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.
SOURCES:
San Bernardino County EZ Inspect Virtual Inspections page: https://ezinspect.sbcounty.gov/virtual-inspections/ezinspect.sbcounty
National Association of Counties EZ Inspect App award profile: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/ez-inspect-appsanbernardino
San Bernardino County Land Use Services virtual inspection FAQ: https://lus.sbcounty.gov/faqs/what-is-a-virtual-inspection/lus.sbcounty
City of San Bernardino Building & Safety Division: https://www.sanbernardino.gov/205/Building-Safety-Divisionsanbernardino
Propmodo report on remote building code inspections: https://propmodo.com/will-your-next-building-code-inspection-be-done-remotely/
Why the inland geography changes the maths
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, stretching from the valley floor across the mountains into the Mojave. That single fact drives everything about remote inspection here: a physical inspection in a desert community can consume most of an inspector''s day in driving, and a missed appointment costs the same drive twice. Where the evidence can be produced on camera, removing the vehicle is not a marginal efficiency — it is the difference between a next-day slot and a next-week one.
Work that suits a remote inspection here
- Re-inspections after a single correction — the highest-value first use case anywhere, and especially at distance.
- Water heater, HVAC, and equipment change-outs.
- Residential solar and battery finals, where labelling, disconnects, and signage are all visual — see solar and battery inspections.
- Straightforward mechanical and plumbing rough-ins with good access.
- Documentation for insurance, lending, and warranty purposes, which follows the same capture discipline.
Planning around connectivity
Rural and high-desert sites are where remote programs actually fail, and it is almost always signal. Practical mitigations: schedule with a stated fallback, anchor the session outdoors with an establishing shot before moving inside, capture full-resolution stills rather than trusting the live stream for detail, and allow guided photo capture to complete a session that cannot sustain video. Because Virtual Inspection Pro sessions open in a browser from a texted link, a site contact can also switch devices mid-appointment without reinstalling anything.
Evidence that survives distance
| Control | Why it matters at distance |
|---|---|
| Session-bound capture | Nobody can substitute a photo from a different site |
| Server-side time | Proves the sequence of stages without a witness |
| Location with accuracy radius | Ties the record to a parcel that may be an hour away |
| Immutable originals | Annotated copies never replace the evidence |
| Full access log | Supports later disputes and records requests |
See verified capture and chain of custody for how those controls fit together.
Before you schedule
Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction which inspection types are eligible for a remote appointment on your permit, since scope is set locally and changes over time. Then prepare the site the way you would for any inspection: plans on hand, areas open and lit, a tape measure available, and one person free to hold the phone while another answers questions.
FAQ
Can I get a virtual building inspection in San Bernardino?
Remote and video-assisted inspections are used across California, but eligibility is set by the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm the current scope for your permit before booking.
Which inspections are most likely to be approved remotely?
Re-inspections, equipment replacements, and solar or battery finals.
What if there is no cell signal at the site?
Use guided photo capture and complete the session when connectivity allows, or convert to a physical visit.
Do I need to install software?
No. Sessions open in a phone browser from a link.
Is a virtual inspection record accepted by insurers and lenders?
Verified capture with server-side time, location, and immutable originals is generally stronger documentation than an emailed photo set — see underwriting and renewals.
Keep reading
- Los Angeles virtual inspections — the metro comparison.
- San Diego''s virtual inspection program.
- California AB 1738 — statewide direction.
- Footing, framing and final checklist.
- Truck roll cost calculator — what the drive really costs.