Based on my experiences the answer is yes. Anything that disrupts traffic / clicks away from the average causes AdSense to sandbox my account for a day or two. I think they do some sort of limited bidding while they analyze the traffic. It's nothing crazy though, and notice maybe 20% lower earnings and clicks for that short period.

The sheer size of g and its data centers across the globe, and, and, and .... of course there is a delay! And when validating content and comparing to consensus throughout the index there will be a delay! Add to that the sneaky factor that some sites make changes to game the system and then return to their evil ways there is yet another delay!

Fast as the internet might be in bits and bytes, the bean counting and ranking take REAL TIME, and proof (to g) that the site downchecked has indeed mended their wayfaring ways and returned to good graces.

Six months at a minimum has been my experience.

Best way to avoid it is to code clean and be forthright from the beginning. But... given human nature to get fast results that's always going to be a cause for friction.

@tangor But the changes I am talking about are the ones related to AdSense alone (like blocking/enabling personalized ads, increasing/decreasing ad units, etc.) and not to the site layout. In such cases, are 6 months a decent time to wait to observe the impact?

Yes. :)

If it happens sooner, great!