Methodology
How we calculate closure rates and which permits we count for Pittsburgh.
What is a closure rate?
When a contractor pulls a building permit in Pittsburgh, an inspector needs to verify the work was completed correctly before the permit can be closed. A closure rate measures the percentage of an applicant’s permits that have been properly closed:
The 365-day eligibility rule
A contractor who pulled a permit last month hasn’t had time to complete the work yet. To avoid penalizing recent activity, we only count permits issued more than 365 days ago when calculating closure rates.
Permits issued within the last year still appear in the data but are dimmed in the table and not factored into the rate.
Which permits are included?
Pittsburgh’s Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI) publishes permit data through the Western PA Regional Data Center (WPRDC). We include construction permits that represent real trade work where closure is a meaningful signal of contractor accountability:
| Permit Type | Description |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL | Electrical wiring, panels, and service work |
| BUILDING | Building construction, renovations, and alterations |
| MECHANICAL | HVAC and mechanical system installations |
| Building & Development Application | Newer building permits (since ~2024) replacing legacy BUILDING type |
| Suppression System Permit | Fire suppression system installations |
| Fire Alarm Permit | Fire alarm system installations |
| Demolition Permit | Building demolition |
Plumbing permits are not included because plumbing in Pittsburgh is handled by the Allegheny County Health Department, not the city PLI.
Applicant identification
Pittsburgh’s dataset includes a Contractor Name field — the business or individual performing the work. Trade permits (Electrical, Mechanical, Suppression, Fire Alarm) have 99–100% contractor coverage. Building permits have 92% coverage.
The newer “Building & Development Application” permit type currently has 0% contractor data in the source. These permits are tracked but do not appear on any applicant’s record. Overall contractor coverage is 84.8%.
What is excluded?
We exclude permits where low closure rates are systemic or the permit type doesn’t represent inspectable construction work:
| Permit Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| Sign Permit | Sign installation, not building construction |
| Occupancy Only Permit | Administrative occupancy certification, not construction work |
| Occupant Load Placard Permit | Administrative placard, not construction work |
| Floodplain Permit | Environmental/land use permit, not construction |
| Land Operations Permit | Land use, not building construction |
| Storm Water Permit | Environmental permit, not construction work |
| Plan Review Meeting | Administrative meeting, not a construction permit |
Deduplication
Each row in the Pittsburgh dataset has a unique permit ID — no deduplication is needed. This is similar to Chicago, where each permit number is unique in the source data.
Status classification
Pittsburgh permits have several possible statuses. We classify three for closure rate calculations:
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Completed | Counted as closed — work verified complete |
| Issued | Counted as open — permit issued, work not yet completed |
| Expired | Counted as open — permit expired without completion |
| Revoked | Excluded — permit revoked |
| Stop Work | Excluded — work halted |
| In Review / Application stages | Excluded — pre-issuance statuses |
We classify Expired as “open” because it indicates the contractor did not complete and close the permit before it expired. Pittsburgh’s data begins in June 2019 when PLI migrated to its current permitting system.
Leaderboard criteria
The leaderboard applies two additional filters:
- Minimum 20 rated permits — avoids surfacing statistically insignificant data.
- Active in the last 3 years — prevents the list from being populated by defunct companies.
The leaderboard can be filtered by permit type (e.g., Electrical, Building, Mechanical). When filtered, both thresholds apply only to permits of the selected type.
Median comparison
On applicant detail pages, each closure rate is compared to the median closure rate across all leaderboard-eligible applicants in the same category. This gives context — a 50% closure rate means something different in a category where the median is 40% versus one where it’s 80%.
Medians are calculated from the same pool of applicants who meet the 20-permit minimum threshold.
Data source
Data comes from the PLI Permits dataset on the WPRDC (Western PA Regional Data Center). The dataset is refreshed nightly.
Limitations
This site shows permit closure data. It does not evaluate the quality of anyone’s work. There are legitimate reasons a permit may remain open:
- Client non-cooperation — the property owner may fail to schedule the final inspection or grant access.
- Administrative backlog — work may be inspected and approved but not yet updated in the system.
- Project delays — financing, design changes, supply chain issues, or other factors outside the applicant’s control.
- Multi-phase projects — large commercial projects may legitimately take years to complete.
- Permit holder vs. contractor — the applicant may be a GC, architect, or owner — not necessarily the person scheduling the inspection.
If you believe there are inaccuracies in the underlying permit data, contact the Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections at [email protected].