Sale stalled. Refinance flagged. Open permit on the record.
A permit was pulled. The work happened. But the final inspection never closed — and now the title company, the lender, or the buyer’s inspector is asking questions. Open permits are usually resolvable in 4–8 weeks. We’ve closed permits from 2019, 2012, even 1998 — but the clock on your transaction is what we move on first.
Five moments an open permit suddenly matters.
During a title search
Buyer’s title company runs the property record and flags an open building permit from a prior renovation. Lender often requires resolution before funding.
During a four-point inspection
Insurance four-point inspection or wind-mitigation inspection notes the open file. Carrier may decline to bind or non-renew until cleared.
During a HELOC or refinance
Underwriter’s title check surfaces an unfinaled permit. Most underwriters won’t fund until it closes.
During a 40-year recertification
Building Department review pulls every permit ever issued for the property. Any unfinaled item triggers a recertification hold.
During a Notice of Commencement check
A contractor starting new work pulls the property record and discovers a prior open permit blocking new submittals.
Permits get left open for predictable reasons.
In almost every case it’s one of four causes:
- The original contractor walked away or went out of business before the final inspection.
- The work was completed but the homeowner didn’t know a final inspection was required.
- The final inspection failed and the corrections were never made.
- The permit was administratively closed by the county but the file shows a different status.
The cause matters because it determines the resolution path. Cause #4 is the easiest — usually a status correction. Cause #3 is the hardest — it may require rework before the final passes.
A specialist on your file the same day you contact us.
We’ve kept closings on track when the open permit was discovered at the last minute. Tell us your closing date — we’ll tell you honestly whether we can hit it.
Homestead • 2022 Permit Closed Pre-Refinance • Closed 2024 “Refinance underwriter caught a permit my window contractor never finaled two years earlier. Permit Solutions had the property record pulled the same day, scheduled the final inspection, and closed the permit in six weeks. Refinance closed two weeks after that.”
Tell us the address. We’ll pull the record.
Share your property address and your closing date if you have one. A specialist returns the open-permit assessment and resolution timeline within one business day — usually same day.