Permit Risk Scan
Before you make an offer, see every permit ever pulled at the address. Open permits, expired inspections, unpermitted-work signals, all in 10 seconds. Free, no sign-up.
Scan any US address
Enter the property address and city. We'll pull the permit history and flag anything a buyer should know about.
What the scan checks
- Open permits. Permits that were issued but never finaled. A buyer who inherits these is typically on the hook to close them out, sometimes at a real cost (re-inspections, fresh plan review, contractor time).
- Expired without final inspection. Worse than open, the permit expired. The city may require you to re-apply at full fee to legalize the work.
- Stale active work. Permits issued 180+ days ago with no inspection activity. Often means work was abandoned, or the seller forgot to call for final inspection.
- Large-dollar permits without closure. A $150K renovation permit that's still "under review" is a materially different risk than an open water-heater swap.
- Permit gaps. House pulled permits in 2005, 2008, 2012, then nothing for a decade, but the listing photos show a new deck and a finished basement. Statistical signal for unpermitted work.
Who uses this
Frequently asked questions
What is a permit risk scan?
A permit risk scan pulls every building permit ever filed at a specific address from the city's official records and flags potential risks for a home buyer: open permits that were never finaled, expired permits without a closing inspection, and gaps that could hint at unpermitted work. It's what insurance underwriters and title companies pay for; we make it free for homeowners.
Will this show unpermitted work?
Not directly, unpermitted work is by definition not in the permit record. But the scan surfaces signals: a house that had permits in 2010 but none since despite visible exterior renovations is a classic red flag. Combine this scan with an in-person inspection and, for high-value properties, a county tax-assessor square-footage check.
How is this different from what my home inspector does?
Most home inspectors, following InterNACHI and ASHI Standards of Practice, explicitly do not check permit status. Inspectors look at the physical condition; we look at the paper trail. Both matter. Run this scan before you make an offer so you know what questions to ask during inspection.
What cities do you cover?
We cover 31+ US cities with live permit APIs, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Portland, Denver, Minneapolis, and all of New Jersey. Coverage grows every month. If your city isn't supported, we show what other signals are available.
Is this legal advice?
No. Permit risk scans are informational only. Always combine with a licensed home inspection and, for unpermitted-work concerns, a real-estate attorney or title company review. PermitMint reports what the city records show; we don't interpret legal liability or coverage implications.
Covered cities (live open-data feeds)
31+ US cities with live permit history. If yours isn't here yet, we'll tell you when you run the scan.