Boston Building Permit Lookup
Search 661,993 Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) records covering 2006 to 2026. See what was filed, who filed it, and what was never closed out.
Searching in Boston, Massachusetts · Street address only, no city or state
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Navigating the Boston permit registry
Building permits in Boston are public records. Every renovation, addition and structural change that went through the proper process left a filing with Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD), and the gaps in that record are often more revealing than the filings themselves.
We pull directly from Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD), whose published records begin in 2006 and now run to 661,993 permits. That includes building work alongside the trade permits — electrical, mechanical and plumbing — that carry most of a house's renovation history. You can verify any permit at the source.
Work started without a permit, or started under one that was never closed out, can surface at the worst possible moment: during an appraisal, at closing, or when you make an insurance claim. A permit that shows as open or expired years after the work finished is the signal worth chasing.
Across Boston's whole record, 284,034 permits closed out properly, 377,957 are still open, and 2 expired without ever being finaled.
Use Cases
Most filed in Boston
- Short Form Building Permit190,888
- Electrical Permit143,723
- Plumbing Permit91,007
- Gas Permit65,914
- Electrical, Low Voltage48,418
- Long Form / Alteration Permit45,498
Source
- Authority
- Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD)
- Feed
- CKAN
- Index refreshed
- September 2026
- Typical review
- ~20 days
Boston Permit Registry FAQ
How far back do the records go?
Boston's published permit records begin in 2006 and run through 2026. Work done before then will not appear here, even if it was properly permitted at the time.
How many permits are in the database?
661,993 for Boston, pulled from Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) over CKAN. Our index was last refreshed in September 2026.
Are these records official?
Yes. Every permit shown comes from Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) through its public data feed. We reformat the records, we do not create them.
Can I see which permits are still open?
Yes. Of the 661,993 permits on file, 284,034 closed out properly, 377,957 remain open and 2 expired without ever being finaled. Expired is usually the more serious of the two.
What if I find work without a permit?
Unpermitted work is common and usually negotiable before closing. Get a contractor's estimate for bringing it into compliance, and raise it with the seller while you still have leverage.
Does every minor repair need a permit?
Most cosmetic work does not. Anything structural, electrical or plumbing almost always requires a filing, which is why those are the gaps worth checking.
How current is the data?
We query Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD)'s feed directly at search time. How fresh that feed is depends on the department, and some publish on a lag of days. The most recent permit in our Boston index was issued 2026.
Ready to check another address?
Searching in Boston, Massachusetts · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report