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The reliable way to check a building’s construction approvals is to search the official building or planning authority for the property address, then verify the complete record trail: permits, related planning or zoning approvals, inspections and final sign-off, and any certificate of occupancy or completion. An empty online search is not proof that no approval exists; records may be archived, indexed under another identifier, or not required for that building or project.
The exact documents and legal effect depend on the city, county, state and type of work. The U.S. municipal examples below show a practical method, but local rules control. For a consequential purchase, safety question or unresolved mismatch, obtain a written answer from the responsible authority and arrange an independent inspection by a qualified local professional.
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What “required approval” means
Construction approval is not one universal document. Authorities commonly divide it into several stages, each answering a different question.
| Record or status | What it can establish | What it does not establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | The authority accepted specified work under its permitting process. | That the work was actually performed, completed, or built exactly as approved. |
| Planning, zoning or land-use approval | The proposed use, site arrangement or development was reviewed under planning rules. | That construction complied with building-code inspections or that every later alteration was covered. |
| Approved plans | The drawings and scope that the authority reviewed. | That field conditions match the drawings. |
| Inspection records and final sign-off | Required inspections were recorded and the project reached the authority’s completion status, if the record says so. | That unrecorded work elsewhere in the building is compliant. |
| Certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate, certificate of completion or local equivalent | In jurisdictions that issue one, the permitted use or occupancy status at the time of issuance. | That later alterations, current conditions or every unit are covered. |
| Violation, complaint or enforcement record | That the authority recorded a reported issue or enforcement action. | That the complaint was substantiated or that no issue exists merely because no record appears. |
Keep these stages separate. An issued permit, a completed inspection and a certificate authorizing occupancy are related but not interchangeable facts.
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Step 1: Identify the authority with jurisdiction
Start with the building’s complete street address, including unit or suite, city, county and state. Determine which agency issues permits for that location. It may be a city building department, county building or land-development department, or a joint municipal system. Planning, zoning, fire, environmental-health or historic-preservation approvals may be held in separate systems.
Do not treat a tax assessor, real-estate listing, title report or contractor invoice as the approval authority. Those sources can help identify a parcel or project, but the permitting agency’s record is the controlling starting point.
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Step 2: Search the official records portal
Use the authority’s own website rather than a third-party summary. Enter the street address first, then try alternate identifiers if the portal supports them.
- Search the full address. Try the number and street name with and without directional prefixes, apartment or unit information, and common abbreviations.
- Try the parcel or assessor number. It may be called an APN, parcel ID, tax account number or property index number.
- Try a permit, plan or document number. Sellers, contractors, architects and prior notices may contain these identifiers.
- Try the legal description. Lot, block, subdivision or tract information can locate older files that do not index cleanly by a modern address.
- Record the search date and results. Save the record number, status, description and links or download copies of documents where permitted.
San Diego’s Development Services Department explains that its records searches can use an address, plan file, approval or permit number, or assessor parcel number in Information Bulletin 110. Los Angeles documents searches by address, assessor number, legal description and document number through its Property Records page and PRISM help and FAQ. These are examples of search fields, not a universal list for every jurisdiction.
Step 3: Build the complete record trail
Once you find a property record, inspect every item related to the construction or alteration rather than stopping at the first permit.
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Read the work description, issue date, expiration date, stated valuation or scope where shown, and the building or unit identified. A permit for a water heater, reroofing or interior finish may not cover a later addition, change of use or structural alteration. Look for separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire or trade permits when local practice requires them.
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Planning and zoning files
Check conditional-use approvals, variances, site-plan approvals, subdivision records and historic or environmental decisions when the project could require them. A building permit can coexist with a separate land-use approval; one does not replace the other.
Plans and revisions
Compare the approved scope with the work you are investigating. Look for revision numbers, deferred submittals and approved change orders. Some authorities restrict access to blueprint copies or require a special request from the owner or an authorized representative.
Inspections and final status
Review each required inspection and its result. Important labels include passed, failed, correction required, partial approval, final inspection, completed, finaled, expired, withdrawn and unresolved. A permit marked issued or active is not the same as one marked final or completed.
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Building-history systems may include complaints, notices and violations. New York City’s Get Building History service describes a history that can include permits, complaints, violations, applications and inspections. Read the disposition and dates; an entry may have been closed, dismissed or corrected.
Step 4: Match every record to the actual property and work
Before relying on a document, verify all of the following:
- Street address, parcel and, where relevant, building, floor or unit.
- Project description and the physical alteration you are checking.
- Permit or case number and issuing department.
- Application, issue, inspection, completion and expiration dates.
- Current status and any open corrections, holds or enforcement actions.
- Whether the record covers the entire project or only one phase or trade.
- Whether the approved use matches the building’s current use.
Address changes, renumbered parcels, condominium conversions and merged lots can make a correct record appear under an older address. Ask the authority how it indexes historical records if identifiers do not line up.
Step 5: Verify occupancy or completion documents
Search for the document your jurisdiction uses to authorize use of the building. Names include certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion and certificate of use. Some older buildings or project types may not have one, and some jurisdictions issue certificates only after particular categories of work.
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New York City states that a building may not legally be occupied there until the Department of Buildings issues a certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate, subject to the city’s rules; its Certificate of Occupancy guidance explains the record and permitted use. Do not apply that statement automatically outside New York City.
Miami-Dade County explains that its certificate of occupancy or certificate of use process follows approved inspections and applicable completion holds on its Certificate of Occupancy and Certificate of Use page. Check whether the document is temporary, whether it has an expiration or outstanding condition, and whether it covers the specific space and use you care about.
