... and he is interpreting that label to mean that 185 amps is the total breaker handle amp ratings for the entire panel...
This is usually a H.O. question, "should I be concerned that my 200 amp panel has 17 20 amp breakers in it? that's way more than 200 amps isn't it?"
and any electrical professional should be able to quickly reason "no, because in most applications the circuits draw less than their maximum ampacity" or alternately "The main breaker protects the feeder, the branch breakers protect the branch circuits"
I'd be very worried that you're inspector is making statements like this. And I agree with the interpretation that you cannot put more than 185 amps worth of protection on one stab.
