Step by step
- Find the jurisdiction. Inside an incorporated city, the city issues building permits; in unincorporated areas, the county does. Some small towns contract with the county or a third party.
- Open the permit portal. Search "[city] building permit search". Common platforms include Accela Citizen Access, Tyler EnerGov, eTRAKiT, CityView, iWorQ, OpenGov and Cityworks.
- Search by address or parcel number. Parcel number searches avoid address-format mismatches.
- Read the record. Note the permit type, issue date, status (issued, finaled, expired) and contractor.
- Request older records. Paper-era permits usually require a public records request to the building department.
What do permit statuses mean?
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Applied / in review | Submitted, not yet approved |
| Issued | Approved; work may start |
| Finaled / closed | Passed final inspection; work complete |
| Expired | Work never passed final inspection before the permit lapsed |
How do I search permits across many properties?
Parceled collects permits from city and county portals, links them to parcels and normalizes the permit type. You can list permits for one property (`roofPermits` or all-type `permits`) or search a county for properties with, or without, a permit since a date. See building permit data API.
Frequently asked questions
Are building permits public record?
Yes, in every state, although the format and how far back online records go vary by department.
How can I tell when a roof was replaced?
Look for a re-roof or roofing permit in the permit history. Roofers use this at scale; see Hail Pro's guide to checking roof permit history.