Where Kansas City permits live
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| COMPASS KC | The City's How to Search guide on that page explains the options | Existing permits, plans, code cases and inspections |
| City Issued Permits (open data) | Any column: permit number, address, parcel, type, status | Application, issue, expiry, finaled and last inspection dates, status, valuation |
| Permits - CPD Dataset (open data) | Any column, including contractor company and license number | Permits issued December 1991 to 9 May 2025, then frozen |
| Our Kansas City permit list | Month, kind of work, ZIP, status | 25,750 residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2026, no addresses |
The older CPD file is the one place the contractor appears online; the daily file dropped that column.
How to look up the permits on a Kansas City address
- Open City Issued Permits and filter MAIN_ADDRESS_LINE1 for your house number and street (or MAIN_PARCEL_NUMBER for the parcel).
- Read PERMIT_TYPE and WORK_CLASS for each row. A new house or a big remodel has separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.
- Check PERMIT_STATUS and FINALED_DATE on each.
- For work before May 2025, filter the CPD Dataset by OriginalAddress1 to see the contractor named on the permit.
- For plans and inspection results on an open permit, look the record up in COMPASS KC.
What the statuses mean in Kansas City's file
| PERMIT_STATUS | What it means | Counted as |
|---|---|---|
| Closed / Work Completed | Final inspection passed or work signed off | Finished |
| Issued, Open-Active, Issued With Unpaid Fees, Hold and similar | Permit live, no final yet | Still open |
| Expired | Lapsed before a final | Expired |
| Voided-City / Cancelled / Denied / Revoked / Withdrawn | Cancelled | Left out |
For residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 57.0% had finished, 42.6% were still open and 0.5% had expired. Kansas City permits rarely expire in the file; they stay Issued. An Issued status on a job that finished months ago is the thing to settle before the final payment.
What our Kansas City pages add
The City's tools are organised by permit and address. Ours show how long each kind of job usually takes, from permits issued October 2024 to September 2025:
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 4,353 | 63.2% | 40 |
| Plumbing | 2,857 | 50.3% | 97 |
| HVAC | 2,511 | 58.1% | 77 |
| Remodels & repairs | 865 | 49.2% | 127 |
| New homes | 561 | 75.8% | 316 |
| Demolition | 222 | 74.8% | 21 |
| Additions | 133 | 61.7% | 148 |
Across all residential permits the usual one took 78 days from issue to final (same permits). The busiest ZIP codes for October 2024 to September 2026 were 64155 (1,678 permits) and 64130 (1,638).
Start at the Kansas City overview, the permit statistics and the permit list, or go straight to electrical, plumbing, HVAC, remodels, new homes or demolition. To check a contractor's license, see How to check a contractor's license in Missouri.
What this does not tell you
The daily permit file names no contractor and its valuation is blank or zero on almost every residential permit, so there are no firm lists or costs for Kansas City. Roof replacements and rooftop solar have no permit type of their own in the file, so they are not counted.
How we know this
Portal wording is quoted from the City of Kansas City, Missouri COMPASS KC page and its How to Request Inspections guide, and dataset columns and dates from data.kcmo.org, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City Issued Permits file's residential permits, October 2024 to September 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 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 Kansas City, MO?
Search the address in COMPASS KC, the City's permitting portal, or filter the City Issued Permits dataset on data.kcmo.org by MAIN_ADDRESS_LINE1. The City says any person may access public information in COMPASS KC; an account is for applying and paying.
- Can I search Kansas City permits by contractor?
The current City Issued Permits file has no contractor column. The older Permits - CPD Dataset does (ContractorCompanyName and license number), but its rows stop at 9 May 2025.
- How far back do Kansas City permit records go online?
The Permits - CPD Dataset on data.kcmo.org has permits issued from December 1991 to May 2025. The City Issued Permits dataset is updated daily and carries current status and finaled dates.
- Does this cover Kansas City, Kansas?
No. This is the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City, Kansas, Independence, Overland Park and the other metro cities issue their own permits.
- Why does my Kansas City permit still say Issued?
Many do. Of the residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 42.6% were still open a year or more later. Ask the contractor to call for the final inspection before the last payment.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee