Tacoma building permit search: Tacoma Permits, statuses and records requests

Which addresses and permits this covers

The City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services permits work inside Tacoma. Unincorporated Pierce County, Lakewood, University Place, Fife, Puyallup and the other nearby cities run their own permit offices. Electrical permits in Tacoma come from Tacoma Power, not from this system's building permit file.

How to look up the permits on a Tacoma address

1. Open TacomaPermits.org and choose Submit/Search Permits. No login is needed to search.
2. Search the property, or enter the permit ID from your paperwork. The City says the ID "can be used to track your permit" and shows its statuses and comments.
3. Open each permit. A furnace or heat pump, a water heater and an alteration are separate permits.
4. Read the current status (table below).
5. For questions about a permit, email permitplandesk@cityoftacoma.org; the permit counter is on the third floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street.

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What the statuses mean

Of the residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 72.3% had finished and 27.7% were still open by our 19 October 2026 snapshot; only 2 showed Expired. The City's file has a status but no final date, so we can say whether a permit finished, not how long it took.

When the record is not online

The City's Public Records Office says "For the most reliable and efficient processing, please submit a request by using the City of Tacoma's Public Records Request Center" (tacoma.mycusthelp.com). You can also email publicdisclosure@tacoma.gov, call (253) 231-0240 on weekdays, or write to the Public Disclosure Officer, PO Box 11007, Tacoma, WA 98411 (read 24 October 2026). Requests fall under the Washington Public Records Act.

What our Tacoma pages add

The Tacoma page adds the City's residential permits up, October 2024 to September 2026:

ADU permits rose 62% from the first year of the window to the second, while solar fell 63%. ZIP code 98407 had the most permits, 949 of 6,026, October 2024 to September 2026. The permit statistics page has year and month counts, permits by ZIP code splits them by area and browse permits lists the rows. To check a contractor's registration with Labor & Industries, see How to check a contractor's license in Washington.

What this does not tell you

The City's file names an applicant, not the contractor, so there are no firm lists. Commercial permits, site development, utility connections, right-of-way and sign permits are left out, and electrical work is with Tacoma Power. The value is the valuation on the permit; trade permits often carry none.