How to Look Up Building Permits (By Address, Owner, or Date)
Free permit search by address, owner name, or permit number. What you'll find, what to do if you spot un-permitted work, and direct portal links for all 50 states.
Quick Answer: Building permits are public records searchable at the city or county level, not federal. Search any property's permit history for free by (1) visiting the city/county building department's online portal, (2) entering the address, owner name, or permit number, and (3) reviewing the date, type, contractor, inspections, and final status. A handful of states offer a central portal — most require you to go through the local jurisdiction. Un-permitted work is a serious red flag for buyers.
Who Needs a Permit Lookup?
Permit history reveals the construction, renovation, and compliance story of any property. Several groups routinely rely on it:
Homebuyers
Before you close, pull the full permit history. Un-permitted additions can void your insurance, force a teardown, or surface as a deal-killer at underwriting. If the listing photos show a finished basement or added bedroom, every major project should have a matching permit.
Real estate agents
Agents representing sellers have a disclosure duty. Agents representing buyers have a fiduciary duty. Pulling permits before listing or making an offer is basic due diligence — and it protects against lawsuits after closing.
Title companies and lenders
Open permits and un-permitted work can block closing. Title companies often run a permit search as part of the title commitment. Lenders increasingly require proof of permits for any work completed in the past 5–7 years.
Journalists and investigators
Permit records expose patterns — unlicensed contractors working across jurisdictions, developers cutting corners, officials approving work in their own districts. All 50 states treat permit records as public records.
Permits live at the city or county level
There is no federal building permit database. A small number of states (Hawaii, New Jersey, Wisconsin) administer codes centrally, but even those states store records at the municipal level. Your search always starts with the jurisdiction the property sits in — confirm whether the property is inside city limits or in an unincorporated county area before you start.
3 Ways to Look Up a Permit
Most online permit portals support the same three search methods. Which one you use depends on what you already know about the property or project.
Search by address
Most common. Use this if you have a property address and want the full construction history.
Enter the street number and name exactly as they appear on the county assessor's site (portals are picky about "St" vs "Street," "Ave" vs "Avenue"). Leading zeros, unit numbers, and directional prefixes (N, NE, SW) can all break a search. If your first try returns nothing, try variations. Address searches return every permit ever issued for the parcel — building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition, sign, fence, and pool permits should all appear in one result set.
Search by owner name
Use when you know the owner or contractor but not a specific property. Useful for journalists tracking a developer, investors researching a flipper, or homeowners verifying their own permit history.
Enter the owner's last name first (most portals accept "Smith, John" or just "Smith"). Corporate owners can be tricky — try LLC variations ("ABC Homes LLC," "ABC Homes, L.L.C.," "ABC Homes"). Contractor name searches return every permit pulled by that license holder across the city or county — a powerful way to see whether your prospective contractor has a history of failed inspections or stop-work orders.
Search by permit number or date range
Use when you already have a specific permit number (from a listing disclosure, prior inspection, or city notice) or when you need to find all permits issued in a neighborhood over a time period.
Permit numbers are the fastest way to pull up a single record — the format varies by city ("BLD-2024-12345," "B24-00789," "20240012345"). Date-range searches are useful for spotting construction trends, tracking how long a specific project took, or verifying that work claimed to be done in a certain year actually was permitted then. Some portals also let you filter by permit type, status, or value — powerful for investigative searches.
What You'll Find in a Permit Record
A single permit record contains roughly a dozen data points. Here is what to look for and why each one matters.
| Field | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date issued | The date the permit was approved and the work was legally authorized to begin. | Compare to construction dates visible on-site. Work done before the issue date was done without a permit. |
| Permit type | Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition, roofing, pool, fence, sign, etc. | A kitchen remodel should have a building permit AND separate electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits. Missing sub-permits are a red flag. |
| Scope of work | Narrative description — e.g., "Remove kitchen wall, install new 20A circuit, replace 40-gal water heater." | Compare to what the property actually looks like. Scope creep (building more than permitted) is common and illegal. |
| Declared value | The stated construction value used to calculate permit fees. | Dramatically under-declared values (a $100K addition declared as $20K) can indicate fraud and trigger retroactive fees. |
| Contractor name & license | The licensed contractor who pulled the permit, or "homeowner/owner-builder." | Verify the license is active and in good standing — use our contractor license checker (link below). Expired license at time of work = red flag. |
| Inspection history | Every scheduled inspection with date, inspector name, and pass/fail/cancelled result. | Multiple failed inspections before final pass is common. Skipped inspections (framing, rough-in) are the biggest red flag. |
| Final / closed status | Whether the permit was finalized (final inspection passed) or remains open. | Open permits transfer to new owners and can block home sales. See FAQ below. |
| Certificate of Occupancy | For new construction or major additions — the document certifying the space is legal to occupy. | A property without a CO for work that required one cannot legally be occupied or resold in most jurisdictions. |
50-State Permit Lookup Table
Direct links to the largest-city permit portal in each state, plus notes on which smaller cities publish records online. Permit records are always maintained at the city or county level — the link below is the highest-volume starting point. "Varies by city/county" means lookup is entirely local; click through to our state hub for the specific jurisdiction you need.
