San Jose permits
By Mario Bailey Last checked 2026-06-17 · 2 official sources
Verified against official sourcesCity of San Jose Building Division (Planning Building and Code Enforcement)
- 200 E. Santa Clara St., Tower 2nd Floor, San Jose, CA 95113
- Phone: 408-535-3555
- Email: BuildingPermits@sanjoseca.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in San Jose
San Jose lets you look up permit records and application status for a property online. SJPermits public permit search.
Look up San Jose permit records
Or search the San Jose permit portal
Planning a project in San Jose?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?
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Schedule an inspection in San Jose
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. SJPermits schedule-an-inspection page on the city's online permits portal.
Schedule or request a San Jose inspection
Checked 2026-07-12. If the office has changed its process, report it.
Permitting activity in San Jose
In 2024, San Jose authorized permits for 1,998 new residential housing units (642 single-family, 1,356 in multi-family buildings), valued at $271M , down from2,650 the year before. That works out to about 2 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual data · population 1,013,616.
About San Jose
San Jose has about 343,058 housing units. The median home is valued at $1,187,800, against a median household income of $141,565. About 56% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 1975. Older housing stock usually means more renovation, electrical, and plumbing permits.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.