PermitTrace County Permit Directory
Nationwide · 3,100 counties

Find your county permit office before you break ground.

PermitTrace is the independent, plain-English directory of US county building, zoning, and inspection offices — built so homeowners and contractors can stop guessing and reach the right plan reviewer on the first call.

Browse all 50 states → · Read the permit guides →
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50States covered
3,100Counties listed
12,400+Office pages
13Permit guides

Featured States

Start with the busiest permit jurisdictions

These twelve states account for the majority of US residential construction activity. Each links through to a full county directory.

California 58 counties · CA Texas 254 counties · TX Florida 67 counties · FL New York 62 counties · NY Pennsylvania 67 counties · PA Illinois 102 counties · IL Ohio 88 counties · OH Georgia 159 counties · GA North Carolina 100 counties · NC Michigan 83 counties · MI Virginia 95 counties · VA Washington 39 counties · WA

See every state directory →

How It Works

Every county page covers the four offices that matter

Permits

Apply for residential, commercial, and renovation building permits.

Zoning

Verify zoning, request variances, and review land use.

Inspections

Schedule footing, framing, electrical, and final inspections.

Code Enforcement

Report violations and resolve property maintenance complaints.

Every office page includes the county's primary contact information, business hours, the documents you should bring with you, and a plain-language overview of what that office actually does day to day. We focus on the four offices most relevant to anyone applying for a permit, scheduling an inspection, requesting a zoning verification, or responding to a code enforcement notice.

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Browse Alphabetically

All 50 state permit directories

Alabama (67) Alaska (29) Arizona (15) Arkansas (75) California (58) Colorado (64) Connecticut (8) Delaware (3) District of Columbia (0) Florida (67) Georgia (159) Hawaii (5) Idaho (44) Illinois (102) Indiana (92) Iowa (99) Kansas (105) Kentucky (120) Louisiana (64) Maine (16) Maryland (23) Massachusetts (14) Michigan (83) Minnesota (87) Mississippi (82) Missouri (114) Montana (56) Nebraska (93) Nevada (16) New Hampshire (10) New Jersey (21) New Mexico (33) New York (62) North Carolina (100) North Dakota (53) Ohio (88) Oklahoma (77) Oregon (36) Pennsylvania (67) Rhode Island (5) South Carolina (46) South Dakota (66) Tennessee (95) Texas (254) Utah (29) Vermont (14) Virginia (95) Washington (39) West Virginia (55) Wisconsin (72) Wyoming (23)

Permit Guides

Long-tail permit-type walkthroughs

Practical, step-by-step guides for the residential permit types we get asked about most. Each guide covers the application package, typical fees, review timeline, and inspection sequence.

Do I really need a building permit?
When permits are required, when they are not, and what happens if you skip one.
How to apply for a residential building permit
A step-by-step walkthrough of the residential permit application process.
Zoning approval vs. building permit — what is the difference?
Why zoning and building are two separate reviews and how they interact.
Building inspection checklist for homeowners
What inspectors look for at footing, framing, and final inspections.
What happens when the code enforcement office shows up
How to respond to a violation notice without making the situation worse.
Contractor vs. owner-builder permits
When you can pull a permit yourself and when you must hire a licensed contractor.
How to pull a residential addition permit by county
Application process, typical fees, and required inspections for a home addition.
Deck and porch permits — what every county requires
When a deck needs a permit, typical fees, and the inspections you should expect.
Fence permits — heights, materials, and zoning rules
Where the line is between a fence you can build freely and one that needs review.
Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) permits — county-by-county basics
How to permit an ADU, garage conversion, or accessory unit on a residential lot.
Electrical permits — when you need one and what to expect
Service upgrades, new circuits, panel changes, and EV chargers — the permitting basics.
Plumbing permits — fixture moves, water heaters, and reroutes
When a plumbing permit is needed, typical fees, and the inspections to expect.
HVAC permits — replacements, new systems, and ductwork
Permitting basics for furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, and ducted systems.

Why PermitTrace

Built to keep your project moving

Most homeowners don't think about the building department until they get a stop-work notice taped to their front door, and most small contractors lose more time to the wrong jurisdiction than to any other single problem. PermitTrace was built to fix both. The directory lets you confirm in seconds which county office reviews your address, what they typically require, and how to reach them before you call your supplier or order materials.

  • Confirm whether the county or an incorporated city reviews your address.
  • Pre-stage the documents required for plan review and inspections.
  • Look up zoning, setbacks, and use questions before you sign a contract.
  • Know what to ask before you schedule a footing or framing inspection.
  • Find the right office to dispute a violation notice or appeal a denial.