Which addresses this covers
City of Richmond Building Services permits land inside the city limits. Unincorporated North Richmond and El Sobrante are permitted by Contra Costa County and are not in the City's system. A few City parcels carry an El Sobrante or San Pablo mailing address and are in it.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| iMS permit search (login required) | Address, permit number or other criteria | The City's electronic permit records; iMS also takes electronic submittals and inspection requests |
| PermitTrak on Transparent Richmond (open data, no login) | Any column, including address and status | Permit type, status, issue and finaled dates, job value; no contractor |
| NextRequest records portal | A written request | Archived permit records not in the current database |
How to look up the permits on a Richmond address
- Open the iMS permit search and create a login account if you don't have one.
- Search by the address or by the permit number on your paperwork.
- Open each permit on the property. Rooftop solar may be filed as a SolarAPP+ permit, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work are separate permits.
- Read the status. FINALED or CLOSED means the City signed the work off.
- For a quick look without logging in, open PermitTrak, filter by street address, and read the status and finaled date columns.
What the statuses mean
These are the statuses in the City's PermitTrak file and how our pages count them:
| Status in the City file | What it means | How we count it |
|---|---|---|
| FINALED, CLOSED | Final inspection passed, permit closed | Finished |
| ISSUED | Active; work under way or not yet finaled | Open |
| EXPIRED | Lapsed without a final inspection | Expired |
| CALL PROGRAM FOR STATUS | The file does not say; ask Building Services | Not counted as finished |
| Cancelled | Never went ahead | Left out |
Of the permits issued May 2023 to April 2024, 2,650 (76.0%) had finished, 448 (12.9%) were still open and 387 (11.1%) had expired by our 21 October 2026 snapshot. Of the 2,631 that reached a final, the usual one took 60 days from issue to final; the middle half took 27 to 147 days.
When the record is not online
The City's Permit Records page says: "For archived permit records not in the current computer database and for other public records you may submit a record request at the City's Open Public Records portal at https://cityofrichmondca.nextrequest.com/" (read 24 October 2026). Give the address and any permit number you have.
What our Richmond pages add
Our Richmond page answers "what gets built here, and how fast the City signs it off", from the City's own file:
| Kind of work | Permits (May 2023–Apr 2025) | Finished (issued May 2023–Apr 2024) | Usual days to final (issued May 2023–Apr 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 1,176 | 76.0% | 69 |
| Remodels and repairs | 1,159 | 80.9% | 68 |
| Roofing | 1,054 | 86.4% | 31 |
| Solar | 1,001 | 79.8% | 63 |
| Plumbing | 726 | 61.4% | 35 |
| HVAC | 549 | 72.3% | 54 |
Plumbing permits expired most often: 22.8% of those issued May 2023 to April 2024. 79% of the 6,783 permits were for homes. How long a permit takes has the middle-half ranges, the permit statistics page has the file by year and month, permits by ZIP code shows where the work is (94804 led with 2,392 permits, May 2023 to April 2025), and browse permits lists the rows without owner names or street addresses. The City's new home and ADU permits have their own pages. To check a contractor's license, use How to check a contractor's license in California.
What this does not tell you
The City's published file holds no building permit issued after April 2025, although it is still updated for other permit kinds, so our pages end with April 2025; use iMS for anything newer. The file names no contractor, so there are no firm lists for Richmond. A Finaled status means the City passed the work, not what it cost.
How we know this
The search and records-request wording is quoted from the City of Richmond's Permit Records page, read 24 October 2026. Statuses, finished shares and days to final are from the City's PermitTrak file on Transparent Richmond, read 21 October 2026: building and trade permits issued May 2023 to April 2025 inside city limits.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 21, 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 Richmond, CA?
Create a free login in the City's iMS system and search by address or permit number; the City's Permit Records page says that is how its electronic records are searched. Without a login, filter the PermitTrak file on Transparent Richmond by address.
- How do I get an old Richmond permit that is not in the system?
The City says to submit a record request at its Open Public Records portal, cityofrichmondca.nextrequest.com, for archived permit records not in the current database.
- Does the City of Richmond handle permits for North Richmond or El Sobrante?
No. Unincorporated North Richmond and El Sobrante are permitted by Contra Costa County. A few City parcels carry an El Sobrante or San Pablo mailing address, and those are in the City's file.
- How long does a Richmond permit take to final?
For permits issued May 2023 to April 2024 that reached a final, the usual permit took 60 days from issue to the City's final. Roofing usually took 31 days, electrical 69 and new homes 160.
- Can I look up a Richmond contractor's permits?
Not from the City's open file, which names no contractor on building permits. Ask the contractor for permit numbers from past Richmond jobs and look them up in iMS.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Adams County, CO building permit search: the e-Permit Center, statuses and CORA
- Alachua County building permit search: Citizenserve, statuses and old records
- Anaheim building permit search: Anaheim NEXT and the Building Permit Report
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- Wichita building permit search: the MABCD lookup, statuses and KORA requests
- Worcester building permit search: how to look up permits on a Worcester, MA address
- Permit Records — City of Richmond Building Services (2026-10-24)
- iMS permit search — City of Richmond (2026-10-24)
- City of Richmond public records portal (NextRequest) (2026-10-24)
- PermitTrak — Transparent Richmond (Socrata qg2r-652v) (2026-10-21)