Spot the Violation

FramingMinnesota building permits & inspectionsLevel 12018 IRC

Room addition, insulation and board going in

Interior of a new room addition. On the left, open 2x6 stud framing with a doubled header over a window opening, OSB sheathing behind, and a yellow cable running to a blue device box. On the right, the stud bays are filled with kraft-faced insulation and drywall sheets are screwed over part of the wall. A building permit inspection card on a stud shows initials on the Footing and Foundation lines and blank Framing, Insulation and Final lines. A drywall lift stands in front of the covered section. BUILDING INSPECTION RECORD FOOTINGFOUNDATIONFRAMINGINSULATIONFINAL
Room addition, building permit card on the stud

The electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-ins on this addition have all passed. The general contractor wants to finish this week, so the crew started insulating and hanging drywall. What's wrong here?

  1. The framing is being covered with insulation and drywall before the framing inspection has been approved
  2. The framing inspection must come before the plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough-ins, so the order is already wrong
  3. Covering is fine as long as the final inspection is passed; the inspector can check framing then
  4. Nothing. This installation is compliant
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The answer

Insulation and drywall are going over framing that has not passed its framing inspection.

Correct choice: 1. The framing is being covered with insulation and drywall before the framing inspection has been approved

Minn. Rules 1300.0210 requires work to stay accessible and exposed for inspection until approved, and it bars work beyond the point of each successive inspection without the building official's approval. The framing inspection comes after the roof, masonry, framing, firestopping, draftstopping, and bracing are in place and the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough inspections are approved. That is exactly where this job is, so the next call is the framing inspection, not the drywall crew. Headers, bearing, fastening, bracing, and fireblocking (firestopping) all disappear behind insulation and gypsum board. Work that doesn't comply has to be corrected and may not be covered until the building official authorizes it.

How to fix it

Stop insulating and hanging board, call for the framing inspection, and expect to remove the drywall and insulation the inspector needs to see. Continue only after the FRAMING line is signed. If the city requires an insulation inspection, that comes next, before the drywall.

Code references

  • Minn. Rules 1300.0210 — Inspections

    Work must remain accessible and exposed for inspection until approved, and work may not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without the building official's approval. Rough-in inspections of plumbing, mechanical, gas, sprinklers, alarms, and electrical are made before covering or concealment and before the framing inspection. Inspection of framing and masonry construction is made after the roof, masonry, framing, firestopping, draftstopping, and bracing are in place and after the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough inspections are approved. Noncomplying work must be corrected and may not be covered or concealed until authorized by the building official.

    Drills citing 1300.0210

  • IRC 2018 R109.1.4 — Frame and masonry inspection (model code)

    In the model IRC, inspection of framing and masonry construction is made after the roof, masonry, framing, firestopping, draftstopping, and bracing are in place and after the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough inspections are approved. Minnesota does not adopt IRC chapter 1 and applies Minn. Rules 1300.0210 instead, which uses nearly the same wording.

    Drills citing R109.1.4

Minnesota

Minnesota ruleConfidence: high

This drill tests State Building Code administration (Minn. Rules ch. 1300), which replaces IRC chapter 1 in Minnesota. The Minnesota Residential Code (Minn. Rules ch. 1309) adopts the 2018 IRC with Minnesota amendments for the framing itself. DLI has begun rulemaking toward the 2024 IRC, with no effective date yet.

About the Minnesota Residential Code

Citation under review. Audited 2026-10-04. The 1300.0210 wording (accessible and exposed until approved; no work beyond each inspection point; rough-ins before the framing inspection; framing and masonry inspection after roof, masonry, framing, firestopping, draftstopping, and bracing and after the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough inspections) was confirmed through search results quoting the rule (revisor.mn.gov and Cornell LII; direct fetch blocked). Its subpart numbering was not, so the part is cited without a subpart. The earlier 'fireblocking' and IBC-style 'heating wires, pipes, and ducts' wording was corrected. IRC 2018 R109.1.4 section number and wording were confirmed by a search result quoting the model code.

Why the other choices are wrong

  • The framing inspection must come before the plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough-ins, so the order is already wrong. It's the reverse. Under Minn. Rules 1300.0210 the framing inspection is made after the plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough inspections are approved. Those passing is what makes the framing inspection the next step.
  • Covering is fine as long as the final inspection is passed; the inspector can check framing then. Work must stay accessible and exposed until approved, and no work may go beyond each inspection point without the building official's approval. At the final, the framing is hidden.
  • Nothing. This installation is compliant. The FRAMING line on the card is blank, yet insulation and drywall are already going over the framing.
Code complianceLevel 1 · Apprentice#minnesota#inspection#framing-inspection#concealment#addition

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