Do you prepare or file permit applications?

No. PermitPal tells you which rules govern a site and which permits apply, so you can scope, price, and plan the work with the code in front of you. Applications still go through the jurisdiction’s own process, prepared by whoever handles that on your team.

Which jurisdictions do you cover?

We maintain structured ordinance data across 7,000+ US jurisdictions, spanning cities, villages, towns, and counties. If a market you build in is missing, tell us in the form on this page and we will show you what we have there.

How deep does the permit detail go?

Zoning context comes with every covered address: the jurisdiction, the district, any overlays, the street classification, dimensional standards such as setbacks and height limits, and the permit types that apply. Permit-specific requirement detail is deepest today in sign permits, and we are expanding to more permit types. The product labels which level of detail you are looking at, so you always know what you can lean on.

Can I rely on a lookup for a final determination?

Treat it as intelligence for scoping and bidding. Every answer cites the adopted section it came from, so you can read the source yourself. Where a determination matters, confirm it with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). The citations make that a short conversation.

How do we get started?

Use the form on this page. Tell us your trade and the markets you build in, and we will walk you through the product on your own addresses, along with pricing for your team.

For contractors, trades and planning teams

Know the local rules before you bid.

Every jurisdiction writes its own code, and the rules change at every city line. PermitPal starts from the project address and resolves what governs the site: the jurisdiction, the zoning district, any overlays, the street classification, the setbacks, and the permits the project triggers. Every answer cites the section it came from, so you can scope, bid, and build without jurisdiction surprises.

7,000+ US jurisdictionsStructured ordinance data across the country. Permit-specific requirement detail is deepest today in sign permits and expanding to more permit types.

Tell us where you build See how it works

We'll come back with what our data covers in your markets.

Your team's view

app.permitpal.io/lookup

Exampleville Builders Co.

PermitPal · Project lookup

1200 Example Ave, ExamplevilleResolved

Site and zoning

Resolved from the address

Jurisdiction: City of Exampleville
Zoning district: B-2, General Business
Overlay: Downtown Design Overlay
Street frontage: Main St (arterial)

Dimensional standards · B-2

Max building height: 45 ft§4.02.040
Front setback: 10 ft min§4.02.050(a)
Side setback: 8 ft min§4.02.050(b)
Rear setback: 20 ft min§4.02.050(c)

Applicable permits

Building permit
Triggered by new construction and structural alterations
§8.01.020 · Permits required
Applies
Sign permit
Full requirement detail available
Triggered by new and altered signs
§14.02.010 · Sign permits
Applies
Grading permit
Triggered by earthwork over 50 cubic yards
§9.03.040 · Grading and drainage
Applies

Requirement detail is deepest today for sign permits. More permit types are being added.

Informational summary with citations. Where a determination matters, confirm with the authority having jurisdiction.

Illustrative lookup for a fictional city. PermitPal resolves the jurisdiction and zoning context from the address, and every value carries the section it came from.

Where bids go sideways

The costliest mistakes on a job are usually decided before the first crew shows up: a rule found late, in a jurisdiction whose code nobody on the team had time to read.

Same project, different rules

A design that clears review in one suburb needs a variance in the next. District, overlay, and frontage rules shift from block to block, and each jurisdiction writes them its own way.

Surprises found after the bid

A setback or height limit discovered at plan review becomes redesign time, schedule slip, and change orders someone has to eat.

Answers buried in the code

The number you need sits somewhere in a 300-page zoning ordinance, behind that jurisdiction’s own defined terms and numbering.

How it works

One lookup, from address to cited rules.

Enter the project address

PermitPal resolves the jurisdiction that governs the site, whether that is the city, the village, or the county.

Get the rules that apply

The zoning district, any overlays, the street classification, dimensional standards like setbacks and height limits, and the permit types the project triggers. Each value carries its code citation.

Cite it and move

Read the adopted text behind any value, put the citation in your bid package, and confirm with the local authority where a determination matters.

Your team's view

Front setback · District B-2

§4.02.050(a)

10 ft minimum from the front lot line on lots with arterial frontage.

“No building or structure shall be erected within ten (10) feet of the front lot line on any lot with frontage on an arterial street.”
§4.02.050(a) · Exampleville Zoning Code · Adopted Jun 4, 2018

Copy citationOpen full section

Every value opens into the adopted text behind it, ready for a bid package or an email to the plan reviewer.

Why PermitPal

Built from the ordinances themselves

The hard part is turning adopted code into structured data you can query by address. We have already done that across 7,000+ US jurisdictions, so your next market is usually already in the system.

Every answer cites the code

Each value carries the section it came from. Read the adopted text in one click and hand the citation to your estimator, your designer, or the plan reviewer.

Honest about depth

Zoning context comes with the address in every covered jurisdiction. Permit-specific requirement detail is deepest today in sign permits, and the product labels which level of detail you are looking at.

It all starts from the address. PermitPal resolves the jurisdiction that governs the parcel, then the district, the overlays, the street classification, and the dimensional standards that follow from them. The list of permits a project triggers comes from that same foundation.

Coverage, stated plainly

Breadth

Structured ordinance data across 7,000+ US jurisdictions: cities, villages, towns, and counties. If you build somewhere we have not structured yet, tell us and we will show you what we have there.

Depth

Permit-specific requirement detail is deepest today in sign permits. More permit types and trades are in progress, and the product labels which level of detail you are looking at.

PermitPal is informational. Where a determination matters, confirm it with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). The citations make that a short conversation.

Tell us what you build

Your trade, your markets, and what keeps tripping up your bids. We'll come back with what our data covers where you work and set up a walkthrough on your own addresses.

Questions contractors ask us

Do you prepare or file permit applications?: No. PermitPal tells you which rules govern a site and which permits apply, so you can scope, price, and plan the work with the code in front of you. Applications still go through the jurisdiction’s own process, prepared by whoever handles that on your team.
Which jurisdictions do you cover?: We maintain structured ordinance data across 7,000+ US jurisdictions, spanning cities, villages, towns, and counties. If a market you build in is missing, tell us in the form on this page and we will show you what we have there.
How deep does the permit detail go?: Zoning context comes with every covered address: the jurisdiction, the district, any overlays, the street classification, dimensional standards such as setbacks and height limits, and the permit types that apply. Permit-specific requirement detail is deepest today in sign permits, and we are expanding to more permit types. The product labels which level of detail you are looking at, so you always know what you can lean on.
Can I rely on a lookup for a final determination?: Treat it as intelligence for scoping and bidding. Every answer cites the adopted section it came from, so you can read the source yourself. Where a determination matters, confirm it with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). The citations make that a short conversation.
How do we get started?: Use the form on this page. Tell us your trade and the markets you build in, and we will walk you through the product on your own addresses, along with pricing for your team.

Bid your next market with the code in hand

Tell us where you build, or grab 20 minutes and we'll run your own addresses live.

Tell us where you build

Every answer cites the adopted code section it came from. PermitPal is informational; confirm determinations with the authority having jurisdiction.