Open Permits and Selling Your Westchester Home: What You Need to Know

If you're selling your home in Westchester, one of the most common last-minute surprises is discovering open or expired building permits. Here's what they mean, how they're found, and what to do about them.

How Open Permits Get Discovered

In New York State, every real estate transaction includes a title search. The title company searches municipal records for liens, judgments — and open building permits. If a permit was issued but never received its final inspection sign-off, it shows up as "open." This happens more often than sellers expect, including for work done 10-20 years ago.

What "Open" Actually Means

A permit can be open for several reasons:

• Never inspected: Work was done but final inspection was never requested or passed
• Failed inspection: Inspector found a problem that was never corrected
• Work never completed: Permit was pulled but project was abandoned
• Expired permit: Permit expired before work was completed

How to Close an Open Permit

The process depends on the situation:

1. If the work was done correctly: Simply schedule the final inspection. If it passes, the permit closes.
2. If the work has issues: A contractor must bring the work into compliance, then schedule inspection.
3. If work was never done: The permit may need to be formally abandoned or a new permit pulled.

We help sellers and buyers resolve open permit situations throughout Westchester. The first step is always a free consultation to understand what's actually open and what it will take to close it.

What About Unpermitted Work?

Unpermitted work is different from an open permit — there's no permit on file at all. Retroactive permitting is possible but often more complex. Some work (like an old deck) can be permitted retroactively after inspection. Other work requires partial demolition to expose structural elements for inspection. We advise on this case by case.