Do I need a building permit?
Check when your project needs a permit, what it costs and how to get one, from the official rules of your city and state.
Check your project
The answer is the city's own rule, in its own words, with the office to call and the official link. We cover 49 large cities in full and the permit laws of 50 states and DC; for other places, the state page explains who issues permits.
Common projects
- Fence permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 19 major cities
- Deck permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 19 major cities
- Shed permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 19 major cities
- Roof permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 20 major cities
- Pool permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 20 major cities
- Water heater permitsWhen it needs a permit, and the rule in 19 major cities
- Kitchen remodel permitsModel code, city fees and state law
- Bathroom remodel permitsModel code, city fees and state law
- Basement finishing permitsModel code, city fees and state law
- Addition permitsModel code, city fees and state law
- Solar panel permitsModel code, city fees and state law
- ADU permitsModel code, city fees and state law
Cities
Department contacts, online portals, codes in force, fee schedules, inspections and penalties for 49 cities, with project-by-project rules for 20 of the largest.
- New York City, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Dallas, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- Fort Worth, TX
- San Jose, CA
- Charlotte, NC
- Columbus, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Denver, CO
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Nashville, TN
- El Paso, TX
- Las Vegas, NV
- Boston, MA
- Detroit, MI
- Louisville, KY
States
Who issues permits, the code in force, and the state laws on exemptions, owner-builders, contractor licensing, permit deadlines and selling a home with unpermitted work.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Guides
- How to get a building permitHow to get a building permit, step by step
- How much does a building permit cost?What a building permit costs
- Building permit application: what to submitWhat goes in a building permit application, what major cities ask you to submit for common projects, who can apply and where to apply online.
- How long does a building permit take?How long a building permit takes
- When does a building permit expire?When a building permit expires, how to extend it, and what the model code and major cities say about starting and finishing work, quoted from the source.
- Unpermitted work: what it means and what to doWhat unpermitted work is, what cities can do about it, how to check a property and how to get work permitted after the fact, from official sources.
- What happens if you build without a permit?What happens if you build without a permit
- Selling a house with unpermitted workSelling a house with unpermitted work
- How to legalize unpermitted workHow to legalize unpermitted work with an after-the-fact permit
How this site works
Every rule, number and date on this site is quoted from an official source: a city building department, a state statute or agency, or a government-hosted copy of the adopted code. Each page lists its sources with the date the source shows and the date we checked it. Rules change and a department can interpret its own code, so call the department before you build. Read how we research and verify.