On a resi rough in should the breakers be terminated before inspection, or just the grounding and neutral conductors? I don't like the idea of the breakers being terminated in a hot panel with no devices installed yet.

When I did houses in California we never set circuit breakers until we did the trim. Here in Idaho it's standard to install them at rough in, but there isn't a meter set until the final inspection so nothing is hot. Sometimes a meter is set earlier if a house needs heat etc. Since I don't do houses anymore I'm not sure how this is handled. I'm never comfortable with a situation where others can energize circuits that may not be clear.

Theft is a big problem here so we let it go until final.

Around here the only things the inspector looks at during rough in are the ground path, neutral path and installation of the materials in the walls & ceilings. If all this is ok and I've put breakers in a (dead) panel they just ignore them. If the panel is hot he's gonna be "a tad" disturbed.
Sandsnow has the real point ... wanna buy them twice?

In SW Fla the panel and meter get set at the service rough and they fire it up with 1 GFCI breaker and the garage receptacle right after the roof is black.
The rest of the breakers get put in with the trim, close to the end.

The purpose of a rough inspection is to check the work that will be concealed.

I would not expect the breakers to be installed on the rough inspection. I would expect maybe 1 or 2 breakers for a service inspection to get some temp power in a construction site, but the rest of the breakers I would see them on the final inspection. You don't want the painters to get slop all over the breakers no would we.

Thanks guys. hey Harold no worry about paint on the breakers here in Arizona they're always outside!

Another reason not to install and terminate all of the branch CBs at time of rough-in is safety. Do you really want anyone on the job to be able to switch on a CB and heat up a circuit with nothing terminated on the other end? Sounds like a good way to get a painter zapped!

We label the home runs and leave them tied up neatly (next to the panel, NOT terminated) so the inspector can look at what will be terminated. The only thing I terminate is the receptacle that is next to the panel.

we only fire up the panel GFI receptacle for the rough. everything else goes in at trim out.

With the arc flash standards I don't think any inspector will be looking at a energized panel much longer. All electric will have to be off unless he can stay back and inspect outside the zone. This will also effect how we as contractors approach what we fire up for temporary power. My solution will be run all power through a temporary service untill final inspection. Here in Ohio OSHA is hitting ECs hard on arc flash regulations. An open panel on a residental job could cost $10,000 in fines.