Public building records
Where to find house floor plans and permit drawings by jurisdiction
Approved plans can reveal a home's permitted layout, dimensions, structure, site work, and design decisions. The useful trick is knowing whether your jurisdiction publishes the file directly or expects a focused records request.
Reviewed against official city and county sources, August 2026This expands Build Eastside's original architectural-plans tip with current city links, more jurisdictions, and the limitations that matter before design.
What to look for
Start with the permit history, then look for the final approved architectural set, not just an early application drawing. Ask for the site plan, floor plans, exterior elevations, building sections, structural sheets, approved revisions, and final inspection or certificate record when those documents exist.
- For design research, compare homes with a similar lot width, slope, orientation, view, garage approach, and program.
- For a remodel, use the plans to understand likely framing and utilities, then field-measure and investigate before relying on them.
- For due diligence, compare approved work with the house as it exists and check whether the permit received final approval.
Approved does not mean as-built
A permit plan shows what the city approved. It may not capture every field change, later remodel, owner alteration, or construction discrepancy. It also reflects the rules and engineering assumptions of its own permit date, not the rules for your project today.
Public access does not erase copyright. Use another project to learn from room relationships, circulation, structure, and site strategy; do not copy an architect's drawings into a new construction set. Your designer should create and coordinate plans for your property.
Jurisdiction directory
Download or search first
Jurisdiction directory
Search, then request
Jurisdiction directory
Ask the local records office
A request that staff can fulfill
Use this five-step records workflow
- 1
Confirm the regulating jurisdiction. A mailing city is not proof that the property is inside that city's limits.
- 2
Search by both address and parcel number. Save every relevant permit number, project description, applicant, and year.
- 3
Request specific identifiable records: the final approved architectural and structural plan set, approved revisions, site plan, inspection history, and final approval for the named permit.
- 4
Include prior addresses when known, a reasonable date range, the parcel number, and a request for electronic delivery. Avoid asking for every record about a property unless you truly need it.
- 5
Index the files by permit and date, then have the existing conditions field-verified before design or construction decisions.