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Worcester, MA building permit statistics

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

21,351 building permits issued in Worcester, October 2024 through September 2026: about 10,676 a year. The biggest kind of work is plumbing, with 6,405. 10,717 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), about the same as the 10,634 in the 12 months before. 99% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is October.

21,351permits issued
10,717last 12 months
+1%vs the 12 months before
99%for homes
Octbusiest month
Sep 2026records through

By kind of work

Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026; the 12 months before is Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo12 mo beforeChangeHomesBusiest month
Plumbing6,40530%3,0173,388−11%100%December
Electrical4,74422%2,4532,291+7%100%October
Remodels & repairs4,62322%1,8192,804−35%100%October
Solar1,7558%767988−22%100%October
Roofing7994%322477−32%100%April
HVAC7033%392311+26%100%September
New homes147under 1%46101−54%100%December
Other1,9459%1,817128+1320%89%September

Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: additions (92), ADUs & casitas (50), demolition (29), pools & spas (27), garages, sheds & shade structures (19), fences & walls (13).

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By year

Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.

YearMonthsPermitsPer year
2024 (from October)32,77111,084
20251210,83810,838
2026 (through September)97,74210,323

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By month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.

Oct 2024: 1,028Oct2024Nov 2024: 879Dec 2024: 864Jan 2025: 935Jan2025Feb 2025: 916Mar 2025: 926Apr 2025: 919May 2025: 864Jun 2025: 776Jul 2025: 758JulAug 2025: 844Sep 2025: 925Oct 2025: 1,046Nov 2025: 949Dec 2025: 980Jan 2026: 838Jan2026Feb 2026: 717Mar 2026: 740Apr 2026: 839May 2026: 847Jun 2026: 859Jul 2026: 946JulAug 2026: 961Sep 2026: 995
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 20241,028
Nov 2024879
Dec 2024864
Jan 2025935
Feb 2025916
Mar 2025926
Apr 2025919
May 2025864
Jun 2025776
Jul 2025758
Aug 2025844
Sep 2025925
Oct 20251,046
Nov 2025949
Dec 2025980
Jan 2026838
Feb 2026717
Mar 2026740
Apr 2026839
May 2026847
Jun 2026859
Jul 2026946
Aug 2026961
Sep 2026995

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When each kind of work is filed

Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), October 2024 through September 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.

Plumbing

6,405 permits · busiest December, quietest August

January: 123 (100 = an average month)February: 117 (100 = an average month)March: 98 (100 = an average month)April: 93 (100 = an average month)May: 87 (100 = an average month)June: 81 (100 = an average month)July: 89 (100 = an average month)August: 75 (100 = an average month)September: 78 (100 = an average month)October: 116 (100 = an average month)November: 119 (100 = an average month)December: 124 (100 = an average month)124JFMAMJJASOND

Electrical

4,744 permits · busiest October, quietest February

January: 110 (100 = an average month)February: 84 (100 = an average month)March: 95 (100 = an average month)April: 100 (100 = an average month)May: 96 (100 = an average month)June: 101 (100 = an average month)July: 110 (100 = an average month)August: 99 (100 = an average month)September: 102 (100 = an average month)October: 120 (100 = an average month)120November: 89 (100 = an average month)December: 93 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND

Remodels & repairs

4,623 permits · busiest October, quietest June

January: 110 (100 = an average month)February: 110 (100 = an average month)March: 116 (100 = an average month)April: 127 (100 = an average month)May: 90 (100 = an average month)June: 48 (100 = an average month)July: 48 (100 = an average month)August: 84 (100 = an average month)September: 70 (100 = an average month)October: 144 (100 = an average month)144November: 130 (100 = an average month)December: 125 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND

Solar

1,755 permits · busiest October, quietest July

January: 84 (100 = an average month)February: 77 (100 = an average month)March: 105 (100 = an average month)April: 96 (100 = an average month)May: 116 (100 = an average month)June: 117 (100 = an average month)July: 75 (100 = an average month)August: 88 (100 = an average month)September: 123 (100 = an average month)October: 131 (100 = an average month)131November: 98 (100 = an average month)December: 91 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND

Roofing

799 permits · busiest April, quietest July

January: 51 (100 = an average month)February: 74 (100 = an average month)March: 108 (100 = an average month)April: 174 (100 = an average month)174May: 105 (100 = an average month)June: 65 (100 = an average month)July: 50 (100 = an average month)August: 72 (100 = an average month)September: 74 (100 = an average month)October: 153 (100 = an average month)November: 146 (100 = an average month)December: 129 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND

