I feel your pain but it’s a good idea to NOT get cross-wise with your county Alphabet Soup. They can make life quite unpleasant for you.
First, read the rules and find out what they actually say, not what some inspector thinks they say. Like all civil servants, the inspector’s first duty is to protect their “rice bowl” by inspecting and finding stuff wrong (even if it isn’t). If they didn’t find stuff wrong they would soon be replaced as they would be seen as superfluous (even though they might not be) or incompetent (even if they’re not) or corrupt (even if scrupulously honest). But KNOW the rules at least as well, if not better than, the county’s minion.
Second, follow the rules. If it costs more money then that’s a “so sad, too bad” moment. The rules may be been written by Goofy but if Goofy had the legal authority to write them then you have to live by them. That’s part the of the whole Rule of Law thing.
If you think the rules are not IAW legislation then you can challenge them. That means suing the county, maybe even the state. Just because a regulator makes a decision it does not mean the decision is correct. County officials are notorious for ignoring stuff 'cause some supervisor doesn’t like something. The Rule of Law applies to everybody, including county officials.
No county ever hires the best and the brightest to do their work. Such officials are usually kith and/or kin of some Name. The more rural the county the more likely that’s true. And the more likely life will get difficult for you if you buck them.
G.
