Construction Permit Search
New Construction Permits
Quick answer. New-construction permits are issued by the local building official for that jurisdiction. There is no single U.S. new-construction permit search. Construction permits are issued by the city or county building department, not by a national registry. Search the jurisdiction where the work happened, using the address. A state contractor license is a separate record.
Official office
USA.gov — State governments
Steps
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Write the full site address
Include city and ZIP. Confirm the parcel if the portal offers it.
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Open that city’s permit portal
Use the official building-department site. County sites matter where the county issues permits.
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Read status words carefully
Issued, finaled, expired, and void are not interchangeable.
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Check the contractor license separately
The name on the permit is a lead, not a license verification.
New construction is a permit type, not a national list
Use the city page when the site is inside city limits and the county page when it is not. The wrong jurisdiction returns an empty search that looks like “no permit.”
Zoning approval and the building permit can be separate records. Ask which one you need.
Permits are local
A construction permit search starts with the site address and the city. Many departments publish an online portal. Others answer by phone or public-records request. There is no federal building-permit database that replaces the local file.
The permit record can show the work type, dates, contractor name, and whether the inspection was finaled. It does not show whether the contractor’s state license is still active. Check the license board for that. It also does not show the LLC’s secretary of state status.
Large cities differ. Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago each run their own system. Read the portal’s own help text for address formatting. A failed search is often a unit number or a street suffix, not proof that no permit exists.
Common mistakes
- Searching a national broker first.
- Assuming no online hit means no permit.
- Confusing a permit with a certificate of occupancy.
- Ignoring unincorporated county jurisdiction.
Questions
Is there a national construction permit search?
No. Building permits are issued locally. You search the city or county that had jurisdiction.
What is a finaled permit?
The department’s word that required inspections were approved. Read their definition; wording varies.
Does a permit prove the contractor is licensed?
No. Look up the license on the state board that regulates that trade.