk. Anyone with questions about eligibility or the scheduling process can reach the Inspections Help Desk at (800) 637-6653 for guidance before booking.

Who Benefits Most

The program was designed with several distinct user groups in mind, each of whom sees a different kind of practical payoff.

  • Homeowners completing minor remodels, water heater swaps, or electrical panel upgrades avoid taking a full day off work to sit at home waiting for an inspector, since they instead get a fixed appointment time.

  • Licensed contractors managing several active job sites can complete back-to-back virtual inspections in the time it previously took to drive to and from a single site, letting crews stay productive.

  • Residents in the County's remote desert and mountain communities, where the nearest inspector's office might be an hour or more away, gain equal access to timely inspections without geography working against them.

  • Building departments themselves benefit from stretched staff capacity; officials who typically complete 15 to 20 in-person inspections per day can handle roughly triple that volume using virtual tools, easing the burden of inspector shortages that many California jurisdictions face.

  • First-time permit applicants and small property owners unfamiliar with construction processes benefit from the recorded nature of video calls, since they can revisit an inspector's explanations rather than relying on memory from a brief site visit.

Broader Context In California

San Bernardino's approach fits into a wider statewide trend of building departments turning to video-based inspections to address workforce shortages and housing-approval bottlenecks. Industry observers have noted that jurisdictions offering remote inspections consistently report faster permit turnaround and reduced backlog, since inspectors are no longer constrained by drive time between appointments.

The County's early start in 2015, well ahead of the pandemic-driven wave of remote inspection adoption elsewhere, positioned San Bernardino as one of the more mature implementations of this model in California.

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