Where DC permits live
DOB permits the whole District. Arlington, Alexandria and the Maryland suburbs run their own permit offices.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Scout | Address, permit number or license number | Permit applications and status, plan-review progress, certificates of occupancy, business licenses |
| eRecords | Sign in, then search | Scanned permits, applications, invoices, plans and certificates of occupancy |
| DC GIS building permits (open data) | Any field, including address and permit type | Permit ID, type, status, issue date, fees paid, description of work; our source |
How to look up the permits on a DC address
- Open Scout and choose Search by Address.
- Enter the house number and street name.
- Read each permit on the property. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work are usually separate supplemental or post-card permits, so one renovation can show several.
- Note the permit numbers, then search them in eRecords to see the documents and plans.
- If a contractor gave you a license number, search it with Search by License #.
What the statuses mean
The District's open file has three statuses that matter, and one of them is unreliable:
| Status in the DOB file | What it means | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| COMPLETED | DOB closed the permit | Finished |
| PERMIT ISSUED | Issued; may or may not be done | DOB seldom updates this after the work, so an old permit can sit here for years |
| EXPIRED | Lapsed | Ask DOB whether a final inspection was ever done |
Because the status is so rarely closed out and the file has no final dates, our DC pages show no finished share and no time to final. Check a specific permit's inspections with DOB.
When the record is not online
DOB's records page splits old permits by year (read 24 October 2026):
| Years | Where | What DOB says |
|---|---|---|
| 1958–1995 | DOB, offsite | "It normally takes 30 days or less to retrieve the requested record." DOB may not have building plans for 1995–1998 |
| 1949–1962 | National Archives | DOB forwards the request; without a permit number, call the National Archives first at (301) 837-2000 |
| 1877–1949 | National Archives, microfilm | Requests go to the National Archives at Washington, DC, Textual Reference |
A certificate of occupancy copy is $7.00, or $20.00 certified. Records that can't be emailed are picked up at the DOB Walk-In Center, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E270, and must be collected within two weeks. The Records Management page links a records request for anything not in eRecords, and the Office of the Secretary says DOB staff "will route your request to the DC Archives, if appropriate" (Building Permits and Architectural Plans).
What our DC pages add
Scout answers "what was permitted at this address". Our Washington, DC page answers "what gets built in the District, and when", from DOB's own file, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 26,820 | 13,850 |
| Electrical | 25,131 | 12,534 |
| HVAC | 9,905 | 5,047 |
| Remodels and repairs | 9,349 | 4,895 |
| Solar | 7,204 | 3,080 |
| Roofing | 1,826 | 862 |
| Fences and walls | 1,262 | 654 |
65% of the 92,275 permits were on land zoned for houses, rowhouses and flats. Solar permits fell 25% between the two halves of the window (4,124 to 3,080). The permit statistics page has the file by year, month and season, permits by ZIP code shows where the work is (20011 led with 10,589 permits, October 2024 to September 2026), and browse permits lists the rows without owner names or street addresses. Additions, demolition and new homes have their own pages: additions, demolition, new homes.
What this does not tell you
The District's file names no contractor and carries only fees paid, not a declared job value, so we show no firm lists and no costs. Counts are permits, not jobs: one renovation can need a building permit plus several supplemental permits.
How we know this
Scout's search options and wording were read on scout.dob.dc.gov, and the records rules on DOB's Records Management and Records Management Information pages and the Office of the Secretary's Building Permits and Architectural Plans page, all on 24 October 2026. Our counts are DOB's building permit file on DC GIS, read 19 October 2026: building, trade and post-card permits issued October 2024 to September 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 Washington, DC?
Open Scout (scout.dob.dc.gov), choose Search by Address and enter the house number and street. DOB says Scout looks up plan-review progress, certificates of occupancy and business licenses for any DC address. For the permit documents themselves, search DOB's eRecords.
- Can I look up a DC contractor's permits?
Scout has a Search by License # option. The District's open permit file does not name a contractor (the applicant is usually the person who filed), so our DC pages have no firm lists.
- How do I get an old DC building permit?
DOB holds records from 1958 to 1995 offsite and says retrieval normally takes 30 days or less. Permits from 1877 to 1949 are on microfilm at the National Archives, and requests for 1949 to 1962 records are forwarded to the National Archives.
- How much does a copy of a DC certificate of occupancy cost?
DOB lists $7.00 for a regular copy and $20.00 for a certified copy. Records that can't be emailed are picked up at the DOB Walk-In Center, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E270.
- Why does my DC permit still say Permit Issued after the work is done?
DOB seldom updates a permit's status once the work is done, so Permit Issued on an old permit does not mean it failed. Ask DOB or check the inspection record before reading anything into it.
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
- Scout: Permit & License Lookup — DC Department of Buildings (2026-10-24)
- Records Management — DC Department of Buildings (2026-10-24)
- Records Management Information — DC Department of Buildings (2026-10-24)
- DOB eRecords search (2026-10-24)
- Building Permits and Architectural Plans — Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia (2026-10-24)
- DCRA FeatureServer (building permits) — DC GIS (2026-10-19)