Are there open or expired permits on my property?
Pick the county and city the property is in. You get the official place to look up every permit on the address, what each status usually means, and what closing one out usually involves. It runs in your browser, and nothing you choose is sent anywhere.
Florida · 9 counties · official links only
Choose the county, then the city or area, and the official place to look up permits on your address appears here.
What a permit’s status usually means
Wording differs between building departments. These are the usual meanings.
- Applied or in reviewAlso “pending”, “plan review”, “approved – not issued”
- An application was filed but the permit hasn't been issued yet. Work generally shouldn't start until it is. An application that sits too long can lapse too.
- Open, issued or activeAlso “issued”, “in inspections”, “permit active”
- The permit was issued and hasn't passed its final inspection. The work may be done, but until the final inspection passes, the building department still shows it as open. Open permits often surface in title searches when a property is sold or refinanced.
- ExpiredAlso “lapsed”, “inactive”, “null and void”
- The permit reached its expiration date before it was closed, or lapsed because work didn't start or inspections stopped for longer than allowed. The work it covered has not been signed off. When a permit expires depends on the type of permit, the building department's rules and Florida law, and the permit record usually shows the date.
- Finaled or closedAlso “final”, “completed”, “CO” or “CC issued”
- The final inspection passed, or the building department closed the permit. There's nothing left to close. Keep a copy of the record.
- Void, cancelled or withdrawnAlso “voided”, “cancelled by applicant”
- The permit was cancelled, often before any work started. It doesn't authorize any work. If work was done anyway, it's usually treated like work done without a permit.
Pick the status you found and what closing it out usually involves appears here.
How this works
Permits are kept by the building department that issued them: the city's if the property is inside a city, the county's if it isn't. The finder lists the official permit search for the place you pick, and where we only know of a code case search, or of no online search at all, it says so and tells you to ask the building department for the permit history on the address.
A permit stays open until its requirements are satisfied, which usually means passing the final inspection. Pick the status you found, and the finder lays out what closing it out usually involves, including what Florida law (s. 553.79, Florida Statutes) says about owners closing a permit with a different licensed contractor, expired permits whose work was substantially completed, and permits a previous owner left open.
It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is general information about how code enforcement usually works in Florida, not legal advice. Your notice, your city or county’s code and the code office named on the notice are what count. For legal questions, talk to a Florida attorney.
Questions people ask
- How do I find out if my property has an open permit in Florida?
- Search the address on the permit search of the building department that covers the property: the city's, or the county's if the property isn't inside a city. If there's no online search, ask that building department for the permit history on the address. Open permits also often turn up in the title search when a property is sold or refinanced.
- What's the difference between an open permit and an expired permit?
- An open permit was issued and hasn't passed its final inspection yet. An expired permit reached its expiration date before it was closed, or lapsed because the work didn't start or inspections stopped for longer than allowed. Either way, the work it covered hasn't been signed off. When a permit expires depends on the type of permit, the building department's rules and Florida law, and the permit record usually shows the date.
- Can I close a permit that a previous owner or another contractor left open?
- Florida law lets a property owner close a building permit even if they aren't the one named on it, by keeping the original contractor or hiring a different contractor licensed in Florida to do what's needed and get the inspections, or by acting as an owner-builder under Florida's owner-builder rules (s. 553.79(16)(a), Florida Statutes). The replacement contractor is responsible for its own work, not the original contractor's defects. The building department sets the steps.
- Can an expired permit be closed without pulling a new one?
- Sometimes. Under s. 553.79(16)(b), Florida Statutes, an expired permit can be closed without a new permit if the building department determines its requirements were substantially completed. Otherwise, a new permit for the remaining work is usually needed. The building department decides which applies.
- Will an old open permit close by itself?
- Don't count on it. Florida law lets a building department close a permit 6 years after it was issued, even without a final inspection, if it determines there are no apparent safety hazards (s. 553.79(16)(c), Florida Statutes). That is the department's decision, not an automatic one, so ask.
- Can the city fine me for a permit the previous owner left open?
- Florida law says a building department may not deny a permit to, issue a notice of violation to, or fine an arm's-length buyer for value solely because a permit a previous owner applied for wasn't closed (s. 553.79(17)(a), Florida Statutes). It keeps its remedies against the owner and the contractor listed on the permit, and the open permit can still come up when you sell or refinance. This is general information; whether it applies to you is a legal question for a Florida attorney.
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- Property upkeep checklist: What would a code officer notice at my property?
- Selling with open violations or permits: What should I sort out before I list the house?
Have 360 Home Improvements look at it
360 Home Improvements is a licensed Florida contractor: Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336 · Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1335340. Tell us what the notice says and request a free estimate for the work it calls for.