What can the building inspector bust me on?

Im having some roofing and siding work done to my house next week by a licensed contractor. He will be pulling permits for the work which will take about 2 days. Is it a sure thing that the inspector will actually come out and look? In NY we are required to have hard wired smoke detectors and co2 detectors in the basement so he may come in the house to check for that. The problem is this house has a lot of poor quality work done to it that is not up to code, including newer wiring run under floor joists unprotected, no covers on junction boxes, no clamps on junction boxes, the drywall in the garage is is only 3/8" instead of the required 5/8", etc. I am doing some drywall work in the house, replacing light fixtures, etc. All stuff that doesn't require a permit, but im worried that he'll see the work i'm doing and the other stuff that isn't up to code and fine me or force me to fix it. I plan on fixing everything as time and budget allows, i just don't want to get in any trouble for actually getting permits like im supposed to.

The permit your contractor can have extra inspections required.Because of the lack of fire, smoke, CO2 detectors and deaths they attached a requirement to many permits that require an inspection for minor unassociated installations plus some other types of work for protection (others and yourself).

I had a large sliding door installed and the a major window supplier was responsible for the application and use of the permit. - The installation contractor was used by the supplier. He tore out the old relic, disposed of it and installed the new door in 1-1/2 hours and when we left, he said he got the permit and the inspector was informed and would be there before noon. The inspector showed up and looked at the installation and then walked through the house and found the door installer had installed the necessary smoke/fire alarms and signed off of the installation. - No cost and it was included in the quoted price.

When I had a second door replaced, the situation and people were the same and everything was good. The installation subcontractor did stop by about a 6 months later for adjustments for both doors.

Dick

No one gets a permit for a window, door or new roof and then has to be expected to have everything in the house brought up to code at the same time. If that was the case, how many people would actually pull a permit?
You would probably find an electrical inspector require a panel or wiring issues be brought up to code if you were getting an electrical permit. Same for a plumbing inspection with a plumbing permit.
An inspector signing off on a roof has no need to be going into your house. Nor can any inspector expect a homeowner to have every issue on their property brought up to code before they can have a new roof installed. How many people could afford that.
If you were selling the house, there would be other considerations, but for a roof and siding.....just tell him you're working on the other issues if he says anything.

We did a flip house and the window changes caused a cascade of permit disaster. This was a 1960's tract home but some smart *** had created a design review requirement if you change the windows. The plans called for upgrading the windows, fixing an unpermitted garage conversion, and a lot of interior wall movements. The investors thought they could get away without any permits ... nope. Once the window changes started, somebody ratted to the Design Review Board, which triggered a full permit evaluation of all the plans.

Needless to say, the reframing, master bath construction, plumbing realignment, gas line alterations, and electrical upgrades fell into the trap of costly delays and impossible attitudes from the various inspectors. The Supervisor Inspector was a real pro ... but his employees were generally not.

Point is to consider the changes, the delays and the costs .... it can get ugly.

I have a feeling this vastly changes depending on location and how closely the people in charge actually inforce the rules. Where I live if you live in any of many gated and non-gated communities with all kinds of rules and regulations specific to that community but also falling under the bigger city, county and state rules those neighbors will turn you in if your mail box is an inch too high or the wrong shade of green. I’m also sure they will insist on full code compliance. Out in the country it’s greatly more of a live and let live mentality unless someone is really doing something to adversely affect your property value in some way. Many people do many things on their own and it just blends away with time. New construction is the biggest exception and it gets the full treatment. For that reason a lot of people are finding a good location with a shot home and doing a little remodeling that in the end looks like a new house.

In the case of the house we bought on short sale and redid totally inside with a good deal of outside work all DIY there was never a need for one permit as far as I could see. The township knew I was making it better and saving them the job of tearing it down after a long legal battle I’m sure. The neighbors love improvement as it helps their property values. For the most part people just get along.