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How to read a permit record

The words on a permit record, as the cities use them and as Picker's Desk uses them. Each definition names where it comes from. Rules differ by city; the San Francisco pages are the worked example.

A permit's life, filed to final

1. 1Filed

   The application is in. In San Francisco an application counts as filed once all required documents are provided and the initial payment is made.

   Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions
2. 2Review

   Plan check. The city reviews the application; the applicant answers comments. In San Francisco there are up to 730 days to finish review and get the permit (applications filed on or after June 21, 2026).

   Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions
3. 3Issued

   The permit is granted. Work can start now and not before: San Francisco says to only start work after permit issuance. An issued San Francisco permit stays active for 365 days, extended by passed inspections.

   Source: sf.gov: Building permits · sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions
4. 4Inspections

   Inspectors check the work for code compliance and permit scope as it goes in.

   Source: sf.gov: Building permits
5. 5Final

   When all required inspections are complete and final approval is issued, the permit is finalized and closed.

   Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions

The words, as we use them

• Filed (application date)

  The day the city accepted the application. Some cities publish this date, some publish only the issue date, and the two can be weeks or months apart. Our San Francisco counts use the filed date and say so.

  Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions · Picker's Desk: how we sort records

• Issued

  The day the city granted the permit. Work may begin after issuance, not before.

  Source: sf.gov: Building permits

• Final

  All required inspections passed and final approval issued; the permit is closed.

  Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions

• Expired

  The application or permit ran out of time. In San Francisco an application expires if the permit isn't issued within 730 days, and an issued permit stays active 365 days unless inspections or an extension keep it alive. Other cities use other periods.

  Source: sf.gov: Permit application timelines, expiration and extensions

• MEP deferred, or Trades open

  MEP is mechanical, electrical and plumbing. "Deferred" on a permit means that work will be permitted separately, later. Picker's Desk marks these entries "Trades open": the trade work isn't on the permit yet in the city's records. It doesn't confirm the work is unawarded or open for bid.

  Source: Picker's Desk: how we sort records

• GC (general contractor)

  The contractor the city lists on the permit record. Picker's Desk shows it only where the city publishes it; San Francisco does not publish contractor names on its permit data, so those entries say "not provided by the city."

  Source: Picker's Desk: how we sort records

• TI (tenant improvement)

  Work inside an existing commercial space to fit it out for a tenant, as the city's record describes it. Most Permit Watch entries are tenant improvements or new commercial construction.

  Source: Picker's Desk: how we sort records

• Our read

  The one line on each entry that is Picker's Desk's reading of the record rather than a fact from it. Address, value, square footage, dates, description, permit number and contractor come straight from the city's record.

  Source: Picker's Desk: how we sort records

Playbooks and guides

Step-by-step roadmaps with a flowchart, every fact linked to its official source. No scripts, no promises.

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  The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) runs a free online lookup. Here is how to use it: the ways to search, the tips that make a search work, what each section of the result shows (status, bond, workers' compensation, insurance), and when the database is down.
• Did the permit count fall, or did the record change?
  Permit counts jump and drop for reasons that have nothing to do with demand: a city changes how it files or dates a record, or the wording and coverage shift. Here is a four-question check to run before you trust a big move in a permit chart.
• EV-charger permits, Q3 2026 vs Q3 2025: how to read them city by city
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• Heat-pump permits: what the record can and can't tell you
  Heat-pump permits, Q3 2026 vs Q3 2025, in four places. The count is useful, but only for what it measures: records that name heat pumps or mini-splits, which is not every HVAC job.
• San Francisco: the commercial over-the-counter permit path
  An example of how one commercial permit moves in San Francisco, using the city's own step-by-step page for over-the-counter (OTC) commercial projects. Stages differ by permit type and by city, so treat this as the San Francisco example, not a rule for anywhere else.
• When a San Francisco permit runs out
  Permit expiration rules are set city by city, so this card covers one city: San Francisco, for applications filed on or after June 21, 2026. If you work somewhere else, find your own city's rule. Don't carry these numbers over.
• When a permit record's description goes blank: the Marin County example
  Counting permits by what the description says only works while the description is there. In Marin County, most 2026 permit records have no description. Here is what the records show, what it does to a count, and what to do about it.
• How to find commercial electrical and HVAC work in SF and San José before it's bid
  Reading building permits for tenant improvements a small shop can still bid, with real examples.

Educational only; not legal, tax or financial advice. City rules differ and change; San Francisco is the worked example here. Last checked against the sources October 22, 2026.