Where to search Cincinnati permits
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| ezTRAK Edge | Address or record number | Permits, licenses, enforcement actions; filing and inspection scheduling need a free account |
| CAGIS Property Activity Report | Address | Activity on the parcel, listed by the City among its public data tools |
| Cincinnati Building Permits | Any column, including company name | Every permit applied for since 1 January 2010, refreshed daily |
| Our Cincinnati firm list | Contractor name | Each firm's permits, share finaled and days to final |
Electrical permits are not in any of these. The City's residential permit guide says "Electrical permits, inspections and plan review are outsourced to the Inspection Bureau, Inc. (IBI)", and the electrical contractor applies there directly.
How to look up permits on a Cincinnati address
- Open ezTRAK Edge and pick Search by Address under Records Search.
- Enter the house number and street name.
- Open each building, HVAC or plumbing permit and read its status, issue date and contractor.
- If you know the permit number (on the posted permit card or your contract), use Search by Record # instead.
- Check that the company on the permit is the one you hired. Cincinnati will not issue a permit until every contractor on it is registered with the City, so a different name means a different firm's registration is on your job.
What the statuses mean
The open data file's current statuses (counted 23 October 2026) are mostly Permit Finaled, Permit Issued, In Review, Permit Withdrawn, Application Accepted and EXPIRED. Our pages count a permit as finished when it is Permit Finaled, and use the City's completed date to time it (methodology; Cincinnati about page).
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Finaled (a year or more old) | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 6,119 | 258 | 85.9% | 90 |
| HVAC | 5,741 | 385 | 66.8% | 278 |
| Remodel | 2,075 | 853 | 64.9% | 340 |
| Addition | 266 | 182 | 56.0% | 443 |
| New home | 407 | 122 | 44.7% | 660 |
Permit Issued a year after a plumbing job is unusual here, since the usual plumbing permit finals in 90 days. On a remodel or addition it is common: only 56.0% of addition permits a year or more old had finaled. Either way, ask the contractor to book the final inspection before the last payment.
When the record is not online
The open data starts in 2010. For older permits, plans or anything else, the Law Department's Public Records page says to submit the request through GovQA, the City's public records system, and to "identify the records sought in a manner that allows the City to determine what is being requested". Give the address, the permit number if you have it, and a date range.
What our Cincinnati data adds
The City's tools show one address or one record. Ours files the same permits by firm: the Cincinnati permit statistics by trade and month, and the compare lists for HVAC, plumbing and remodels. Checking the City registration and Ohio license behind a permit is covered in the Cincinnati contractor license lookup; whether a job needs a permit is in Do I need a permit?
See every Cincinnati remodeler by share finaled →
How we know this
Portal wording is from the City's ezTRAK Edge home page, Public Apps page, residential permit guide and Law Department public records page, read 23 October 2026; the status list is a count of the open data file that day. Our counts are City of Cincinnati residential permits, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old and days use the City's completed date. The file has no electrical permits.
Numbers come from City of Cincinnati building permits (residential, Residential Code of Ohio), data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in Cincinnati?
Open ezTRAK Edge and use Records Search, Search by Address. It looks up permits, licenses and enforcement actions on the property. The CAGIS Property Activity Report gives a similar list by address.
- Are Cincinnati building permits public record?
Yes. The City publishes every building permit applied for since 1 January 2010 on Open Data Cincinnati, refreshed daily, and the Law Department takes public records requests under the Ohio Public Records Act for anything else.
- Can I search Cincinnati permits by contractor name?
ezTRAK searches by address or record number. The open data file has a company name column you can filter. Our Cincinnati pages list 15,821 home permits from October 2023 to September 2026 under 2,430 firms.
- Why can't I find an electrical permit in Cincinnati?
The City's residential permit guide says electrical permits, inspections and plan review are outsourced to the Inspection Bureau, Inc. (IBI), and the electrical contractor applies there directly. Ask IBI about electrical permits.
- How long does a Cincinnati permit take to reach final?
In our file the usual plumbing permit reached Permit Finaled in 90 days, HVAC in 278 and a remodel in 340.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- Bend building permit search: the Online Permit Center and older records
- Greensboro building permit search: look up permits and inspections by address
- Cincinnati contractor license lookup: which registration, where to search, and what the permits show
- Cincinnati residential tax abatement for a remodel or new home: the LIFT, EXPAND and SUSTAIN tiers, the bonuses, and what permits show
- El Paso building permit search: Accela Citizen Access and old records
For one city
- Home improvement costs in Cincinnati, OH (2026): what 8 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Cincinnati? Yes, to install or replace a furnace or AC: the 2026 fee and the slow final
- Cincinnati lead service line replacement: GCWW pays the whole cost, the service agreement, and when to call your own plumber
- ezTRAK Edge Citizen Access — City of Cincinnati (2026-10-23)
- Public Apps — City of Cincinnati Enterprise Technology Solutions (2026-10-23)
- CAGIS Property Activity Report (2026-10-23)
- Cincinnati Building Permits — Open Data Cincinnati (2026-10-23)
- Residential Permit Guide — City of Cincinnati Buildings & Inspections (2026-10-23)
- Public Records — City of Cincinnati Law Department (2026-10-23)