City building permit guides

49 cities, largest first within each state.

City guides with the building department's contacts, online portal, codes in force, fee schedule, inspections, penalties and, for the largest cities, project-by-project rules.

A city guide applies inside that city’s limits. If the property is outside them, the county or another local office usually issues permits; the county property record or the city’s zoning map will tell you which side of the line an address is on. Cities we cover with project rules are marked with the number of projects.

What each city page covers

The building department and related offices, with phone, email, address, hours and the online permit portal.
The model codes the city enforces, with the edition and the date each took effect.
Every fee line we verified, as the schedule words it, with the schedule’s effective date.
The permit process in the city’s own steps, how long a permit lasts and how to extend it.
The inspection stages, how to book them and the re-inspection fee.
What the city does about work done without a permit, and how to legalize it.
The official permit search for checking an address.