A red or yellow tag from a building inspector, or a formal correction notice following a failed inspection, details the specific code violations that must be resolved before your project can be approved or before the utility provider can restore your power. We specialize in correcting these electrical code violations to ensure your system is fully compliant and ready for reinspection. Ultimately, the municipal or county building department that issued the original citation has the final authority to sign off on the corrections and clear the notice.
These enforcement tags are typically issued after a building inspector discovers unpermitted electrical work completed by a previous homeowner, an addition or panel upgrade that failed to meet safety standards, or main service equipment that was severely compromised by a fire or storm. In many instances, the individual who performed the original, faulty installation is long gone, leaving the current property owner responsible for resolving the violations.
What This Covers
- Red-tag and yellow-tag items from a building inspector
- Items from a failed rough-in or final inspection
- Corrections after a stop-work order on unpermitted wiring
- Service and meter base repairs required before reconnection
- Electrical repair lists from home inspection reports
- Double-tapped breakers, open splices and missing GFCI protection
- Getting corrected work ready for re-inspection
Signs It’s Time to Call
- An inspector left a red or yellow tag or a correction notice
- Your electrical inspection failed and the installer is gone
- The power company won't reconnect until repairs are made and inspected
- A buyer's inspection report lists electrical repairs
- You've found unpermitted wiring in a house you bought
The Process
Send the Notice
The tag, correction notice, or inspection report defines the necessary scope of work. Please attach a photo or a digital copy of the notice to your service request, along with the active building permit number if one has been assigned.
Each Item, in the House
Every listed code violation is evaluated directly on-site alongside its surrounding circuitry, as discovering and resolving any related hidden electrical issues now is far better than having them uncovered during the official reinspection.
Correct to the Department's Code
We correct each cited item to strictly match the specific code edition enforced by your local building department. If any item on the correction notice is ambiguous, we contact the specific inspector who wrote it for clarification, and any structural elements that must be physically seen by the inspector will remain uncovered until the reinspection is complete.
The Inspector Comes Back
The municipal or county building department performs a follow-up inspection to officially clear the tag and approve the work. If your electrical service was completely disconnected due to the violation, the utility company will safely restore your power once all local department requirements are fully satisfied.
Common Questions
What do red and yellow tags mean?
There's no single standard. In general a red tag means stop: an inspection has failed, work was found without a permit, or equipment is unsafe, and nothing more may be done or switched on until it's corrected and re-inspected. A yellow tag generally means something short of that, such as limited use or approval that depends on corrections. Read the notice itself, which should say who issued it, what was found and what has to happen next.
I bought a house with unpermitted electrical work. What now?
Have it evaluated. Unpermitted wiring isn't always bad wiring, but nobody has checked it, and the common faults are hidden ones: overloaded circuits, buried splices and missing grounds.
If the building department is involved, it usually wants a permit and an inspection, and finished walls sometimes have to be opened so the inspector can see the connections.
Do you work from a home inspector's repair list?
Yes. A home inspector's report isn't an official notice, but in a sale the buyer and seller usually negotiate repairs from it. The typical electrical entries are double-tapped breakers (two wires under one screw), missing cover plates, reversed polarity, open grounds and missing GFCI protection.