How Does a Contractor Pull a Building Permit?
By Wyatt Cooper · Published · 6 min read
Key takeaways
- Every city and county runs its own permits, but the sequence is the same: confirm what needs a permit, prepare drawings, apply, pass plan review, pay, post the permit, pass each inspection in order and close it with a final.
- Settle in the contract who pulls the permit and whether fees are in the price; the one who pulls it is the one the building department holds responsible.
- Build the inspections into the schedule as hold points: nothing gets covered until the inspector has signed the work off.
- An open permit is unfinished work: get the final inspection, keep the signed card, and give the client a copy.
A contractor pulls a building permit by confirming with the local building department what the work needs, preparing the drawings and forms it asks for, applying with the contractor's license details, answering plan-review comments, paying the fees, and posting the issued permit on site. Then the contractor schedules each required inspection before covering the work, and closes the permit with a final inspection. The local department's rules govern every step.
Step 1: confirm what needs a permit
Ask before you price. Most remodels that touch structure, plumbing, electrical or mechanical systems need a permit; cosmetic work often doesn't. California's license board puts the state rule broadly: "no building or structure may be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted or demolished unless a separate permit for each building or structure has first been obtained from the building official," and "code requirements vary in different cities and counties" (CSLB, Do I need a building permit?). Its consumer guide lists new construction, additions, major renovations, heating and air-conditioning repairs, and water heaters among the work that usually needs one (CSLB, Terms of Agreement).
Your building department publishes which work is exempt, which trades need separate permits, and whether the plumbing or electrical sub pulls its own. Read it for each jurisdiction you work in; neighboring cities differ.
Step 2: decide who pulls it
Write it into the contract. California's board lists "who will pull necessary building department permits" among the details a contract should contain (CSLB, Terms of Agreement), and recommends the client ask whether permit fees are in the price. The applicant answers to the department: in California every applicant files a signed statement giving its contractor's license number "and stating that it is in full force and effect, or, if the applicant is exempt" from licensing, the basis for the exemption (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7031.5). Willful disregard of "any state or local law relating to the issuance of building permits" is cause for discipline of a licensee (§ 7110).
When a homeowner offers to pull the permit as an owner-builder to save you time, think twice: the permit then names the owner as the responsible builder, and the inspections, corrections and final are theirs to answer for.
Steps 3 to 6: from application to permit card
- 1ContractorPrepares the application: site address, scope, valuation, license details, and the drawings and forms the department lists
- 2Designer or engineerSupplies stamped drawings or calculations where the department requires them, such as for a removed bearing wall
- 3Building departmentPlan review: comments returned to the applicant
- 4ContractorRevises the drawings and resubmits until approved
- 5Building departmentIssues the permit once fees are paid
- 6ContractorPosts the permit card and approved drawings on site, and schedules inspections
Plan review is where time goes. Submit complete drawings the first time, answer every comment in writing, and put the expected review time in your schedule and the client's start date. Some states add a step before inspections: in Florida, for example, every permit card must warn that a notice of commencement "must be recorded and posted on the site of the improvement before the first inspection" (Fla. Stat. § 713.135(1)(a)); jobs of $2,500 or less are exempt.
Step 7: inspections as hold points
The permit lists the inspections the work needs. Treat each as a hold point: nothing gets covered until it passes. The sequence below is common on a remodel; your permit card is the authority.
| Inspection | When to call it | What waits for it |
|---|---|---|
| Footing or foundation | Forms and rebar set, before concrete (additions) | The pour |
| Rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical | Lines run and tested, before insulation | Insulation and drywall |
| Framing | Structure and blocking complete, often with the roughs | Insulation and drywall |
| Insulation or energy | Insulation installed, before cover | Drywall |
| Shower pan or waterproofing, where required | Pan or membrane flood-tested | Tile |
| Final | Work complete, fixtures and devices installed | Closing the permit and final payment |
Book trades around these dates, as how to schedule trades on a home build shows. A failed inspection gets a correction and a re-inspection before anything is covered.
Step 8: close it out
A permit is closed by its final inspection, not by the last day of work. Get the final signed, keep the card or the department's record in the job file, and give the client a copy with the closeout papers. Tie the final payment to the passed final in the contract (see what a remodeling contract should include), so neither side has a reason to leave the permit open. California's board warns that failing to obtain a permit can mean "significant fines and penalties, and even demolition of unauthorized construction if it does not meet code requirements" (CSLB, Terms of Agreement).
The bottom line
Pulling a permit is the same sequence everywhere: confirm, prepare, apply, answer plan review, pay, post, inspect in order, and close with a final. The local building department's rules decide the details, so read them for each jurisdiction and write who pulls the permit into the contract.
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Sources
- Do I need a building permit for my project? — California Contractors State License Board. Read October 22, 2026.
- Terms of Agreement: A Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Contracts — California Contractors State License Board. Read October 22, 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code § 7031.5 — California Legislative Information. Read October 22, 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code § 7110 — California Legislative Information. Read October 22, 2026.
- Florida Statutes § 713.135 (2026), Notice of commencement and applicability of lien — The Florida Senate. Read October 22, 2026.
Questions
Who should pull the permit on a remodel, the contractor or the homeowner?
Usually the licensed contractor doing the work, and the contract should say so. The applicant is the one the building department holds responsible for inspections and corrections. A homeowner who pulls it as an owner-builder takes that responsibility on.
What do you need to apply for a building permit?
Whatever your building department lists, which usually includes the site address, a description and valuation of the work, the contractor's license details, and drawings; structural changes may need stamped drawings or calculations. Check the department's application checklist.
How long does a building permit take?
It depends on the department and the work: simple trade permits can be quick, while drawings that go through plan review can take weeks with resubmittals. Ask the department for current review times and put them in the schedule.
What happens if you remodel without a permit?
Fines, penalties, and possibly having to open or remove work that doesn't meet code, as California's license board warns; for a licensee it can also be cause for discipline. It can also cause trouble when the client sells the house.
How do you close a building permit?
Pass the final inspection the permit requires. Keep the signed card or the department's record and give the client a copy; a permit left open after the work is done is still an open permit.
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