How Long Is a Building Permit Good For? The Two Clocks

Under the International Building Code and International Residential Code, a building permit is good for 180 days. If work hasn't started within 180 days of issuance, or stops for 180 days after it starts, the permit becomes invalid. The building official can grant written extensions of up to 180 days each, and most US jurisdictions use this language or a local variation of it.

That 180-day number is the answer most people want, but it hides a detail that causes real trouble on projects. There are two separate clocks. One runs on your application before the permit is issued, and the other runs on the permit itself. Many teams only learn about the first one when a plan check file quietly expires.

The two clocks at a glance

Local codes change these numbers. Los Angeles gives plan check 18 months instead of 180 days, for example. Collier County, Florida, resets the permit clock on every passed inspection. The model code is the baseline; your jurisdiction's amendments are the rule.

Clock 1: the application expires before you ever get a permit

The model codes treat a permit application as abandoned 180 days after filing unless it has been "pursued in good faith" or a permit has been issued. The building official can extend it in 90-day increments.

"Pursued in good faith" usually means you're responding to corrections. If the city sends a correction letter and your team takes four months to resubmit, the clock doesn't care that the delay was a consultant's. That's where projects lose their file.

Los Angeles is a useful example of how much a local code can change this. Under LAMC Section 98.0603, a plan check expires if a permit isn't secured within 18 months after plans are filed. LADBS will add up to 18 more months in three six-month administrative extensions, for a possible total of three years, under its plan check extension policy.

What expiration costs you:

1. The plan check fee, which you usually pay again.
2. Your place in the review queue.
3. The code edition your design was reviewed under. A new application is reviewed against the code in effect on the new filing date, so an expired file can turn a compliant design into one that needs changes.

The third one is the expensive one. When a state adopts a new code cycle, an expired application filed under the old cycle can mean redesign.

Clock 2: the permit expires if work doesn't start or stalls

Once issued, the permit has its own 180-day clock under IBC 105.5 and IRC R105.5. It becomes invalid if:

• the authorized work hasn't started within 180 days of issuance, or
• the work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after it started.

Many towns publish this language word for word. East Hartford, Connecticut quotes R105.5 directly on its FAQ.

What counts as "starting work"

The codes don't define it, and building departments read it differently. In practice, most departments treat a passed inspection as the proof that work began and continued. Mobilizing equipment or ordering materials rarely counts on its own, because nobody from the department saw it.

That's why a passed inspection is the safest evidence you can create. If your schedule has a long gap, such as waiting on long-lead equipment or financing, schedule an inspection you can pass before the gap starts.

How inspections reset the clock

Some jurisdictions make the inspection rule explicit. Collier County, Florida states that building permits are valid for 180 days on issuance and that each passed inspection extends the permit by 180 days. Failed inspections, partial passes and revisions don't extend it, and several inspections passed on the same day add only one extension.

Not every department works this way, so don't assume it. Check whether your jurisdiction counts inspections, and which inspection types count.

How to extend a permit or an application

Both model-code sections let the building official grant extensions, but only on request and for cause. A request that gets approved usually has:

1. The permit or application number and the project address.
2. The reason for the delay, stated as a fact rather than an apology, such as a utility service delay, a lender's draw schedule, an owner's change in program, or a correction cycle with a named consultant.
3. What has already been done, such as inspections passed, corrections answered or materials on order.
4. The new date you expect to start or resume work.
5. A request made before the expiration date.

Item 5 matters most. An extension is a discretionary decision about a live permit. Once the permit has expired, many departments treat it as a new application with new fees, and some won't reinstate it at all.

What to do if your permit already expired

1. Stop work. Work under an expired permit is unpermitted work. It can draw a stop-work order and complicate final inspection and the certificate of occupancy.
2. Call the building department before you file anything. Ask whether they reinstate expired permits, how long after expiration they'll do it, and what it costs. Some charge a fraction of the original fee for a recently expired permit; others start over.
3. Ask which code edition applies. If a new code cycle took effect, a reinstated permit may keep the old edition while a new application won't.
4. Re-establish inspections. Inspections that passed under the expired permit may or may not carry over. Get the answer in writing.

How to keep either clock from running out

Expirations rarely happen because nobody knew the rule. They happen because nobody owned the date. A few habits prevent most of them:

• Record the filing date and the issuance date for every permit the day they happen, not when someone remembers.
• Put two reminders on each: one 30 days before expiration and one 7 days before.
• When a correction letter arrives, note the date and set a resubmittal target well inside the application clock.
• Before any planned pause in work, schedule a passable inspection.

If you track permits across several projects, a shared tracker beats individual calendars, because a reminder in one person's calendar disappears with their vacation. In Olumba you can add each expiration as a task with an owner and a due date, and the assignee gets an email 7 and 3 days before, the day before and on the day. A spreadsheet with the same columns and an owner per row works too, as long as someone checks it.

For the correction side of the application clock, see how to respond to a plan check correction letter. A clean response matrix is the fastest way to keep a file in good standing.

Common questions

Does a building permit expire if work has started?

It can. Under the model codes, a permit becomes invalid if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after it started. Starting work doesn't make the permit permanent; continued progress, usually shown by passed inspections, keeps it alive.

Can I renew an expired building permit?

Sometimes. Departments decide this locally. Some reinstate a recently expired permit for a fee, some require a new application, and some cap the number of renewals. Call the department before you resume work or file anything.

Do inspections extend a building permit?

In many jurisdictions, a passed inspection resets the 180-day clock, and some counties state this outright. Failed inspections usually don't count. Ask your department which inspections count, because the model codes don't spell it out.

How long does a building permit application stay open?

Under the model codes, 180 days from filing unless you're pursuing it in good faith, with 90-day extensions available. Local rules can be much longer. Los Angeles allows 18 months, extendable to three years.

Is a demolition or electrical permit on the same clock?

Usually the same model-code rule applies to every permit type the building department issues, but trade permits and demolition permits sometimes have their own local limits. Check each permit separately; don't assume they expire together.