CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · PERMITS & INSPECTIONS
What is a Open permit?
An open permit is any permit that has been issued but not yet closed by a passing final inspection — including finished jobs that never got signed off.
"Open" describes the permit's file status, not the job's. A permit stays open from issuance until the final inspection passes and the town records sign-off. The dangerous kind of open permit is the one on a finished job: the crew demobilized, the invoice went out, and the final inspection never happened.
Open permits carry three costs. They hold money — retainage and final payments routinely wait on closed permits. They expire — long inactivity can void the permit, meaning re-permitting (and sometimes re-inspection of concealed work) to close it later. And they resurface — property sales and refinances turn up open permits years later, generating callback work at the worst possible time.
The fix is boring and effective: track every permit from application to sign-off, and treat a closed-out job with an open permit as an open item, not a done one.
Common questions
Why do open permits matter if the work is finished?
Because the town's record says the work was never verified. That blocks retainage, can void the permit after inactivity, and surfaces during property sales — turning a finished job back into an obligation.
How do you close an old open permit?
Contact the town's wiring inspector or building department. Depending on how long it's been, that may mean a simple final inspection — or re-permitting if the original expired.
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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