Approved Building Permits

Building permits help to establish compliance of construction work with the minimum standards of safety established by the State Building Code to ensure public health and safety for everyone. A building permit is required before beginning most construction, demolition, modification and repair work. The Inspectional Services Department offers permitting processes tailored for a wide variety of projects, from home repairs to building demolition.

For more information on the permitting process, visit our Inspectional Services Department Permitting Process page. To apply for a new building permit or check the status of your pending permit application, go to our City of Boston Permits and Licenses Application page.

WHAT IS THE DATASET FOR?

This dataset includes information about building permits issued by the City of Boston from 2009 to the present. Permits that are being processed or have been denied, deleted, void or revoked are not included in the dataset.

WHAT PERMIT TYPES ARE PRESENT IN THE DATASET?

This dataset includes information about the following types of building permits:

• Short Form Building Permit
• Electrical Permit
• Plumbing Permit
• Gas Permit
• Electrical Low Voltage
• Long Form/Alteration Permit
• Electrical Fire Alarms
• Certificate of Occupancy
• Electrical Temporary Service
• Amendment to a Long Form
• Erect/New Construction
• Use of Premises
• Foundation Permit

For more information on these permits and their application process, visit our Building Permits information page.

WHAT DOES EACH PERMIT APPLICATION STATUS MEAN?

• Issued: indicates that the permit has been issued on date specified as issued_date.

• Open: indicates that the permit has been issued and is still valid for the applicant (i.e. not expired yet).

• Closed: indicates that the permit was successfully issued but is not valid anymore (i.e. has expired).

• Stop work: indicates the permit was successfully issued but it stopped working due to non-compliance or other issues before the expiration date.