Free, accurate building permit guides for homeowners across all 50 states.
Building permit rules shouldn't require a phone call to city hall or a paid consultation just to understand. But that's the reality for most homeowners. Permit requirements are buried in municipal code, scattered across dozens of government websites, and written in language that assumes you already know the system.
PermitsGuide.com exists to fix that. We research permit rules at the state and city level so you can find out whether your project needs a permit, what it will cost, and how to apply — in plain language, for free.
Each guide follows the same two-step process. Our research desk establishes what a given city actually requires, working from primary sources and, where possible, direct contact with the permitting department. A reviewer with building-department experience then checks the result for accuracy, completeness, and practical relevance before it publishes.
We hold our content to a simple standard: every claim should be verifiable against an official source. If a guide states that a city exempts decks under 200 square feet, that threshold should be traceable to a specific code section or published city policy.
Building codes change. We review and update our guides regularly to reflect new code adoptions, fee changes, and revised exemption thresholds. Each guide displays the date it was last reviewed. If you spot an error or an outdated detail, we want to know — corrections are made promptly.
The work is split across three teams — the people who research the rules, the people who draw the plans, and the people who help you get an order through.
PermitsGuide Research Desk
Permit & Municipal Code Research
Our research team traces permit requirements to state building codes, municipal ordinances, published fee schedules and official building-department guidance. Because requirements can change from one city to the next, local rules are researched separately rather than copied across an entire state.
Todd Hartman
Construction Management Consultant
Todd brings the building-department perspective to PermitsGuide. He reviews permit guidance for practical accuracy and checks whether explanations reflect how inspectors evaluate project scope, setbacks, documentation and corrections.
Ethel L.
Senior Permit Researcher
Ethel researches state building codes, municipal ordinances, permit exemptions and published fee schedules. Their work establishes the source material behind PermitsGuide's state, city and project guides.
Vincent C.
Building Code Reviewer
Vincent reviews higher-risk guidance involving structural work, inspections and code compliance. Their role is to identify where a general rule ends and a local building-department decision begins.
PermitsGuide Drafting Team
Residential Site Plan Specialists
Our drafting team prepares site plans for decks, fences, sheds, patios, garages and other residential projects. Each drawing is created from the property information, available records and project details supplied with the order, with the dimensions and labels a permit reviewer needs to understand the proposed work.
Felisa R.
Lead Site Plan Drafter
Felisa leads the drafting workflow and handles projects requiring more detailed property layouts, multiple structures or complex placement information.
Alejandro P.
CAD Drafting Specialist
Alejandro converts property records, measurements and project details into clear, scaled drawings showing property lines, existing structures and proposed work.
Dan I.
Site Plan Drafter
Dan creates permit drawings for residential projects of different sizes and property layouts. He performs his own final checks and responds directly to revision requirements affecting his plans.
Lauren M.
Site Plan Drafter
Lauren prepares site plans showing property boundaries, structures, project placement and setback measurements. She manages each assigned plan from the first draft through final revisions.
PermitsGuide Customer Support
Project Intake & Customer Care
Our support team helps customers provide the right information, understand the progress of their order and resolve questions after delivery.
David P.
Customer Support Lead
David oversees customer communication and makes sure every question reaches the correct researcher, drafter or revision specialist.
Jason M.
Project Intake Coordinator
Jason reviews incoming order information and helps customers provide the property documents, measurements and project details needed to begin drafting.
Kathryn S.
Revision Support Coordinator
Kathryn helps customers submit comments received from their building department and coordinates requested drawing changes with the drafting team.
Found an error in one of our guides? Have a question about permit requirements in your area? We'd like to hear from you.
Email us at hello@permitsguide.com
Permit guides for the most-built residential projects across all 50 states.