Free guide — the permit process, explained plainly
A building permit is your local government's written approval to build, remodel, or demolish — granted before work starts, based on plans the building department has reviewed for code and zoning compliance. It is not a tax or a formality: it is the trigger for the inspections that prove the work is safe.
The exact list is set by your city or county, but these projects need a permit almost everywhere:
New buildings & additions
Houses, garages, commercial buildings, and any added square footage.
Structural changes
Removing or moving walls, changing the roof structure, cutting new openings.
Major systems work
Electrical service changes, new plumbing, HVAC installs — usually as separate trade permits.
Decks, fences & pools
Most jurisdictions permit decks and pools; fence rules vary by height and location.
Demolition
Tearing down a structure (or part of one) needs a demolition permit and utility sign-offs.
Change of use
Turning a garage into a living space or a shop into a restaurant changes the occupancy — permit required.
Thresholds differ by jurisdiction — always confirm with your local permit office before assuming. Five minutes of checking beats a stop-work order.
Confirm what your project needs
Talk to the building department (or read its portal) to learn which permits, plans, and licensed contractors your project requires. Many projects need trade permits alongside the building permit.
Prepare plans and documents
Scaled drawings, a site plan, and product specifications. Bigger projects need plans stamped by a licensed architect or engineer — and the property's APN, which our free parcel lookup can help you find.
Submit the application and pay fees
Apply through the department's portal or counter. Fees are calculated from the local fee schedule and are usually due at submittal or issuance.
Plan review and corrections
Reviewers check structure, zoning, energy, and life-safety. Most applications get a correction list — respond completely and resubmit promptly.
Receive the issued permit
Post the permit card visibly at the job site. Work must match the approved plans; changes usually need a revision approved before you build them.
Build, inspect, and close out
Call for inspections at each required stage. Passing the final inspection closes the permit — and for occupiable buildings, leads to the certificate of occupancy.
A permit approves a specific project at a specific address. A license approves a contractor to do a category of work. Departments check both — which is why verifying your contractor's license comes first.
Verify a contractor's license free →For buildings people will occupy, the permit process finishes with a certificate of occupancy — the document that makes the space legal to use. See what it is and how the final steps work.
Certificate of occupancy guide →Permits are issued locally — the city or county building department (the AHJ) is where applications, fee schedules, and inspection requests live. Our directory links the official permit portals for jurisdictions across all 50 states.
A building permit is official written approval from your local building department (the Authority Having Jurisdiction, or AHJ) to construct, alter, repair, move, or demolish a structure exactly as shown on approved plans. It starts the inspection process that ends, for most projects, with a certificate of occupancy.
Confirm the requirements with your local building department, prepare plans and documents, submit the application and pay the fees, respond to plan-review corrections, and receive the issued permit. Then build to the approved plans, call for inspections at each stage, and pass the final to close the permit out.
From the building department of the city or county where the property is located — the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). There is no state or national permit office. Most departments accept applications through an online portal, and many still take paper applications at the counter. Find your AHJ's official portal in our directory, and confirm which application route it currently uses before you prepare your plans.
Fees are set locally and usually scale with the project's value, size, or type — a bathroom remodel and a warehouse pay very different amounts, and extra fees (plan review, school, utility, impact) can apply. There is no national price. Your building department publishes a fee schedule; find the official portal for your city in our AHJ directory.
Simple over-the-counter permits can issue the same day, while projects needing plan review commonly take a few weeks — and large or complex projects can take months, especially if the review comes back with corrections. Complete plans and fast responses to corrections are the biggest schedule levers you control.
Expect stop-work orders, fines that can exceed the original permit fee, and possible removal of the unpermitted work. Unpermitted work also surfaces at resale — it can stall a closing, void insurance claims, and force you to open walls so inspectors can see what was done. Pulling the permit first is always cheaper.
Either can apply, but most departments expect the licensed contractor doing the work to pull trade permits, and owners often let the general contractor pull the building permit. Whoever signs is responsible for the work complying. Never let a contractor ask you to pull an "owner-builder" permit for their work to dodge licensing — that shifts the legal risk to you.
Permit Warden tracks every permit, inspection, and renewal across your projects and jurisdictions — with automatic reminders before anything lapses.
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