CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · PERMITS & INSPECTIONS
What is a Permit sign-off?
Sign-off is the inspector's recorded approval of the final inspection — the act that officially closes a permit and ends the contractor's open obligation on it.
When contractors say a permit is "signed off," they mean the authority having jurisdiction has recorded final approval: the work passed its last inspection and the permit file is closed. Until that happens, the permit is open — regardless of whether the crew finished months ago.
Open permits are where subcontractor money quietly dies. Retainage often waits on them, GCs use them as a reason to hold final payment, and when the property sells, a title or records search surfaces every unclosed permit — sometimes years later, when reaching the original inspector and reconstructing the job is genuinely hard. The habit that prevents all of it: treat sign-off, not "work complete," as the end of the job.
On multi-permit jobs (wiring, fire alarm, low voltage, temporary service), each permit needs its own sign-off. It's common for the main wiring permit to close while a forgotten low-voltage or temp-service permit stays open.
Common questions
What does it mean when a permit is signed off?
The final inspection passed and the town recorded the approval, closing the permit. The contractor's obligation on that permit is complete.
What happens if a permit never gets signed off?
It stays open in town records. Open permits stall retainage and final payments, can void after long inactivity, and routinely surface during property sales — creating callbacks long after the job ended.
Related terms
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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