Where Worcester permits can be found
| Where | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Permit History (City of Worcester) | MBL, street name, who the permit was issued to, last name or company | The City's permit records, for inquiry |
| Building Permits layer (Informing Worcester open data; separate layers for electrical, gas, plumbing and mechanical) | Any column: record number, address, MBL, contractor name | Record type, purpose, submitted and issued dates, status (Complete or Active) |
| Our Worcester pages | Kind of work, month, ZIP code | Counts of residential permits and the share marked Complete |
Inspectional Services is at 25 Meade Street, Worcester, MA 01610; 508-799-1198; inspections@worcesterma.gov. Building and Zoning hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Permit History page, read 24 October 2026).
How to look up the permits on a Worcester address
- Open Permit History on worcesterma.gov.
- Type your street in Street Name. If you know the parcel's MBL number, use MBL instead: it avoids mixing up a 12 Main St with a 120 Main St.
- Open each permit for your house number. Each kind of work is its own record: a new house gets separate building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits.
- Read the status. Complete means the City closed it; anything else is still open.
- To check a contractor's past work, search Last Name or Company Name. Worcester files many trade permits under the license holder's own name, so search both the company and the person named on your contract.
What the statuses mean
Worcester's files carry two statuses, and no final inspection date.
| Status | What it means | In our counts |
|---|---|---|
| Complete | The City closed the permit | Finished |
| Active | Issued, not closed yet | Open |
There is no separate expired status, so a permit abandoned years ago still reads Active. Of the residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 66% were Complete by October 2026. An Active permit on your house is worth asking the contractor about before the last payment.
When the record is not online
File a public records request through the City's Public Records Portal, linked from the Public Records Requests page. The City says its records access officers must provide the record "within 10 business days following receipt of the request" and may ask the Supervisor of Records for an extension (read 24 October 2026). Name the address, the MBL and the years you want.
What our Worcester pages add
The Worcester page counts residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2026 by kind of work:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 6,405 | 3,017 |
| Electrical | 4,744 | 2,453 |
| Remodels and repairs | 4,623 | 1,819 |
| Solar | 1,755 | 767 |
| Roofing | 799 | 322 |
| HVAC | 703 | 392 |
| New homes | 147 | 46 |
The permit statistics page has the same file by year and month (October was the busiest month, October 2024 to September 2026), browse permits lists the rows without owners or street addresses, and the ZIP code pages split the counts across Worcester's eight ZIP codes. To check the license behind a name on a permit, see How to check a contractor's license in Massachusetts.
What this does not tell you
Our Worcester pages cover residential permits only, October 2024 to September 2026; commercial, mixed-use, school and municipal permits are left out, and Shrewsbury, Auburn and the other nearby towns run their own offices. The City's files have no job value and no final inspection date, so we show no costs and no time to final. The contractor names are mostly license holders' personal names, so we don't list, rate or rank firms.
How we know this
The search fields and office details are quoted from the City of Worcester's Permit History page, and the request rules from its Public Records Requests page, both read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's Informing Worcester building, electrical, gas, plumbing and mechanical permit layers, read 19 October 2026: residential 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 Worcester?
Use the City's Permit History page at worcesterma.gov/inspections/permit-history. Type your street in Street Name, or the parcel's MBL number, and open each permit listed for your house number.
- Can I look up Worcester permits by contractor?
Yes, after a fashion. The Permit History search has Issued To and Last Name or Company Name fields. Worcester files many permits under the license holder's personal name rather than the company, so try both.
- What does Complete mean on a Worcester permit?
It is the City's closed status. In the City's files a permit is either Complete or Active. Of the residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 66% were marked Complete by October 2026.
- How do I get an old Worcester permit file?
File a public records request through the City's Public Records Portal, linked from worcesterma.gov/public-records-requests. The City says it must respond within 10 business days of receiving the request.
- How many permits does Worcester issue?
About 10,676 residential permits a year: 21,351 from October 2024 to September 2026, led by plumbing (6,405), electrical (4,744) and remodels and repairs (4,623).
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