To close an open permit on a house, contact the building department that issued it, confirm the permit’s current status, reactivate it if it has expired, schedule and pass a final inspection, and obtain written confirmation that the permit is closed. Most of the work is administrative. The complications, when they show up, come from expired timelines, missing paperwork, or work that no longer meets current code.
Confirm the Permit and Its Status
Start by pulling the permit record. Most city and county building departments maintain online databases searchable by street address or Assessor’s Parcel Number, which appears on your property tax bill. The record will show the type of work, the issue date, and the current status. You’re looking for entries labeled “open,” “expired,” “issued,” or “under inspection” with no matching final inspection date.
If the online record is unclear, call the building department with your address and APN and ask staff to run a full search. Online databases sometimes lag behind internal records, which matters especially if you recently bought the property.
The status label tells you which path you’re on. An open permit was issued and may still be technically active, but no one scheduled or passed a final inspection. An expired permit lapsed because work stalled or no inspections were requested within the allowed window. Most jurisdictions expire building permits after 180 days of inactivity, though the exact timeline varies and some allow written extensions. The distinction matters because you can usually schedule an inspection on an open permit directly, while an expired permit has to be reactivated first.
Gather Your Documentation
Before you contact the department to schedule anything, pull together whatever you have on the permitted work. The original permit application, the approved plans, and any architectural or structural drawings are the most useful documents, because they show the inspector what the finished work is supposed to look like. Photographs of the work at various stages help too.
If a contractor did the work, have their name and license number ready. Some building departments won’t schedule a final inspection without confirming that a licensed contractor performed the job. If the original contractor is unavailable or unknown, you may need to hire a new licensed contractor to take responsibility for the project before the department will move forward.
Reactivate an Expired Permit
If the permit has expired, you can’t skip straight to inspection. You’ll need to apply to reactivate it, which typically means paying a fee and, if codes have changed since the original permit was issued, submitting updated plans. In some cases the building department will require an entirely new permit application and full repayment of the permit fee for any uninspected work.
Age is the deciding factor. A permit that expired two years ago might reactivate with a fee. One that expired a decade ago may require a fresh permit, new plans, and work that meets today’s codes rather than the codes in effect when the project started. Expect an older expired permit to take longer and cost more to close than a recent one.
Schedule and Prepare for the Final Inspection
Once the permit is active and your documents are in order, request the final inspection. Most jurisdictions take requests through an online portal or by phone. You’ll need the permit number and property address. Some departments schedule for the next business day if the request comes in early; others run a week or more depending on backlog.
On inspection day, give the inspector clear, safe access to every area where the permitted work was done. Move stored items, furniture, or anything blocking the work. If the project involved plumbing or electrical work behind walls, the inspector may need access to specific junction boxes, cleanouts, or other connection points.
The inspector compares the finished work against the approved plans and current building codes, checking that the job was done safely and matches what was permitted. Anything done beyond the original permit scope will get flagged as well.
If the Inspection Fails
Failed inspections are common with open permits, especially old ones. The inspector will issue a correction notice listing exactly what doesn’t comply. Violations range from straightforward items, like a missing smoke detector or an unsecured handrail, to significant ones like improper structural framing or electrical wiring that doesn’t meet code.
Hire a licensed contractor to fix whatever the inspector flagged. Minor corrections may run a few hundred dollars. Major structural or electrical work can run into the thousands. If the corrective scope is large enough, the building department may require a separate permit for the remediation itself.
Once corrections are done, schedule a re-inspection. Some jurisdictions charge a re-inspection fee. The inspector returns, checks the corrections against the original notice, and either passes the work or issues another correction notice. The cycle repeats until everything meets code. With inherited permits where the original work was done poorly, plan for the possibility of multiple rounds.
When There’s Nothing to Inspect: Withdrawing the Permit
Not every open permit involves work that got completed. Sometimes a permit was pulled for a project that never began, or the work has since been torn out. In those cases, closing through a final inspection makes no sense because there is nothing for the inspector to look at.
Most building departments allow you to withdraw or cancel a permit. The process typically involves submitting a written request explaining that the work was never performed or has been removed. Some departments handle this online; others require an in-person visit or a mailed form. You may be eligible for a partial refund of the original permit fees, though refund policies vary.
If work was partially completed and then removed, the department may want confirmation that the property has been returned to its original condition, sometimes through a brief site visit or photographs. Withdrawal is often faster and cheaper than going through the full inspection process when it applies.
Closing a Permit Left by a Previous Owner
Open permits follow the property, not the person who pulled them. If you bought a house with an unresolved permit from a prior owner, closing it is now your obligation. You probably don’t have the original contractor’s contact information, you may not have the approved plans, and the work may or may not have been done correctly.
- Ask the building department for a copy of the original permit application and any plans on file. Many departments keep these records even for old permits.
- Hire a licensed contractor or engineer to assess whether the existing work meets current building codes. Their evaluation tells you whether you can go straight to a final inspection or need corrective work first.
- Submit that assessment to the building department along with your inspection request, so the inspector arrives understanding the current state of the work.
- Budget for surprises. Work done by someone else years ago has a higher-than-average chance of failing inspection.
Some states protect buyers in this situation. Florida, for example, prohibits local building departments from fining or penalizing a good-faith purchaser solely because a previous owner left a permit open, and requires the department to pursue the original permit holder and contractor instead. Not every state has similar protection, so check the rules where you live.
Get Your Closure Documentation
After the work passes final inspection and any outstanding fees are paid, the building department updates the permit status to “closed” or “completed.” Depending on the project, the department issues either a Certificate of Completion or a Certificate of Occupancy. A Certificate of Completion confirms that permitted work is finished and code-compliant. A Certificate of Occupancy authorizes people to occupy a building or space. Most renovation and remodel permits result in a Certificate of Completion, because the home already has a Certificate of Occupancy and the use hasn’t changed.
Request a copy of whichever document applies and keep it with your property records. Then check the online permit database and confirm the status has been updated. If you’re closing the permit to prepare for a sale, verify the update has posted before listing, because buyer’s agents will check. Title insurance typically excludes open permits as zoning matters, so the closure record is what shows a buyer and their attorney that the issue is genuinely resolved.