How We Research Permit Rules

Why PermitMint exists

I built PermitMint because I got frustrated trying to figure out if I needed a permit for a project at my own house. Every search result told me something different. Forum threads were five years out of date. The "official" sources were PDFs buried three clicks deep on a city website, and half the time they contradicted the fee schedule posted on the same site.

I'm not a licensed building official or a contractor. My day job is running global cybersecurity operations for a large organization, and the whole discipline is built on not trusting summaries, you chase down the raw evidence, read the actual logs, and verify what really happened instead of taking someone's word for it. I built PermitMint by applying the same habit to building permits: find the primary source, cite it, verify it, and show the work.

Every rule on this site is traceable to a real document, a municipal code section, a fee schedule PDF, a building department web page, or a state building code adopted by statute. If a rule can't be verified from a primary source, it's either marked medium confidence or it doesn't go on the site at all.

How we research each city

For every new city we add, the process is the same six steps:

1. Identify the enforcing authority. Small cities often delegate permits to the county. Unincorporated areas fall under county Planning & Development departments. We figure out who actually issues permits before we write a single rule. For Spring Valley, CA, for example, that means San Diego County PDS, not a city building department that doesn't exist.
2. Pull the primary code. We locate the current code version adopted by the city or state (2021 IRC, 2022 CRC, 2018 IRC with Georgia amendments, etc.) and read the relevant sections, typically IRC R105.2 for exemptions, plus any local amendments published in the municipal code.
3. Find the fee schedule. Nearly every city publishes a fee schedule as a PDF or adopted resolution. We read it line by line. For Ontario, OR, that means pulling Resolution 2024-114 and recording the actual dollar amounts. If a city doesn't publish a fee schedule, we leave the fee field blank rather than invent numbers.
4. Cross-check with the building department. We verify the contact info on the current city site, phone number, office address, hours, online permitting URL, any relevant caveats (for example, Ontario OR delegates electrical and plumbing permits to Malheur County, and we note that).
5. Write the rule with its source. Each rule gets a plain-English explanation, the code section or ordinance it's based on, and a direct URL to the source. Rules tagged confidence: high came from a primary source we could link to. Rules tagged confidence: medium were inferred from the state baseline code where the city hadn't published a specific override.
6. Date-stamp and re-verify. Every rule carries a last_verified date. Cities change fee schedules and adopt new code versions, the date tells you how fresh the record is so you can decide whether to double-check with the building department before filing.

Example: how one rule gets written

Here's what goes into a single rule, the shed exemption for Ontario, OR:

That's one of 159,255 rules in the database. Every city page you read on this site is assembled from rules researched this way.

What this site is, and isn't

PermitMint is: a free, fast way for homeowners to see whether their specific project likely needs a permit before they call city hall. Every answer comes with its source cited so you can verify it yourself.

PermitMint isn't: a legal replacement for your local building department. Building codes change. Local amendments get adopted. A rule that was accurate the day we verified it might not match what the plan reviewer tells you next Tuesday. The last verified date on every page tells you how recent the research is. If you're about to pull the trigger on a project, always confirm with the actual department issuing the permit before you start.

We also separate building permits from zoning. This site tells you whether a building permit is required. It doesn't tell you whether your setback is legal, whether your HOA will approve the color, or whether your property is in a flood zone. Zoning, planning, and HOA reviews are separate processes, check those with your local planning department and your CC&Rs.

Found an error? Tell us.

We take corrections seriously. If you're a building official, code consultant, contractor, or a homeowner who got a different answer from your city than what PermitMint shows, please send us the specifics, the city, the project type, and what the actual rule is (with a source if you have one). We'll verify and update within a few business days. Every correction makes the next homeowner's experience a little better.

Who runs PermitMint

PermitMint is run by Joey, a technology executive who leads global cybersecurity operations at a Fortune 500 company. I started this as a side project because the existing permit information landscape is terrible, a mix of outdated forum posts, AI-generated fluff pieces, and contractor lead-gen sites that bury the actual answer. I wanted something my neighbors could actually use.

PermitMint is a product of CIA Development. We're not funded, not for sale, and not affiliated with any contractor referral network. The site is free to use and will stay that way.