| State | Portal / Starting Point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Birmingham Permitting & Inspection | City-level lookups only. Birmingham and Huntsville have online permit search portals. Many rural Alabama counties have no online records. |
| Alaska | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau maintain permit records. Unorganized boroughs often have no permit records at all. |
| Arizona | Phoenix Planning & Dev Services | City-level lookups only. Phoenix SHAPE PHX portal, Tucson PDSD, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Maricopa County all offer online permit search. |
| Arkansas | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Little Rock and Fayetteville have online records. Many rural areas have no digitized permit history. |
| California | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Every major city maintains online permit search — LA (BuildLA), SF (PPTS), San Diego (OpenDSD), San Jose, Sacramento. Check your specific city. |
| Colorado | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Denver uses Accela Citizen Access; Colorado Springs and Aurora also have online permit search. |
| Connecticut | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/town. All 169 towns maintain records independently. Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford have online search. No county government in CT. |
| Delaware | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. New Castle County uses CityView portal; Kent and Sussex counties and Wilmington city maintain separate systems. |
| Florida | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Most FL counties publish permit records online — Miami-Dade ePermitting, Hillsborough, Orange, Broward, and Palm Beach all searchable. |
| Georgia | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Atlanta uses Accela; Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and DeKalb counties all have online permit search. |
| Hawaii | Varies by city/county | Varies by county. Only 4 counties handle all permitting — Honolulu (ePlans), Maui, Hawaii (Big Island), Kauai. No city-level government. |
| Idaho | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Boise TRAKiT and Ada County online. Many rural counties have paper-only records. |
| Illinois | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/village. Chicago Building Permits Search is the most comprehensive in the state. Cook County unincorporated areas use separate system. Suburbs vary. |
| Indiana | Indianapolis Accela Citizens Access | City-level lookups only. Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend have online permit search. |
| Iowa | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport offer online permit search. Smaller cities often paper-based. |
| Kansas | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City (KS), and Topeka have online records. No mandatory statewide building code. |
| Kentucky | Louisville Construction Review | City-level lookups only. Louisville and Lexington (Accela Citizen Portal) online. Smaller jurisdictions may require FOIA requests. |
| Louisiana | New Orleans One-Stop App | Parish-level lookups. New Orleans (onestopapp.nola.gov), Baton Rouge, and Jefferson Parish have online search. |
| Maine | Varies by city/county | Varies by town. Portland, Bangor, and Augusta publish records. Many small towns have paper-only records held by code enforcement officer. |
| Maryland | Varies by city/county | Varies by county. Montgomery County ePlans, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Prince George's, and Anne Arundel all searchable online. |
| Massachusetts | Boston Inspectional Services | City/town-level lookups. Boston ISD, Worcester, Cambridge, and many suburbs use OpenGov or ViewPoint for online search. |
| Michigan | Detroit BSEED Permits | City/township-level. Detroit BSEED, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Lansing have online permit search. |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis Construction Permits | City-level lookups only. Minneapolis and St. Paul have online search. License lookup available via iMS at dli.mn.gov for contractor verification. |
| Mississippi | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Jackson and Gulf Coast cities publish records. Many rural areas have no permit records at all (no mandatory code). |
| Missouri | Kansas City CompassKC | City-level lookups only. Kansas City (CompassKC) and St. Louis have online portals. data.mo.gov tracks which jurisdictions have adopted building codes. |
| Montana | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, and Helena have online records. Many rural counties have no permit records. |
| Nebraska | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Omaha and Lincoln publish online permit records. Smaller cities often paper-based. |
| Nevada | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Clark County (Las Vegas metro) ePermit, Washoe County (Reno), and City of Las Vegas all have online permit search. |
| New Hampshire | Varies by city/county | Varies by town. Manchester, Nashua, and Concord publish records. Many small towns paper-only. No mandatory statewide residential code. |
| New Jersey | Newark Construction Office | Municipal lookups only. Newark, Jersey City, and most NJ municipalities publish records. OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests available for anything not online. |
| New Mexico | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Albuquerque eBuild and Santa Fe have online records. Many rural areas paper-only. |
| New York | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/town. NYC DOB NOW and Buildings Information System (BIS) cover all 5 boroughs. Upstate cities (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse) have separate portals. |
| North Carolina | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Charlotte (Accela), Raleigh, Durham, and Wake/Mecklenburg counties all have online permit search. |
| North Dakota | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks have online records. Rural areas often have no permit records. |
