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How to search building permits (and see who pulled one)

By the FirstBid team · Last updated October 29, 2026 · How we source permit data

To search building permits, find which government issued the permit for that address, then use its online permit search by address, permit number or parcel ID. Most cities also publish permits as open data for bulk searches. Here's how it works in three portals, with real steps.

Step 1: find who issues permits for the address

Permits are issued by the city, or by the county outside city limits. In Miami-Dade, the county says a folio starting with 30 is unincorporated county; anything else goes to the city (Miami-Dade County). If an address doesn't come up, you're probably in the wrong jurisdiction.

Step 2: search by address, permit number or parcel

Where	Portal	Search by
Austin	AB+C Public Search	Permit number (2026-012345 BP), property, project name, type, date range
Miami-Dade	Building Permits Search	Address (11805 SW 26 ST format), permit or process number, folio, contractor license
Orlando	Project lookup tool	Permit number, address, project name, parcel ID

Type addresses the way the portal stores them. Miami-Dade wants abbreviations (ST, AVE, RD) and no city or ZIP. Austin wants highways as IH 35 or SH 71.

Step 3: read the permit

Type: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing or roofing. Trade permits are usually separate.
Work class: New, Remodel, Repair, Addition. "New" is new construction.
Status and dates: applied, issued, finaled. Issued means work can start.
People: the contractor of record and often the owner or applicant.
Related permits: trade permits under the same building permit or project.

How to see who pulled a permit

Open the permit and look at the contractor field. In Austin it's under People Details in AB+C. Miami-Dade lets you search the other direction: enter a contractor's license and see every permit pulled under it. Orlando's open data has a contractor name on each permit.

Searching many permits at once

Single-address search doesn't tell you what was issued this week. For that, use open data: Austin's 3syk-w9eu, Orlando's ryhf-m453 and Miami-Dade's permit feature service. From January through September 2026 those feeds held 1,661 new single-family permits in Austin, 785 new building permits in Orlando and 2,516 new building permits in Miami-Dade.

FirstBid runs that filter every morning and puts the new-construction permits on one board per city. See how we source it.

Questions contractors ask

How do I look up building permits by address?

Use the permit search of the city or county for that address. Enter the address the way the portal formats it, usually with abbreviated street types and no city or ZIP.

Are building permits public record?

Yes, in Texas and Florida. Florida Statute 119.07 lets any person inspect public records, and the Texas Public Information Act covers Texas cities.

How can I find out who pulled a permit?

Open the permit record and check the contractor field. Miami-Dade also lets you search all permits by contractor license.

How do I read a building permit?

Check the type, work class (New means new construction), status, issue date, contractor, and any related trade permits.

Can I search permits by contractor?

In Miami-Dade, yes, by license. In Austin and Orlando, filter the open data by the contractor name field.

Why can't I find a permit for an address?

It may be in another jurisdiction, typed in a different format, or older than the portal's records.

How do I find new construction permits?

Filter the city's open data to building permits with work class or type New, then confirm each one in the official search.

See the permits before the other subs do

FirstBid pulls new-construction permits from city and county records every morning and shows the scope for each one. Try the Austin board with a 7-day pass for $19. After that it is $99/mo, and you can cancel before day 8.

Open the Austin board

Sources

City of Austin, AB+C Public Search. https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/permit/public-search-other
City of Austin Open Data, Issued Construction Permits (dataset 3syk-w9eu). https://data.austintexas.gov/d/3syk-w9eu
Miami-Dade County RER, Permit information at your fingertips (PDF). https://www.miamidade.gov/permits/library/permit-information-at-your-finger-tips.pdf
Miami-Dade County, Public Records: Building Plans and Permits. https://wwwx.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser149695713973833
Miami-Dade County open data, permit feature service (miamidade_permit_data). https://services.arcgis.com/8Pc9XBTAsYuxx9Ny/arcgis/rest/services/miamidade_permit_data/FeatureServer/0
City of Orlando, Permits & Inspections. https://www.orlando.gov/Building-Development/Permits-Inspections
City of Orlando Open Data, building permits (dataset ryhf-m453). https://data.cityoforlando.net/d/ryhf-m453