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Buffalo, NY building permits

Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026

23,383 building permits were issued in Buffalo from October 2024 to September 2026, about 11,692 a year. Electrical permits lead with 6,358, then plumbing (5,186) and HVAC (3,413). 77% were for homes. The city's file names contractors, but we name a firm only where the permit's contractor licence number is on the city's licensed contractors list, and we have not checked those licences or the work, so we only count permits per firm and don't rate or rank them: these pages show what was built, where and when.

23,383permits issued
11,692a year
77%for homes
Sep 2026records through

What gets built here

Electrical

6,358permits
3,170last 12 mo

Plumbing

5,186permits
2,694last 12 mo

HVAC

3,413permits
1,706last 12 mo

Roofing

3,363permits
1,549last 12 mo

Remodels & repairs

2,349permits
1,134last 12 mo

Solar

230permits
154last 12 mo

What this page can and can't show

  • ✓Permits the city issued, by kind of work, month and ZIP code.
  • ✓What the job was declared at on the permit.
  • ✓Which contractors filed the most permits (volume, not quality).
  • Who does good work. The city's file names contractors, but we name a firm only where the permit's contractor licence number is on the city's licensed contractors list, and we have not checked those licences or the work, so we only count permits per firm and don't rate or rank them.
  • Which permits were finished. The city's public file has no permit status and no final inspection date, only an expiration date.
  • Street addresses or owners. We publish counts and permit rows without them.

Building, electrical, plumbing, heating, demolition and other construction permits the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services issues inside city limits. Special use and change of use permits in the same file are not counted. Buffalo's suburbs (Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda and the rest of Erie County) run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

Hiring someone here?

The permit file can't tell you who does good work. Ask for the contractor's license number and look it up at the City of Buffalo licensed contractors list, then ask the city whether they pulled the permit for your job.

How to check a contractor's license in New York →

Permits by kind of work

Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, every kind of work with 100 or more. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026. Homes is the share issued as residential permits.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo
Electrical6,35827%3,170
Plumbing5,18622%2,694
HVAC3,41315%1,706
Roofing3,36314%1,549
Remodels & repairs2,34910%1,134
Solar230under 1%154
Garages, sheds & shade structures155under 1%66
Additions124under 1%75
Other2,0129%933

Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: demolition (91), fences & walls (58), new homes (22), pools & spas (22).

Download this table (CSV)

Most active contractors by permits filed

The contractors named on the most permits in the City of Buffalo permit file, October 2024 through September 2026, with 5 or more each. Share is the part of all 23,383 permits; 68% of them name a contractor we can show. This is volume, not quality: more permits doesn't mean better work. Individuals' names, owner-builders and blanks are left out.

ContractorPermitsShare
Sila Services, dba T-Mark Plumbing1,1985%
Affordable Electric Services by Sapienza1,0164%
Roy's Plumbing Inc9134%
Zenner & Ritter, Inc.6853%
Marksman Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, LLC5933%
Buffalo's Best Roofing3762%
Frank's Mr. Plumber3672%
Reimer Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, LLC3051%
Hertel Hardware & Plumbing Inc214under 1%
Cellino Plumbing Inc211under 1%

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Buffalo permit statistics →Buffalo permits by ZIP code →Buffalo, NY building permit search: the open data permit file, ePermits and FOIL →

Before you start a project

All guides →

Guides for Buffalo

Local permit rules and lookups, each with Buffalo's own permit numbers.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Buffalo Open Data, Permits dataset 9p2d-f3yt, read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out. The city's public file has no permit status and no final inspection date, only an expiration date, so no finished share is shown.

Building, electrical, plumbing, heating, demolition and other construction permits the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services issues inside city limits. Special use and change of use permits in the same file are not counted. Buffalo's suburbs (Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda and the rest of Erie County) run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

  • The file has no permit status and no final inspection date, so we show neither a finished share nor time to final.
  • The value is the value of work written on the permit, not the final cost of the job.
  • General repair permits cover roofing, siding, porches and other exterior work; we sort them into roofing and the other kinds of work by the permit's description.
  • The contractor names come from the city's licensed contractors list, matched on the licence number on the permit; permits with no licence number, or one not on the list, name no firm here.
  • A house job can need separate building, electrical, plumbing and heating permits, so one project can count several times, once under each kind of work.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Buffalo, NY building permits", https://contractorrecords.com/buffalo/, data through September 2026, from the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · Most active contractors by permits filed · Browse the permits · Permits each month.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Most active contractors by permits filed · Permits in the last 12 months.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Buffalo issue a year?About 11,692 a year in Buffalo: 23,383 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 11,557 of them in the last 12 months. That counts the permits the city issued, homes and commercial, not denied or withdrawn applications.
  • Can I find a contractor's permits in Buffalo?The city's file names contractors, but we name a firm only where the permit's contractor licence number is on the city's licensed contractors list, and we have not checked those licences or the work, so we only count permits per firm and don't rate or rank them. The table above lists the contractors named on the most permits, as a count only. Check a license at the City of Buffalo licensed contractors list and ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job.
  • What do people build most in Buffalo?Electrical: 6,358 of the 23,383 permits (27%), then plumbing (5,186), HVAC (3,413), October 2024 through September 2026.
  • How do I look up a building permit in Buffalo?Filter the permit list on this page by month, kind of work and ZIP code to see what was issued. For one property's permits, search the city's own records by address or permit number; we don't publish addresses. How to look up a permit in Buffalo →
  • How many permits were issued in Buffalo last month?1,000 in September 2026, the last full month on file; 11,557 over the last 12 months.

Browse the permits

Browse 23,383 permits

Every permit in the file issued October 2024 through September 2026, newest first. Pick a month, a kind of work or a ZIP code. Each row is one permit: no street address, no names.

The list loads as you reach it (23,383 permits).

IssuedKind of workCity permit typeZIP

Permits each month, the last 12 months

Permits issued each month and the kind of work with the most. A month opens its permits in the list above.

MonthPermitsTop kind of work
Sep 20261,000Electrical (254)
Aug 2026957Electrical (237)
Jul 2026967Electrical (233)
Jun 2026977Electrical (223)
May 2026894Plumbing (241)
Apr 2026979Electrical (251)
Mar 2026902Plumbing (283)
Feb 2026742Electrical (217)
Jan 2026715Electrical (219)
Dec 20251,048Electrical (370)
Nov 20251,089Electrical (374)
Oct 20251,287Electrical (373)

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