| Ohio | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo all have online permit search. Certified municipalities maintain their own records. |
| Oklahoma | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Oklahoma City (Accela) and Tulsa publish records online. Rural areas often have no permit records. |
| Oregon | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Multnomah County have online portals. Oregon CCB license lookup available statewide. |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia L&I eCLIPSE | Municipal lookups. Philadelphia eCLIPSE and Pittsburgh PLI have online search. Many PA municipalities use third-party code enforcement agencies with their own portals. |
| Rhode Island | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/town. Providence publishes records. Smaller towns often require in-person or phone requests. |
| South Carolina | Charleston Permit Center | City/county-level. Charleston (TRAKiT), Columbia, Greenville, and Horry County publish records online. |
| South Dakota | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Sioux Falls and Rapid City have online records. No mandatory statewide residential code — many areas have no permit records. |
| Tennessee | Nashville Codes & Permits | City/county-level. Nashville, Memphis (Accela), Knoxville, and Chattanooga have online permit search. |
| Texas | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Houston (ILMS), Austin (AMANDA), Dallas (Posse), San Antonio, and Fort Worth all have online portals. No statewide residential code. |
| Utah | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Salt Lake City, Provo, West Valley City, and Utah County have online permit search. |
| Vermont | Varies by city/county | Varies by town. Burlington publishes some records. Many small towns have no digitized permit history. No mandatory statewide building code. |
| Virginia | Richmond Planning & Development | County/city-level. Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax County (FIDO), Arlington, and Loudoun County all have online permit search. |
| Washington | Varies by city/county | Varies by city/county. Seattle (Shaping Seattle), King County, Tacoma, and Spokane have online permit search. Statewide L&I contractor license lookup available. |
| West Virginia | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Charleston and Morgantown publish some records. Many rural areas have no permit records at all. |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee DNS Permits | City-level lookups only. Milwaukee DNS and Madison have online permit search. DSPS statewide for Uniform Dwelling Code records. |
| Wyoming | Varies by city/county | Varies by city. Cheyenne, Casper, and Jackson publish records. Many rural areas have no permit requirements and therefore no records. |
Links point to the highest-traffic municipal portal in each state, verified against official .gov sources. For smaller cities and unincorporated county areas, click through to your state hub or call the local building department directly.
What to Do If You Find Un-Permitted Work
Red flag for homebuyers
Finding un-permitted work during due diligence is one of the most common reasons buyers walk from a deal or demand a significant price reduction. Here is what is actually at stake:
- Insurance risk. Most homeowner policies exclude damage caused by or occurring in un-permitted work. A fire that starts in an unpermitted kitchen addition may not be covered.
- Resale risk.The next buyer's inspector will also find it. You inherit the disclosure obligation and any fines or tear-down orders.
- Forced teardown.Jurisdictions can order non-compliant structures demolished at the owner's expense. This is most common with additions that violate setbacks, height limits, or lot coverage.
- Fines. Retroactive permit fees typically run 2–4x the normal fee. Some cities charge daily fines for ongoing violations.
- Appraisal problems. Appraisers are increasingly trained to verify permits for major improvements. Un-permitted square footage may not count toward the appraised value — killing your loan.
How to retroactively permit existing work
Many cities offer a retroactive (or "after-the-fact") permit process. You apply normally but pay elevated fees, expose the work for inspection (usually by opening walls), and fix anything not up to current code. See our full guide: What happens if you build without a permit.
What to Do If the Permit Shows an Unlicensed Contractor
Permits list the name and license number of the contractor who pulled them. Sometimes the license was expired at the time of the permit. Sometimes it was never valid. Sometimes the contractor name does not match the person who actually performed the work (a practice called "permit rental" — illegal in most states).
Verify the license
Run the contractor's name and license number through our free checker. Confirm the license was active on the permit issue date, in the correct state, and covers the type of work performed.
Contractor License CheckerFind the state licensing board
Every state has a contractor licensing authority. Use our 50-state directory to find the official board website where you can verify licensure, look up complaints, and file a disciplinary report if needed.
State Licensing BoardsIf the contractor was unlicensed
Most states allow consumers to recover double or triple damages from unlicensed contractors and void the contract entirely. File a complaint with the state licensing board and consult a consumer protection attorney. If the work is already done and passed inspection, you may still have exposure — open permits pulled by unlicensed contractors can be invalidated retroactively.
Pro Tips for Permit Searches
Try multiple address formats
Portals are picky. "123 Main St" and "123 Main Street" may return different results. Try with and without directional prefixes, leading zeros, unit numbers, and full street-type spellings. Cross-check the address format shown on the county assessor's site.
Check both city AND county
Properties in unincorporated areas are permitted by the county, not the nearest city. Properties annexed into city limits in the past 20 years may have older permits under the county and newer ones under the city. Search both.
