Official rules, plain English

Before You Build, Know the rule.

Permit rules for roofing, HVAC, solar, fences and decks in ten US cities, each one checked against the permit office's own pages and backed by live permit records.

A two-story white house with black shutters and a front porch
95,727 residential permits read from city open data in the last 12 months

10 cities with verified rules

40 city and project pages

46 official sources cited

0 invented fees or figures

01

Start with Your Project

Every project page compares the rule across all ten cities.

A roofer carrying a bundle of shingles across a residential roof
Most searched

Roofing Permits by City

Re-roofs, decking replacement and cool-roof rules. Whether a re-roof needs a permit depends on how much you replace and where you live.
  1. HVAC Permits by CityFurnace, AC and heat pump change-outs.
  2. Solar Panel Permits by CityRooftop PV, electrical review and utility steps.
  3. Fence Permits by CityHeight limits, front yards and zoning.
  4. Deck Permits by CityHeight, size and attachment triggers.
02

Ten Cities, Read Line by Line

Each city writes its own exemptions. Chicago's Express Permit Program, Seattle's subject-to-field-inspection decks and North Carolina's $40,000 exemption all work differently, so we read each one from the source.

“Where a fee or rule is not verified, we say so, and link to the office that decides.”
  1. 01Los Angeles Building PermitsCalifornia30,768permits
  2. 02New York Building PermitsNew York16,600permits
  3. 03Seattle Building PermitsWashington13,214permits
  4. 04Baltimore Building PermitsMaryland7,717permits
  5. 05Orlando Building PermitsFlorida7,474permits
  6. 06Chicago Building PermitsIllinois7,366permits
  7. 07Philadelphia Building PermitsPennsylvania5,735permits
  8. 08Austin Building PermitsTexas4,425permits
  9. 09Nashville Building PermitsTennessee1,589permits
  10. 10Raleigh Building PermitsNorth Carolina839permits
03

Guides Worth Reading First

All 25 guides

A drafter working on architectural plans with a pencil and ruler Permit basics

Work That Does Not Need a Building Permit: IRC R105.2 Exemptions

Which home projects do not need a building permit? The IRC R105.2 exemption list explained, with how Austin, Nashville and Philadelphia apply it and where cities differ.
  1. 02How Long Does a Building Permit Take? Real Timelines From 10 CitiesHow long does it take to get a building permit? Median days from application to issue for roof,…
  2. 03Selling a House With Unpermitted Work: Risks and OptionsSelling a house with unpermitted work? How buyers find it, what it can cost, and your options:…
  3. 04How Much Does a Building Permit Cost? Verified Fee ExamplesReal permit fees from official fee schedules: Chicago roof permits, Austin Express permits and…
  4. 05ADU Permit Requirements: What Homeowners Need to KnowADU permit requirements explained: what counts as an accessory dwelling unit, zoning and lot…
  5. 06How to look up building permits for a houseFind a property's permit history using official open data portals in Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles,…
A construction worker in a hard hat on a timber house frame
04

How We Check Every Rule

  1. Read the official source. Every answer comes from the permit office's own pages, codes or fee tables, and links to them.
  2. Count real permits. Counts and timelines come straight from city open-data portals, refreshed October 30, 2026.
  3. Never guess. We are an independent publisher, not a government agency. Unverified details are labelled.
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