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Senate committee advances remote‑inspection bill for simple single‑family work amid safety debate
Summary
AB 17 38, which would require jurisdictions to offer virtual inspections for a select set of simple inspections on single‑family homes and duplexes, moved out of committee after supporters cited time and cost savings. Labor and trades groups urged caution and exemptions for electrical/photovoltaic work; committee amendments excluded certain inspections and made adoption contingent on safety protections.
Assemblymember Carrillo presented AB 17 38 to the Senate Committee on Local Government as a targeted policy to reduce inspection backlogs by requiring jurisdictions to offer a remote inspection option for a limited slate of routine inspections affecting single‑family homes and duplexes.
Colleen Corrigan of Spur, a co‑sponsor, said remote inspections have been implemented safely in more than 20 California jurisdictions and are endorsed by national bodies, allowing inspectors to focus on complex projects while clearing simple checks quickly. “Remote inspections aren’t a far‑fetched technology of the future,” Corrigan said, noting jurisdictions have conducted hundreds of thousands of remote inspections without incident.
Tim Wagner, a retired Placer County chief building official, described Placer County’s multi‑year video inspection program and said it covered dozens of inspection types with no safety incidents: “Video inspections keep jobs moving, save time and money, and resulted in the same safety outcomes.”
Opponents urged caution, especially for electrical, photovoltaic and battery systems. Scott Wetsch of the State Pipe Trades Council told the committee that mandating the program statewide risks imposing requirements on small jurisdictions that lack the technical capacity and that complex rooftop photovoltaic systems are not appropriate for video inspection. The author and supporters said committee amendments remove certain high‑risk inspections from the remote option and preserve inspectors’ discretion to require in‑person visits.
Senator Arreguin noted concerns about implementation in smaller jurisdictions and urged further consideration as the bill proceeds to the Senate Housing Committee. After discussion and committee amendments addressing safety and jurisdictional variation, the committee voted to pass the bill as amended to the next committee, with a recorded roll call.
Next steps: AB 17 38 is off to the committee identified on the motion; proponents said they will continue to work with trade groups and officials to refine implementation safeguards.
