Buying, selling, fixing or flipping? Pick your role and step. See what a permit is, the 5 steps of its life, and the 3 things to do now.
Your step right now
1 / 5
3 things to do now
A permit, like you're 10
A permit is the city saying "OK, you can build this, and we'll come check it." You show the plan, pay a fee, then an inspector comes by at key moments: before the walls close, and at the end. The last sign-off is called the final. No final, no finish line. It's like a school project: turning it in is not enough, the teacher has to grade it.
The 5 steps of every permit
How long a permit stays alive
California: work must start within 12 months of the issue date (CRC R105.5.1, H&S §18938.6).After that, if work stops for more than 180 days between inspections, the permit can expire. Extensions are up to 180 days each, in writing, with a reason.Oakland is stricter: a major inspection every 6 months, and the whole job finished within 2 years.Each city adds its own rules. Check the dates in T285.
What the status on the portal means
General meanings. Each portal words it a little differently (estimate).
Next steps
Find the permits for a house in T281 (29 cities, the right portal and phone).
Planning work? See which jobs need a permit in T92, then papers and timeline in T286.
Many people get this wrong:"The portal says Issued, so we're good." Issued only means the city let the work start. What you want to see is Finaled. A house with five permits stuck at Issued is a house with five jobs nobody signed off.