Final Inspection
The building department's last inspection confirming a completed project meets code before issuing a [[concept-certificate-of-occupancy|certificate of occupancy]], distinct from the [[concept-punch-list|punch list]] walk, which addresses the owner's and architect's own contractual completeness standard rather than code compliance.
Why it matters
Passing the owner's punch list walk says nothing about whether the building department will pass its own, separate final inspection, the two are checking for genuinely different things, and clearing one doesn't guarantee clearing the other.
On a real project
A completed office renovation passes its punch list walk with the owner and architect, then separately passes the building department's final inspection confirming code compliance, two distinct approvals that both had to happen before occupancy.
Who this matters most to
A QA/QC Inspector verifies code items are actually in place before the building department's final inspection, catching gaps the owner's own punch list might never have checked for.
Where this goes wrong
A project passes its owner-side punch list walk with the architect but fails the building department's final inspection over a code item the punch list never checked, since the two inspections are looking for genuinely different things. The certificate of occupancy the punch list alone can't produce is delayed as a result.