Local terminology can produce a misleading search. Try each relevant term and ask the department whether a certificate of completion or another local equivalent serves the same function.
How to interpret common statuses
| Status or document | Practical interpretation | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Application submitted | A request was filed; approval may not have been granted. | Find the decision, issued permit and inspection history. |
| Plan approved | Drawings or a plan set passed a review stage. | Confirm that a permit was issued and work was finalized. |
| Permit issued | Specified work was authorized under the permit. | Check inspections, expiration and final sign-off. |
| Active or open | The record remains open or has not reached final status. | Ask what inspections or corrections remain. |
| Expired | The authorization passed its validity period under local rules. | Ask whether renewal, reinstatement or a new permit was required. |
| Finaled, completed or closed | The system records completion or final approval for that record. | Confirm the scope and whether a certificate was also required. |
| Temporary occupancy | Occupancy was allowed under stated temporary conditions. | Check its expiration, conditions and replacement by a final certificate. |
| Violation or stop-work entry | The authority recorded an enforcement matter. | Read the resolution and verify that no open action remains. |
Use the status shown by the authority, not assumptions based on color coding or a broker’s description. If the portal’s definitions are unclear, request a written explanation.
What to do when no permit appears online
An empty result can have several explanations: the address was entered differently, the file is older than the portal’s coverage, the record is stored by parcel or legal description, the work was exempt, or the project is held by another agency. It is not, by itself, proof of unpermitted construction.
- Retry the search. Use a shorter street name, omit the unit, try the parcel number, and search any permit or plan number you have.
- Check alternate agencies. Look for county, planning, zoning, fire and historical-building systems where applicable.
- Ask about coverage dates. Find out when the online database began and whether older files were scanned or retained off-site.
- Ask whether the work was exempt. Some maintenance or minor work may not require the same approval as structural or use-changing work. Only the local authority can determine the exemption.
- Contact the records office. Provide the full address, parcel number, approximate construction or alteration date, prior owner or contractor names if known, and the exact work in question.
- Submit the required public-records request. Follow the authority’s form, identity, fee and inspection rules. Request records by identifier and date range rather than asking vaguely for “everything.”
Salt Lake City Building Services explains that some records predate online coverage and provides a records-request route on its Certificate of Occupancy page. That page also says, in the context of its own guidance, “The lack of a Certificate of Occupancy record with the city does not present a code compliance issue.” That statement is specific to Salt Lake City and does not decide another jurisdiction’s requirements.
Los Angeles identifies a public-records custodian and notes special requirements for blueprint copies in its online-records guidance. Other authorities may impose different access rules, so ask what can legally be released and in what format.
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How to request an authoritative answer
When records conflict or remain incomplete, send the department a concise written request. Include:
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- The property’s full address, parcel or assessor number and unit.
- The work or use you are checking, with approximate dates.
- All permit, plan, complaint or violation numbers already found.
- The specific question: for example, whether a listed permit was finaled, whether a certificate covers the current use, or whether an older file is archived elsewhere.
- A request for the applicable exemption, correction or legalization process if no permit is required or if work differs from the record.
Keep the response with the records and note the staff member, date and department. A verbal statement can be useful for directing your search, but a written status or record is easier to rely on in a transaction.
When records and the building do not match
A records search cannot establish that every physical alteration was built correctly. If you find an enclosed porch, extra room, removed wall, converted garage, additional dwelling unit, changed commercial use or other work absent from the record, do not assume the work is either safe or illegal.
- Ask the authority whether the work requires a permit, legalization, retroactive approval or a different agency review.
- Ask whether open violations, fines, unsafe-condition notices or completion holds exist.
- Have a qualified local architect, engineer, building inspector or other appropriately licensed professional compare the physical conditions with available plans and code requirements.
- For a purchase, make the approval issue a written due-diligence condition and obtain advice from the relevant real-estate and legal professionals.
- Do not conceal an alteration or rely on a seller’s statement that a permit was “in process” without verifying the final status.
The authority can explain its record and process; an independent professional is needed to assess concealed conditions, structural performance, workmanship and hazards that documents cannot reveal.
Practical checklists
Before you search
- Full address, unit and municipality.
- Parcel, APN or assessor number.
- Approximate construction or alteration date.
- Description of the work and current use.
- Any permit, plan, violation or certificate number.
For each record you find
- Confirm the property and project identifiers.
- Read the scope, not just the record title.
- Note issue, expiration, inspection and final dates.
- Check for revisions, holds, violations and unresolved corrections.
- Determine whether a certificate of occupancy, completion or use is required.
- Save the official copy or record link and the date accessed.
Before relying on the result
- Ask the authority about missing, archived or exempt work.
- Obtain written clarification for discrepancies.
- Have a qualified local professional inspect consequential or safety-related conditions.
- Separate legal-use approval from physical-condition conclusions.
Official examples and starting points
These government pages illustrate the types of records and search methods described above:
- San Diego Development Services Department, Permit Records and Mapping Information, Information Bulletin 110 (April 2026).
- Salt Lake City Building Services, Certificate of Occupancy.
- New York City Department of Buildings, Get Building History.
- New York City Department of Buildings, Certificate of Occupancy.
- Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, Property Records and PRISM Help & FAQ.
- Fairfax County Land Development Services, LDS Public Records.
- Miami-Dade County Building Department, Certificate of Occupancy and Certificate of Use.
Use your own city or county’s official portal first. The record names, retention periods, fees, public-access rules and occupancy requirements in these examples may not apply where the building is located.
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