recent building permits…
District of Columbia has 11,087 building permits on file right now, with 3,744 filed in just the last 30 days. That's serious construction activity, and most of it is concentrated in Washington. If you're looking for where the work actually is, this is where you'll find it. Electrical work dominates the permit activity with 3,102 permits, followed closely by plumbing at 2,694 permits. Roofing pulls 1,426 permits, HVAC sits at 1,134, and another 1,362 permits cover miscellaneous work. The breakdown tells you exactly where contractors are getting called for jobs. Contractors use permit data to skip the guesswork. Instead of cold calling or waiting for referrals, you see who's permitted to build what and reach out before they've already hired someone. In DC, that means watching electrical and plumbing jobs closely, but don't sleep on the roofing and HVAC opportunities either. New permits filed daily mean new leads are constantly coming in.
Pull permit data for DC and filter by trade. When a property owner or GC files a permit, they're officially starting a project. That's your signal to contact them before they've chosen a contractor. DigPermit updates daily, so you see new permits the same day they're filed. Most contractors who use permit data contact prospects within the first week, before they've gotten buried in bids. Focus on your trade: electricians track electrical permits, plumbers watch plumbing permits, and so on. You'll also spot jobs that need multiple trades, which means you can pitch subcontractors or general contracting work.
Washington holds all 11,087 permits in our database. DC's permit jurisdiction is consolidated, so all construction activity gets filed under Washington. That means you're not splitting your attention between multiple municipalities. You work one permit system, one filing process. Whether you're looking at residential, commercial, or mixed-use projects, they all come through as Washington permits.
Electrical permits lead the way with 3,102 on file, followed by plumbing at 2,694. Roofing comes in at 1,426, HVAC at 1,134, and other miscellaneous permits at 1,362. This ranking tells you where the volume is. If you're an electrician or plumber, DC is actively generating work in your trade. If you're in roofing or HVAC, you'll find steady lead flow, just less volume than the top two trades. The data also shows you which skills are in highest demand, which helps with staffing and planning your year.
9,196 recent building permits filed in District of Columbia.
9,196 permits
R311.7.2 headroom this application for a code modification formalizes, at the request of the inspector that visited the site for the final inspection on 04/30/2026, the approval of…
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Construction Code #1: Appendix G of the 2017 District of Columbia Energy Conservation Code - Commercial Provisions, Section G1.2.2 Performance Rating Calculation (Performance Cost…
The Code question concerns the termination of one side of the monumental stair handrail at the project's lower floor with reference to Section 1014.6 of the 2017 DC Building Code (…
For Upcoming Permit We are requesting approval of the proposed modification for the Business Ratio at 1:150 per the 2024 IBC model code table 1004.5 in lieu of 1:100 per 2017 DCBC.…
2015 International Plumbing Code section 403.2, requiring separate toilet facilities for each sex where plumbing fixtures are required. [Note: Under 2015 IPC, gender separated toil…
Plumbing trade Permit
We are requesting that, where combustibles are located in unrated concealed spaces, the building be allowed to provide sprinkler coverage In lieu of noncombustible protection. This…