Boston permits
By Mario Bailey Last checked 2026-07-12 · 1 official source
Verified against official sourcesInspectional Services Department
- 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02118
- Phone: (617) 635-5300
- Email: isd@boston.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Boston
Boston lets you look up permit records and application status for a property online. Boston Permit Finder, public permit status lookup.
Or search the Boston permit portal
Planning a project in Boston?
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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Planning several things at once? Check your whole project
Schedule an inspection in Boston
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. ISD Call Center page, the city's channel for requesting building inspections.
Schedule or request a Boston inspection
Checked 2026-07-12. If the office has changed its process, report it.
Real permit outcomes in Boston
Based on 19,468 residential permits issued in Boston between 2025-07-12 and 2026-07-12: the median permit fee paid was $90; the median declared project value was $8,700;
Source: City of Boston approved building permits (open data), fetched 2026-07-12. Figures are medians of actual issued-permit records, not a quote.
Permitting activity in Boston
In 2024, Boston authorized permits for 1,789 new residential housing units (72 single-family, 1,717 in multi-family buildings), valued at $812M , down from2,051 the year before. That works out to about 2.6 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 691,531.
About Boston
Boston has about 307,840 housing units. The median home is valued at $710,400, against a median household income of $94,755. About 35% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 1947. Older housing stock usually means more renovation, electrical, and plumbing permits.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.