Philadelphia Building Permit Lookup
Search 933,668 Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) records covering 2007 to 2026. See what was filed, who filed it, and what was never closed out.
Searching in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Street address only, no city or state
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Navigating the Philadelphia permit registry
Building permits in Philadelphia are public records. Every renovation, addition and structural change that went through the proper process left a filing with Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I), and the gaps in that record are often more revealing than the filings themselves.
We pull directly from Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I), whose published records begin in 2007 and now run to 933,668 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 Philadelphia's whole record, 788,591 permits closed out properly, 60,843 are still open, and 82,612 expired without ever being finaled.
Use Cases
Most filed in Philadelphia
- Plumbing Permit246,004
- Electrical Permit170,421
- Alteration Permit100,286
- Zoning Permit61,876
- Mechanical Permit46,074
- Residential Building Permit35,775
Source
- Authority
- Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I)
- Feed
- ArcGIS FeatureServer
- Index refreshed
- September 2026
- Typical review
- ~20 days
Philadelphia Permit Registry FAQ
How far back do the records go?
Philadelphia's published permit records begin in 2007 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?
933,668 for Philadelphia, pulled from Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) over ArcGIS FeatureServer. Our index was last refreshed in September 2026.
Are these records official?
Yes. Every permit shown comes from Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) 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 933,668 permits on file, 788,591 closed out properly, 60,843 remain open and 82,612 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 Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I)'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 Philadelphia index was issued 2026.
Ready to check another address?
Searching in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report