Building permit tools
Each tool uses the same verified records as the city and state pages.
- Permit checkerYour city’s rule for a fence, deck, shed, roof, pool or water heater.
- Building department finderThe office, phone, hours and online portal for your city.
- Permit fee calculatorApply a city’s published valuation table to your project value.
- Inspection checklistYour city’s inspections in order, printable.
- Code adoption mapThe code edition each state has adopted.
How the tools work
- They run in your browser on the same verified records as the city and state pages; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
- Every answer shows where it comes from: the city’s own wording, the schedule line used or the official link, with the date we checked it.
- Where we have not verified something, the tool says so and points you to the office to call, instead of guessing from another city or from the model code.
- The fee calculator applies only valuation tables whose wording says how partial amounts are counted, and shows the arithmetic.
- Rules change and departments interpret their own codes: use the result to prepare your call or application, not as a permit decision.
Which tool to start with
Planning a fence, deck, shed, roof, pool or water heater? Start with the permit checker: it gives the city’s rule and the limit that decides it. If the answer is “depends”, open the city’s project page to read the full wording. Need to call or apply? The department finder gives the office, hours and portal. Budgeting? The fee calculator applies the city’s valuation table to your number. Ready to build? Print the inspection checklist so you know which stage to book next.
What the tools do not do
- They do not look up an address: choose the city the property is legally in (the county property record says), not the city in the mailing address.
- The permit checker covers fences, decks, sheds, roofs, pools and water heaters, and only in the cities whose own rule we verified; for other projects and places it sends you to the department instead of guessing.
- They do not file anything or reserve an inspection; the department’s own portal does that, and each result links to it.
- The fee calculator gives one line of the schedule; plan review, surcharges and trade permits are listed on the city page and are not added in.
Covered cities are listed on the cities page; state laws on the states page.