HVAC

703 permits · busiest September, quietest February

January: 82 (100 = an average month)February: 67 (100 = an average month)March: 85 (100 = an average month)April: 97 (100 = an average month)May: 108 (100 = an average month)June: 130 (100 = an average month)July: 128 (100 = an average month)August: 99 (100 = an average month)September: 135 (100 = an average month)135October: 94 (100 = an average month)November: 106 (100 = an average month)December: 70 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND

New homes

147 permits · busiest December, quietest September

January: 73 (100 = an average month)February: 106 (100 = an average month)March: 65 (100 = an average month)April: 98 (100 = an average month)May: 196 (100 = an average month)June: 49 (100 = an average month)July: 73 (100 = an average month)August: 65 (100 = an average month)September: 24 (100 = an average month)October: 196 (100 = an average month)November: 24 (100 = an average month)December: 229 (100 = an average month)229JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
Kind of workJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Plumbing12311798938781897578116119124
Electrical110849510096101110991021208993
Remodels & repairs1101101161279048488470144130125
Solar84771059611611775881231319891
Roofing517410817410565507274153146129
HVAC82678597108130128991359410670
New homes7310665981964973652419624229

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Homes and everything else

How the city classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.

Permit classPermitsShareLast 12 mo
Homes (residential)21,13999%10,505
Other212under 1%212

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How many permits get finished

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, so each has had at least 12 months to reach a final. Finished means the city recorded a final inspection or marked it complete. The file doesn't mark permits expired, so a lapsed permit still reads open.

StatusPermitsShare
Finished7,05566.3%
Still open3,57933.7%

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By ZIP code

The 10 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the city's permits are counted.

ZIP codePermitsShareTop kind of work
016044,62422%Plumbing (1,425)
016023,75018%Plumbing (1,050)
016063,50816%Plumbing (1,023)
016052,62412%Plumbing (786)
016032,38511%Plumbing (674)
016092,19010%Plumbing (677)
016101,1806%Plumbing (472)
016079474%Plumbing (256)
0160842under 1%Electrical (12)
016113under 1%Electrical (1)

All 8 ZIP codes with 250+ permits →

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How Worcester compares with other cities

From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.

Nearby permit data

Permit statistics for other places in Boston. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

Cambridge, MASomerville, MA

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Worcester, Informing Worcester open data: Building, Electrical, Gas, Plumbing and Mechanical Permits (ArcGIS layers), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Residential permits the City of Worcester's Department of Inspectional Services issues inside the city: building, electrical, gas, plumbing and mechanical permits for houses, two-families and triple-deckers and other apartment buildings. Commercial, mixed-use, school and municipal permits in the same files are not counted. Shrewsbury, Auburn and the other towns around Worcester run their own permit offices and are not in these files.

  • We don't use the contractor names in the city's files. They are a mix of license holders' personal names and company names with no license number, so we can't match them to firms reliably. There are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Worcester.
  • The files have no declared job value, so we show no costs.
  • The files have no final inspection date, so there is no time-to-final here. A permit counts as finished when the city marks it Complete; every other permit is open. The city has no separate expired status.
  • Permits on buildings with three or more units count in the totals but not as homes.
  • Insulation and siding permits count as remodels and repairs. Decks, and building permits the city files with no stated purpose, count under Other.
  • A new house gets separate building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits, so one project can count several times, once under each kind of work.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Worcester, MA building permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/worcester/permit-statistics, data through September 2026, from the City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · How many get finished · By ZIP code.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Finished, open and expired · Permits by ZIP code.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Worcester issue a year?About 10,676 a year in Worcester: 21,351 permits over 24 months, October 2024 through September 2026. 10,717 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), about the same as the 10,634 in the 12 months before.
  • Are building permits up or down in Worcester?10,717 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), about the same as the 10,634 in the 12 months before. Electrical permits grew most (2,291 to 2,453); remodel and repair permits fell most (2,804 to 1,819).
  • What is the busiest month for permits in Worcester?October, counting every kind of work (117 against an average month of 100). February is the quietest (92). Each kind of work has its own season; the charts above show them.
  • What share of Worcester permits are for homes?99%: 21,139 of the 21,351 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026 were residential permits.
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