Where to look for Spokane permits
The City of Spokane Development Services Center permits work inside city limits only. Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and unincorporated Spokane County run their own permit offices.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Citizen Access | Search Records & Permits (Building); Lookup Property Information; Search Trade by License | Permits, applications and inspections |
| Permit Activity Map | Address or location; filters for application type, status, date, district, neighborhood, keyword | "Up to three years of building, planning and engineering permit data", updated nightly (City info page) |
| Permits Archive Search | Street number, direction, street name, street type, date range | "Permit records and inspections for building and engineering prior to 1993" |
| Permit layer (City GIS) | Any field, including address and permit number | Permit type, status and open date; our source |
How to look up the permits on a Spokane address
- Open Citizen Access and choose Search Records & Permits under Building.
- Search for the address, or for the permit number on your paperwork. The City does not list the search fields, so try both.
- Open each permit on the property. A Spokane job often has a building permit plus separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.
- Read the status and the inspection list. A finished job reads Final or similar (below).
- For a house built or altered before 1993, search the street in the Permits Archive as well. The archive accepts an asterisk as a wildcard for a street range.
What the statuses mean in Spokane's file
The City's permit layer uses more than a dozen status words. These are the ones a homeowner will see:
| Status in the record | What it means | Finished in our data? |
|---|---|---|
| Final, Final Inspection Done, Finaled, CO Final, Complete, Closed | The City recorded a final inspection or closed the permit | Yes |
| Issued, Partial Inspection, Active, Renewed | Permit in force, work not yet finaled | Not yet |
| Expired | Lapsed before a final | No |
| Plan Review, Pending, Approved | Application not yet issued | Not counted |
On our Spokane page, 82% of the permits issued April 2024 to March 2025 were finished. The layer has no final inspection date, so we show no time to final.
When the permit you want is not online
The Permits Archive covers records before 1993; it tells you to file a public records request for help finding a specific document. The City prefers requests through its online Public Records portal; you can also email clerks@spokanecity.org or write to the Office of the City Clerk, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201. The City says it responds within five business days and is not required to create new records or compile data to fill a request (Public Records, read 24 October 2026).
What our Spokane pages add
Our Spokane page counts the City's permits by kind of work, April 2024 to March 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Apr 2024–Mar 2026) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 15,771 | 40% |
| HVAC | 9,746 | 25% |
| Roofing | 4,539 | 12% |
| Plumbing | 3,628 | 9% |
| Remodels and repairs | 1,942 | 5% |
| Fences and walls | 858 | 2% |
| Solar | 473 | 1% |
| Garages, sheds and shade structures | 438 | 1% |
| New homes | 330 | under 1% |
| Demolition | 215 | under 1% |
| Additions | 187 | under 1% |
75% of the 39,355 permits (April 2024 to March 2026) were for homes. Electrical permits lead because Spokane files them separately from the building permit, so one project can count several times. The permit statistics page has year and month counts, and browse permits lists the rows. To check the contractor behind a job, see how to check a contractor's license in Washington.
What this does not tell you
The City's layer names no contractor, so we cannot list or rank Spokane firms. It has no job value, no ZIP code and no final inspection date. The City keeps only the last three calendar years in the layer and last refreshed it in April 2026, so our counts end with March 2026; check Citizen Access for anything newer.
How we know this
Portal names and search options are from the City of Spokane Citizen Access home page, the Permit Activity Map information page, the Permits Archive Search and the City's Public Records page, all read 24 October 2026. Statuses and counts are from the City's Permit layer, read 19 October 2026: permits opened April 2024 to March 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, 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 Spokane?
Open the City's Citizen Access site (aca.spokanepermits.org), choose Search Records & Permits under Building, and search the address. For a quick look, the Permit Activity Map shows up to three years of permits around an address. For anything before 1993, use the City's Permits Archive Search.
- Are Spokane building permits public record?
Yes. The City publishes them in Citizen Access, on the Permit Activity Map and as a public GIS layer, and takes public records requests through its online GovQA portal.
- How do I find an old Spokane permit from before 1993?
Use the City's Pre-1993 Permits Archive Search, which holds building and engineering permit records and inspections before 1993 and searches by street number, direction, name, type and date range. If you cannot find a document, file a public records request.
- Can I look up Spokane permits by contractor?
Citizen Access has a Search Trade by License tool, but the City's public permit layer names no contractor, so our Spokane pages cannot list firms. Ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job and check their Washington L&I license.
- Does the City of Spokane permit Spokane Valley or Liberty Lake?
No. Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and unincorporated Spokane County run their own permit offices. The City of Spokane permits work inside its own limits.
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
- City of Spokane Citizen Access (Accela) (2026-10-24)
- Permit Activity Map — City of Spokane (2026-10-24)
- Spokane Permits Archive Search (pre-1993) (2026-10-24)
- Public Records — City of Spokane (2026-10-24)
- Permit (Building and Engineering Permits) layer — City of Spokane GIS (2026-10-19)