If commercial plumbing was covered before a required inspection, stop further concealment and contact the permit authority with the permit, work location and available records. Ask what access and corrective steps it requires. Photos or a later camera view do not automatically replace inspection approval, and the affected scope must be resolved before continuing.
What should you gather before contacting the city?
Collect the approved plans and revisions, inspection history, the area that was covered and when that happened. Keep any construction photos, test records and contractor correspondence that already exist. These can help explain the situation, but do not label them a substitute for the missed approval.
Record the type of cover: backfill, concrete, wallboard, insulation, cabinetry or another permanent finish. Identify whether other trades or tenant operations are affected. A marked plan showing the location is more useful than an unexplained photo of a pipe.
For the intended sequence, see the plumbing top-out inspection. If the layout differs from the approved design, also review changes after permit issuance.
Do all the walls have to be opened?
Do not assume either that every surface must be removed or that nothing needs to be exposed. Ask the authority what access, investigation or corrective work it requires for this installation. The answer depends on the covered scope and available evidence.
A sewer camera shows visible conditions within the inspected line; it does not automatically establish every connection, material or required test. Our commercial sewer-camera report guide explains why its scope must be stated. Whether any proposed evidence satisfies the inspection requirement remains an authority decision.