The truth about any property, before you commit.
Before the biggest purchase of your life, uncover its permit history, hidden renovations, and work that was never signed off — straight from official US city records.
Searching in New York City, New York · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report
Most cities never mark their permits closed. In Las Vegas, 95% are still marked issued.
We checked thirty US permit systems. The data is public — but buried in cryptic city databases, written in codes like “EW” and “A2,” and nobody hands it to you before you fall in love with a house. Then the title company calls two weeks before closing.
Open permits
Work started but never inspected to completion — can delay or kill your closing.
Unpermitted additions
That finished basement may be illegal square footage you inherit.
Bad contractors
The pros who worked on it may have a trail of violations and abandoned jobs.
Surprise costs
Retroactive fees, re-inspections and corrections can cost thousands to put right.
Three steps between you and a costly mistake
Search an address
Enter any address in a covered city. We instantly pull the city's live permit database — the same public records title companies use, but made readable.
We analyze the risk
We read every permit on record, flag what is open, expired or never closed, and score the property's permit risk with the reasons shown.
You decide, with evidence
Take the open items to the seller and your agent before you sign. Ask for them to be closed, negotiate the price, or walk away.
A complete dossier on the property
Not raw data — answers. Every part of the report is built to change a decision or prevent a loss.
Property Risk Score
One score, 0 to 100, summarizing the property's permit risk, with every deduction explained. Know in seconds if it is worth a closer look.
Complete Permit History
Every permit the city has published for the address, in date order: built, renovated, re-roofed, and anything left unresolved.
Open & Expired Flags
Each permit marked open, expired, closed or no status, so the work nobody signed off stands out at once.
Work & Contractor Details
What each permit covered and who pulled it, wherever the city records the contractor.
Verify With The City
Which department to contact and what to ask for, so you can confirm anything that affects your offer.
Honest Coverage Notes
Where the records come from and how far back they go, so you know exactly what the report can and cannot show.
See the property’s entire life story
Every permit, plotted in time. Built, renovated, re-roofed — and every item still left open and unresolved, flagged the moment you look.
Three reasons people search a permit
Buying a Home
Verify that the basement renovation or deck was actually permitted. Don't inherit a legal nightmare.
Contractor Verification
Check if your contractor is actually pulling the permits they promised to handle for your project.
Neighbor Watch
See what is being built around you. Search the addresses next door and on your street to see the work on file.
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Access public history
See whether a house has permit history before you pay anything.
- Unlimited address searches
- Permit count and the first 2 permits
- Risk score indicator
- No account, no credit card
One address, yours to keep.
For buyers checking the house they are about to offer on, or the shortlist they are choosing between.
- Every permit on record for one address
- Open, expired and closed status on each permit
- Risk score with the reasons behind it
- Work descriptions and contractor names
- Source and coverage dates for the city
or $65/month billed yearly ($780), save 18%
For agents, inspectors, investors and attorneys who check properties every week.
- Unlimited full reports, every covered city
- Everything in the full report, for every address
- Every report saved to your account while you subscribe
- Priority email support
- Cancel anytime
- Address alerts when new permits are filed (coming soon, included)
Check the permits without leaving the listing
Our free Chrome extension reads the address on any Zillow or Redfin listing and tells you how many permits are on file, and how many were never closed out.
Free. Works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera and Vivaldi.
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,840 sqft