Permit or no permit: what each one leaves you with
| Question | Work with a permit | Work without one |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a public record of it? | Yes, searchable by address on the city's portal | No |
| Did an inspector see it? | If it reached a final inspection | No |
| What does fixing it later cost? | Nothing extra | Miami: 2× the fee on a homestead, 4× elsewhere, plus a base fee |
| What do you tell a buyer in TX, WA or OR? | "Yes, permits obtained" | The form asks; you answer in writing |
| Can you see the contractor's record of finishing? | Yes, on our firm pages | No record exists |
What needs a permit: three cities' own words
Price is only part of the test. These are three of our cities' own lists; read yours before deciding.
Seattle (SDCI, "Do You Need a Permit?"): "You don't need a permit for minor repairs or alterations that cost $6,000 or less in any 6-month period", measured at "fair market value of labor and parts". Also exempt: kitchen cabinets, insulating existing buildings, painting, fences "less than 8 feet high", sheds under 120 square feet on a slab, platforms "less than 18 inches above grade". Not exempt, at any price: "any work on load-bearing supports, changes to the building envelope," or work that reduces egress, light, ventilation or fire resistance "no matter how small the project".
Austin (Development Services, "Work Exempt from Building Permits"): a detached one-storey structure up to 200 square feet and 15 feet high; a fence "not over 7 feet"; a deck up to 200 square feet and no more than 30 inches above grade; drywall repair up to 128 square feet. Not exempt: "a new installation or replacement of a shower, tub, or combination tub and shower".
Minneapolis ("Construction work exempt from permit"): freestanding decks under 30 inches that do not serve the main entrance, fences "no more than seven feet high", one-storey sheds "less that 200 square feet", cabinets and countertops, flooring, paint. Plumbing is exempt only for like-for-like swaps such as faucets and toilets, and only if "You do not alter or replace the existing water supply line or plumbing piping system."
The pattern across all three: cosmetic work and small outbuildings are exempt; structure, the building envelope and plumbing lines are not.
What happens to work done without one
Miami publishes its penalty plainly. Under Sec. 10-18 of its fee schedule, work started without a permit costs "two times that specified in the fee schedule, plus an additional base fee" on homestead property and "four times" on non-homestead and commercial property. Legalizing a structure built after 2002 by affidavit carries "a double permit fee and fine where applicable". There are waivers for emergencies (permit within three business days) and an ADU amnesty program.
Seattle's fee code (SMC 22.900A.070.B) says that where work proceeds without the required permit, "the Director may immediately order the suspension of such construction".
Legalizing old work is treated as new work, with one large exception: in California, most ADUs built before 2020 can be legalized against life-safety standards rather than today's full code (see can an unpermitted ADU be legalized). Otherwise: Folsom, California's building counter handout says "Projects without permits shall be considered new construction" and that legalizing them "requires compliance with TODAY'S code requirements", which can mean opening finished walls for the inspector.
What the seller forms ask
| State | Form | The question |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | TREC Seller's Disclosure Notice, form 55-1 (dated 05-04-2026), item 9 | Asks whether the seller is aware of "Room additions, structural modifications, or other alterations or repairs made without necessary permits or not in compliance with building codes in effect at that time." |
| Washington | Seller disclosure statement in RCW 64.06.020, item 4.C | "Have there been any conversions, additions, or remodeling?" then "If yes, were all building permits obtained?" and "If yes, were all final inspections obtained?" |
| Oregon | Seller's property disclosure statement in ORS 105.464, item 5.B | "Are there any additions, conversions or remodeling?" then whether a permit was required, whether it was obtained, and "was final inspection obtained?" |
California's Transfer Disclosure Statement is set out in Civil Code 1102.6; we could not load the official text on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, so read it there rather than take our word for it.
Note that Washington and Oregon ask about the final inspection, not only the permit. An open permit with no final still means "No" on that line.
On resale value: we found no official or peer-reviewed figure for how much unpermitted work takes off a sale price, so we give none. Seattle's permit page lists "increasing the resale value" as a reason to get a permit, without a number.
What the file shows: pulled is not finished
The share of permits that reached a final inspection, for the trades where a missing permit hurts most.
| City | Trade | Permits on file | Reached a final | Firms gone quiet* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | Remodel | 3,752 | 92.8% | 24 |
| Miami | Addition | 936 | 73.4% | 5 |
| San Francisco | Remodel | 5,126 | 81.9% | 30 |
| San Francisco | Addition | 674 | 52.2% | 1 |
| Minneapolis | Remodel | 5,552 | 75.5% | 26 |
| Minneapolis | Roofing | 18,620 | 93.0% | 144 |
| Seattle | Electrical | 15,130 | 94.6% | 102 |
| Seattle | Furnace and heating | 18,668 | 86.2% | 21 |
* Firms with five or more permits in the window but none in the last 12 months. Not proof of anything wrong; a firm can retire or rename. It is a reason to check the firm is still trading before you sign.
Additions finish less often than remodels in both Miami (73.4% against 92.8%) and San Francisco (52.2% against 81.9%), so on an addition, ask for the final by name. And 144 Minneapolis roofing firms that filed five or more permits have filed none in the past year, the most of any row in this table.
