Permit History Lookup
Search any address to see building permits filed on that property — what work was done, who did it, how much it cost, and the current status. Free and instant.
Currently Supported Cities
We pull live data directly from official city open data portals. Currently available in:
30+ cities covering millions of permit records, including every city in New Jersey via the statewide permit database. Data sourced from official municipal open data APIs — always current, always free. View all cities →
How It Works
- 1 Enter any street address in one of our supported cities.
- 2 We query the city's official permit database in real-time using their public open data API.
- 3 See every permit on file — what was done, who did the work, how much it cost, and the current status.
Data comes directly from official city sources: Chicago Open Data, NYC DOB, SF DBI, Seattle SDCI, and Austin Development Services. We don't store or resell personal information.
Why Look Up Permit History?
- Buying a home? See what renovations were done and whether they were properly permitted. Unpermitted work can cost you thousands after closing.
- Planning a project? See what permits your neighbors pulled for similar work — gives you a realistic timeline and cost expectation.
- Checking a contractor? Search their name to see how many permits they've pulled in your city and for what types of work.
- Selling your home? Verify that all past work was properly permitted before a buyer's inspection flags unpermitted improvements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free. We query publicly available government open data APIs. The data is public record — we just make it easier to access and understand.
We query the city's database in real-time, so the data is as current as the city keeps it. Most cities update their open data portals daily or weekly. Permits filed in the last few days may not appear yet.
We can only provide permit history for cities that publish their permit data through public open data APIs. Most smaller cities don't do this yet. We're adding new cities as they make their data available. Check back regularly or request your city.
The permit history shows which contractors pulled permits at an address. You can search for permits associated with a specific contractor's work. For license verification, check your state's contractor licensing board directly.
No results could mean: (1) no permits were ever pulled at this address, (2) the work was done before the city started digitizing records (typically 1990-2005), (3) the address format doesn't match the city's records exactly (try variations like "St" vs "Street"), or (4) work was done without permits (which may be an issue worth investigating).
Planning a project?
Check if your project needs a building permit with our free lookup tool — covering 1,500+ cities and 28 project types.
Check Permits →