Building Code Research & Guides
Homeowner guides and original research, covering 1,527+ US jurisdictions and 937,000+ real construction records.
Homeowner Guides
Decision-oriented guides for common home improvement projects: when approval is required, what it costs, and how the process works.
Do You Need a Permit to Install a Level 2 EV Charger at Home?
Almost always yes, here's what it costs, why it matters, and how to get it done without failing inspection.
Read the guide → Homeowner Guide · Swimming PoolSwimming Pool Permit Costs by State: What Homeowners Actually Pay
State-by-state breakdown of pool permit fees, fencing rules, and the 24-inch exemption threshold that trips up homeowners.
Read the guide → Homeowner Guide · GeneratorHome Generator Permits: What You Need to Know Before You Install
Why a standby generator needs up to three permits (electrical, gas, building), what they cost, and the NEC 702 transfer switch rule.
Read the guide →Data Reports
Original research from 4.9M+ real permit records across 1,500+ US cities. Visit the Data Center →
The U.S. City Where Homeowners Wait 315 Days for a Permit
Permit approval times range from 10 days in Gainesville to 315 in Miami. A ranked breakdown across 23 U.S. cities, drawn from 4.94M permit records.
Read the report → Data ReportWhat Homeowners Actually Pay for Building Permits: Real Data from 6 Cities
We analyzed 193,000+ permit records with fee data from Chicago, Denver, and more. Here's what permits actually cost.
Read the report → Data ReportThe Most Common Home Renovation in Every Major US City (2026)
937,000 permit records reveal what homeowners are actually building in Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Denver.
Read the report → Data ReportThe Busiest Contractors in Chicago, Denver, and Seattle (2021-2026)
Which contractors pull the most permits? We ranked 22,000+ contractors by permit volume across 3 major cities.
Read the report →