How to check, in five minutes
- Open Did my contractor pull a permit?, pick your city and follow the link to its permit search.
- Search your address. Look for a permit issued before the work started, with the contractor's name on it.
- Open the permit and look for the final inspection (the word may be "final", "closed", "completed" or "CO issued").
- Before hiring, open your city's firm list (for example Miami firms or Minneapolis firms) and look the contractor up: how many permits they filed for this kind of work, and what share reached a final.
- Put "contractor pulls all required permits and schedules the final inspection" in the contract.
What this does not tell you
Our file is the permits that were filed. Work that was never permitted is invisible to us, so we cannot say how common it is, in any city. The finished share counts permits old enough to have been finalled; a firm with many recent permits will look lower until they close. And a final inspection means the city saw code-compliant work on the day, not that the job was done well.
How we know this
Permits and finished shares come from each city's open permit data: City of Miami building permits, San Francisco DBI permits, Minneapolis permits and Seattle SDCI permits, three-year windows ending September 2026. "Reached a final" is the share of permits with a recorded final inspection or completion, weighted by permits, over firms whose permits are old enough to judge. "Gone quiet" counts firms with five or more permits in the window and none in the last 12 months. Permit exemptions, Miami's Sec. 10-18 fees, Seattle's SMC 22.900A.070.B and the TX, WA and OR disclosure questions are quoted from the official pages listed below, read 20 October 2026. Rules change; check your city's page before you rely on it.
Numbers come from City of Miami building permits (since 2014); San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file; City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports), data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Miami remodeler and how many of their permits finished →
See every San Francisco addition builder by finished permits →
See every Minneapolis roofer by their permit record →
Questions
- Do I have to disclose unpermitted work when selling, and will it kill the sale?
Nobody official publishes a number for that, and we do not make one up. What is written down is the seller's duty: Texas form 55-1 (item 9), Washington's RCW 64.06.020 statement (item 4.C) and Oregon's ORS 105.464 statement (item 5.B) all ask about additions, remodeling or alterations and whether permits were obtained. Your answer goes to the buyer in writing.
- What happens when contractors don't pull permits, and what do I do now?
First confirm it: search the address on the city's permit portal (our guide 'Did my contractor pull a permit?' lists the search for 46 cities). If nothing is on file and the work needed one, ask the contractor in writing to apply. In Miami, work started without a permit is charged at two times the scheduled fee on a homestead and four times on other property, plus a base fee (Sec. 10-18).
- Does a small job need a permit?
Depends on the city and the job, not only the price. Seattle exempts minor repairs costing $6,000 or less in any six months, but not work on load-bearing supports or the building envelope 'no matter how small the project'. Austin says a new or replacement shower or tub is not exempt.
- How do I find or identify unpermitted work in my home, and what if I discover some?
Search your address on the city's permit portal and compare the permits with what is in the house: an addition, a converted garage or a newer kitchen with no matching permit is the sign. A permit with no final counts too: only 52.2% of San Francisco addition permits in our file reached one. If you find unpermitted work, the fix is a permit for it now, treated as new construction in most cities; get a contractor's quote for bringing it to code before you decide.
- How do I get a retroactive building permit after the work is done?
Apply for a permit as if the work were new. Folsom, California's building counter says projects without permits 'shall be considered new construction' and must meet 'TODAY'S code requirements', which can mean opening walls for the inspector. Miami legalizes a structure built after 2002 by affidavit at 'a double permit fee and fine where applicable'. In California, an ADU built before 2020 has its own route; see our unpermitted ADU guide.
- What are the penalties for building without a permit?
They are set by each city. Miami charges two times the scheduled permit fee on homestead property and four times on other property, plus a base fee (Sec. 10-18). Seattle's fee code lets the Director 'immediately order the suspension of such construction' (SMC 22.900A.070.B). Beyond fees, the cost is fixing work to current code and answering the disclosure question when you sell.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Why is my permit still open? What it means and how to close it
- Contractor didn't finish the job: what to do, and what the permit file shows
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- What does a suspended contractor license mean? The rules, and how often it shows up in permits
- Roofer didn't finish the job? What to do, and what the roofing permit shows
- What a building permit record shows (and what "final" means)
For one city
- Do You Need a Permit? (Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections) (2026-10-20)
- SDCI Fee Subtitle 2025 (Seattle Municipal Code Title 22, Subtitle IX) (2026-10-20)
- Work Exempt from Building Permits (City of Austin Development Services) (2026-10-20)
- Construction work exempt from permit (City of Minneapolis) (2026-10-20)
- Legalizing an existing room addition (City of Folsom Building Counter handout, 2014) (2026-10-20)
- City of Miami Building Permit Fee Schedule (Sec. 10-18) (2026-10-20)
- Seller's Disclosure Notice, TREC No. 55-1 (Texas Real Estate Commission, form dated 05-04-2026) (2026-10-20)
- RCW 64.06.020 Improved residential real property — Seller's duty — Format of disclosure statement (2026-10-20)
- ORS Chapter 105 (ORS 105.464 seller's property disclosure statement) (2026-10-20)