Look for permit sub-types
A kitchen remodel usually requires a building permit PLUS separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical sub-permits. Some cities list them on one record; others show them as separate records linked by address. Missing sub-permits are a red flag.
Verify dates against what you can see
If the permit says a deck was finalized in 2018 but the deck is clearly rotted, weathered original-growth lumber, something is off. Permits can be pulled to cover work already done (retroactive permitting) — the inspection dates, not the issue date, tell you when the work was actually verified.
Cross-reference with tax assessor records
County assessor records list the legal square footage and bedroom/bathroom count on file. If the property shows 3 bed / 2 bath on the assessor's site but the listing says 4 bed / 3 bath, the extra room probably was not permitted. This is the single highest-yield check for homebuyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I look up building permits anonymously?
Yes. Building permits are public records in every US state. You do not need to identify yourself, provide a reason, or own the property to look them up. Most online permit search portals let you search by address without creating an account. In-person and phone requests at the building department are also anonymous — staff may ask for your contact info to send you results, but they cannot require you to explain why you want the records.
How far back do building permit records go?
It varies dramatically. Most US cities digitized their permit records sometime between 1995 and 2015, so online records typically go back 10–30 years. Older records (1920s–1990s) usually exist on microfiche or paper in city archives — you can request them in person or via a public records request, but they may take days or weeks to retrieve. Homes built before 1950 often have no permit records at all because permitting was not universally required. If you cannot find a permit online, always call the department before assuming no permit was issued.
Why can't I find a permit that should exist?
Several possibilities: (1) the work was done without a permit (most common), (2) the permit was issued before the city digitized records — check paper archives, (3) you are searching the wrong jurisdiction — confirm whether your property is in city limits, county unincorporated area, or a special district, (4) the permit was issued under a different address (common after address renumbering or lot splits), (5) the search portal only shows a certain date range or permit type, or (6) the permit was issued to a previous owner under a different spelling of their name. Call the building department — they can search their internal system more thoroughly than the public portal.
Are building permits public record?
Yes. Under every state's public records or freedom of information laws, building permits, inspection results, and certificates of occupancy are public records. This includes the permit application, approved plans (though some cities redact proprietary details), inspection history, contractor and license information, and final disposition. The only common redactions are personal phone numbers and email addresses of the applicant. Commercial tenant improvement plans are sometimes withheld if they include proprietary business layouts, but the permit itself is always public.
How much does a permit history cost to pull?
In most jurisdictions, searching online is free. Downloading individual permit documents is usually free or nominal ($1–$5 per document). Formal public records requests for extensive permit histories or archived paper records typically cost $10–$50 plus copy fees ($0.10–$0.50 per page). A certified permit history (with official stamp, often required for insurance claims or lawsuits) costs $25–$100. Title companies typically include a permit search as part of a title commitment for $75–$200 — this is a separate service from online lookup.
What is an "open permit" and is it bad?
An open permit is a permit that was issued but never finalized — meaning the work was either never completed, never inspected, or failed final inspection and was never corrected. Open permits can be a real problem: they can delay or kill a home sale (title companies and buyers flag them), they can void homeowner's insurance claims related to the work, and they can be transferred to you when you buy the property. To close an open permit, the current owner usually needs to schedule a final inspection — if the work is compliant, the inspector can close it. If not, the work may need to be corrected or a retroactive permit issued.
Can I see my neighbors' permits?
Yes. All permits are public record, including your neighbors'. You can look up permits for any property — your neighbor's address, a house you are considering buying, a rental property across town. This is how neighbors often find out about code violations (a neighbor filing a complaint after noticing construction without a posted permit). Some cities also publish a public map of all active permits, which lets you see what construction is happening near you.
How do I file a FOIA request for permit records?
Federal FOIA does not apply to city or state permit records — those are covered by each state's public records law (often called a "Sunshine Law," "Open Records Act," or state-specific name like NJ's OPRA or TX's Public Information Act). To request records: (1) identify the correct agency (usually the city building department, sometimes the records clerk), (2) submit a written request — most agencies have a form on their website, (3) be specific about what you want (address, date range, permit type), (4) note that you want digital copies if available (cheaper and faster), and (5) wait for the response, which is typically required within 5–10 business days. Agencies can charge reasonable fees for search time and copies but cannot charge for electronic records in most states.
Related Permit Guides
How to Get a Building Permit
Step-by-step process, costs ($50–$3,000+), timelines, and required documents for all 50 states.
What Happens If You Build Without a Permit?
Fines, stop-work orders, forced teardowns, and how to fix un-permitted work retroactively.
Do You Need a Permit to Build a Deck?
50-state deck permit guide with height thresholds, costs, and inspection requirements.
Contractor License Checker
Verify any contractor's license in any state. Free, instant, no signup required.
Verify Before You Buy
Pair your permit lookup with a license check. Run any contractor found in a permit record through our free tools.
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