WHAT DOES “PERMIT CLEARED” ACTUALLY MEAN? A CONTRACTOR'S GUIDE
City permit portals show statuses like “Issued,” “Finaled,” “Cleared,” and “In Review” — but what do they actually mean? And more importantly: when can you start work?
THE QUICK ANSWER
Different cities use different words for the same concepts. “Cleared,” “Finaled,” “Final,” and “Closed” typically all mean the same thing: all inspections have passed and the project is complete.
The word “cleared” specifically comes from the idea that all inspection “holds” have been cleared — every required inspection checkbox has been checked. When ClearedNo sends you a “CLEARED” alert, it means one of these terminal states has been reached.
In most cities, you can legally start work as soon as the permit is “Issued.” Some cities require you to pay fees first (“Approved” stage). When in doubt, call the permitting office.
EVERY STATUS, EXPLAINED
Also called: Application Received, In Queue, Submitted
Your application has been received but hasn't been assigned to a plans reviewer yet. It's sitting in the queue.
Also called: In Review, Plan Review, Active Review
A plans examiner is actively looking at your application. They may have questions or require corrections.
Also called: Comments Issued, Deficiency, Additional Info Required
The reviewer found problems with your application. You'll receive a comment letter listing what needs to be fixed or resubmitted.
Also called: Ready for Issuance, Payment Required
Plans review is complete and your permit is approved. In some cities, you still need to pay fees or pick up the permit before work can begin.
Also called: Active, Permit Issued, Open
Your permit is officially issued. Work can legally begin. Post the permit card at the job site where it's visible from the street.
Also called: Final, Final Inspection Passed, Closed, CO Issued
All required inspections have passed and the work is complete. If a Certificate of Occupancy was required, it should be issued now.
Also called: Lapsed, Void
Your permit has expired — either because work didn't begin within the allowed timeframe or because the project stalled too long between inspections.
WHY THE TERMINOLOGY VARIES BY CITY
Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio all use different permit software systems with their own status vocabulary. Austin's Accela portal might say “Final,” while Houston's system shows “Finaled,” and Dallas might show “Closed.” They all mean the same thing.
ClearedNo normalizes all of these into consistent status labels — PENDING, APPROVED, CLEARED, UNDER_REVIEW, REJECTED, and EXPIRED — so you're not trying to decode city-specific jargon at 7 AM before your crew shows up.
GET ALERTED THE MOMENT YOUR STATUS CHANGES
ClearedNo monitors your Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio permits and sends an instant alert — email or browser push — when any status changes. Know before your crew shows up. No more morning portal checks.