Thinking about listing your Danville home? One simple step can make or break your sale: confirming your property’s permit history and final inspections before you go live. Buyers, lenders, and insurers often review this, and gaps can lead to delays, price reductions, or cancelled escrows. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly why the permit check matters, what to request from the Town of Danville, and a short checklist to follow so you can list with confidence. Let’s dive in.
Why a Danville permit check matters
Buyers and their teams ask for permit records. If work was done without permits or final inspections, it can raise safety and financing concerns that slow or derail a deal.
- Buyer confidence and deal risk: Unpermitted or unfinished work is a common reason for escrow delays and renegotiations.
- Legal disclosures: California sellers must disclose material facts about a home’s condition. Unpermitted work that affects safety, habitability, or value typically requires disclosure. For an overview of seller disclosure obligations, see the California Department of Real Estate.
- Liability and safety: Electrical, plumbing, structural, and similar work done without oversight can create hazards and potential post-sale issues.
- Marketability and valuation: Finaled permits support value for additions and renovations. Missing or expired permits can lead to price adjustments or require retroactive fixes.
- Time and cost: Correcting unpermitted work or obtaining retroactive permits can take weeks to months and may require plans, engineering, and inspections.
What the Town can provide
The Town of Danville’s Building/Community Development team maintains permit and inspection records for local properties. Start with the Town of Danville Permit Center and request records for your specific address and APN.
Here’s what you can typically get:
- Permit issuance records with permit numbers and trade types
- Inspection logs showing pass/fail results and dates
- Final or closed status when work was approved
- Plans filed with permits, including any as-built drawings
- Certificates of Occupancy or similar approvals where applicable
- Notices, stop-work orders, or code-enforcement actions
- Archived/historic files that may require staff retrieval
The most important step before you list
Bold, but true: the single best move you can make is to request the full permit history and inspection results from the Town using your property address and APN. Confirm which permits are finaled before photography and MLS launch. If you find gaps, you can fix or disclose early instead of scrambling in escrow.
Before-you-list checklist
Follow this short, practical sequence:
- Gather basics
- Collect your property address, APN/parcel number, and owner name.
- Compare official building size and features using the Contra Costa County Assessor site.
- Ask the seller for the paper file
- Permits, final inspection reports, receipts, contractor invoices, as-built plans, and contractor license numbers.
- Contact the Town of Danville Permit Center
- Request the complete permit history and inspection log for the address/APN.
- Ask for copies of finaled permits, any plans on file, and any stop-work or code-enforcement records.
- Clarify whether records are online or require a public records request, plus fees and turnaround.
- Compare records
- Check Town files against seller documents and county assessor data.
- Flag unpermitted work, permits without finals, or square-footage mismatches.
- If issues surface
- Consult a licensed contractor and the building official about options to finalize or retro-permit work.
- Consider a home inspector or specialty inspector for safety and scope.
- Document for buyers
- Keep scanned copies of finaled permits and approvals to share with buyers and inspectors.
- Prepare accurate disclosures for any known unpermitted work.
- Coordinate with escrow/lender if needed
- Ask whether recorded or finaled permits are required. Plan for possible escrow holdbacks if work must be completed later.
- Plan timing and strategy
- If corrections are needed, estimate time and cost before listing. Decide whether to complete work pre-listing or disclose and price accordingly.
Common red flags to watch
- Additions or ADUs not reflected in Town permit records
- Permits that show no final inspection or an expired status
- Square footage in assessor records that doesn’t match permit plans
- Recent “after-the-fact” permits filed right before listing
- Multiple permits for the same scope with conflicting details
- Open code-enforcement cases or stop-work orders
- Work by unlicensed contractors or missing trade permits
Tip: Verify contractor licenses and status with the California Contractors State License Board.
How to request records from the Town
Use your full property address and APN. Records may be available online or via a formal request. If older files are archived, staff can advise on retrieval.
Sample request language:
- “Hello, I represent the owner of [address], APN [###]. Please provide the complete permit history and inspection results for this parcel, including copies of any finaled permits, plans on file, and any open code-enforcement or stop-work orders. If records are archived or require a public records request, please advise on procedure, fees, and turnaround. Thank you.”
Public access to municipal records is governed by the California Public Records Act. Town staff can guide you through their current process.
Terminology to understand
- Issued: Permit was officially granted by the Town
- Active/In progress: Work is underway or inspections are pending
- Finaled/Closed: Work passed final inspection and is approved
- Expired: Permit expired before final inspection
- Cancelled/Voided: Permit is no longer active
- Partial final or final with conditions: Portions approved with conditions noted
- Stop-work/code enforcement: Indicates unresolved compliance concerns
Timing, costs, and strategy
Retroactive permits are often possible but can require plans, corrections, and inspections. Some work may need reconstruction to meet current code. If you cannot finalize work before hitting the market, you can disclose and price accordingly or consider escrow holdbacks to complete work after contract. Lender and insurance requirements vary, and some underwriters will want final inspections before approval.
How we can help
At Jenn Collins Group, we help you get ahead of these details so your listing launches clean. We coordinate permit checks with the Town, compare findings to assessor data, and help you decide whether to finalize, retro-permit, or disclose. When updates are needed, we tap our curated network of licensed contractors and leverage Compass Concierge for approved pre-listing improvements without upfront cash from you. The goal is simple: reduce risk, inspire buyer confidence, and protect your sale price.
Ready to list with certainty? Reach out to the Jenn Collins Group to schedule a complimentary consultation.
FAQs
What is a permit “final” and why does it matter?
- A final means the Town approved the work after inspections. Finaled permits reassure buyers and lenders that improvements meet local codes and reduce escrow risk.
How do I check my Danville permit history?
What if I discover unpermitted work before listing?
- Talk with a licensed contractor and the building official about retroactive permits or corrections, then decide whether to fix before listing or disclose and price accordingly.
Can I verify contractor licenses for past work?
Where else should I compare records?
- Check the Contra Costa County Assessor data against Town permit files and your seller documents to catch any mismatches in square footage or improvements.
