Where Marin County permits live
Check the jurisdiction first. San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley and the other incorporated cities and towns issue their own permits, which are not in the County's tools or our file. Building and Safety is at 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 308, San Rafael, on 415-473-6550.
The County's tools search by address, area and permit number. Each County permit can carry the CSLB licence number typed on it, which is how our compare pages match firms.
How to look up the permits on a Marin County address
- Open the County's dashboard and search the address or permit number, or find the parcel on the map.
- Read each permit's inspections. An approved final inspection is the sign-off.
- For a permit issued in the past 48 months, open it in the permit database, which updates daily.
- Check the licence number on the permit against the CSLB licence check.
- For anything older than 48 months or not shown, call Building and Safety on 415-473-6550.
How to read Marin County permit statuses
The County's permit file has no status field, so we read the inspection file instead. A permit counts as finished when it has an approved final inspection:
| Status in the record | What it means | Finished in our data? |
|---|---|---|
| Approved final inspection | Signed off | Yes |
| Inspections, no final yet | Work under way or stalled | Not yet |
| Minor Improvement counter permit | No inspections in the public file | Not counted |
Over-the-counter Minor Improvement permits, used for nearly all solar and many kitchen and bath jobs, never appear in the inspection file, so they count toward a firm's volume but not its finished share or speed (Marin County about page, methodology).
When the permit you want is not online
The County's lookup page does not set out how to get permits older than 48 months. Ask Building and Safety on 415-473-6550, Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon (read 23 October 2026).
What our Marin County file adds
The County's tools answer "what was permitted at this address". We answer "what does this firm's Marin record look like".
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Finished | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 1,943 | 300 | 85.9% | 58 |
| HVAC | 1,640 | 131 | 74.8% | 96 |
| Electrical | 1,464 | 315 | 65.7% | 124 |
| Windows & doors | 488 | 110 | 88.5% | 94 |
| Kitchen, bath & remodel | 640 | 379 | 86.6% | 272 |
| Water heater | 470 | 73 | 71.7% | 56 |
2,250 firms pulled the 9,660 permits. "Finished" is the share of tracked permits a year or more old with an approved final.
The Marin County permit statistics page has the same file by trade, year and month; the firm lists are on the roofing, HVAC and remodel compare pages. To check the licence behind a name on a permit, use the Marin County contractor license lookup; to check whether your job needs a permit at all, see Do I need a permit?.
See every Marin roofer by finished permits →
What this does not tell you
Home values are Proposition 13 assessed values, so price comparisons are rough. Marin is a small market and many firms have too few permits for a finished share or speed. Our file covers October 2023 to September 2026.
How we know this
Lookup details are quoted from the Marin County Community Development Agency's Look up an existing building permit page, read 23 October 2026. Finals come from the County's open inspection file, October 2023 to September 2026.
Numbers come from Marin County Community Development Agency building permits on homes in unincorporated Marin (the County's open-data permit and inspection files), data through October 19, 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 Marin County?
If the house is in unincorporated Marin, use the County's permits dashboard to search by address or permit number, or its permit database of the past 48 months. Houses in the 11 cities and towns use their own building departments.
- Are Marin County building permits public record?
Yes. The County says anyone can look up information about a building permit it issued in unincorporated Marin, free, through its database and dashboard.
- Does Marin County's lookup cover San Rafael or Novato?
No. The County's Building and Safety division issues permits for the unincorporated area only; San Rafael, Novato and the other cities and towns keep their own records.
- Can I search Marin County permits by contractor?
The County's tools search by address, area and permit number. Our Marin County compare pages group the County's permits by firm.
- How long does a Marin County permit take to final?
In our file the usual roofing permit reached an approved final in 58 days, HVAC in 96 and a remodel in 272.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Orlando building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Palo Alto building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Marin County contractor license lookup: CSLB classifications, County permits and what they show
- Home improvement costs in unincorporated Marin County, CA (2026): what 15 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Marin County? Yes: the online mechanical maintenance permit, fees, and winter timing
- Do I need a roofing permit in Marin County? Yes: the online maintenance permit, the fee add-ons, and timing
For one city
- Marin County wildfire rules for remodels: Class A roofs, the 50% siding and deck triggers, tempered windows, and the vegetation plan
- Do I need an electrical permit in Marin County? Maintenance permits for circuits and panels, minor improvement permits for solar and generators
- Do I need a solar permit in Marin County? The online minor improvement permit, fees and the license