Methodology
How we calculate closure rates and which permits we count for Worcester.
What is a closure rate?
When a contractor pulls a building permit in Worcester, 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.
Data source
Permits come from the City of Worcester GIS Division, published via an ArcGIS Online FeatureServer. The dataset covers building permits issued from 2021 to present and is refreshed daily. As of early 2026 the dataset contains approximately 50K permits.
Included permit types
We include permit types representing inspectable construction work. Signs, temporary structures, events, fences, wireless antennas, and administrative determinations are excluded.
| Permit Type | Included |
|---|---|
| New Construction | Yes |
| Addition | Yes |
| Alteration Renovations Repairs | Yes |
| Demolition | Yes |
| Foundation | Yes |
| Roofing | Yes |
| Siding | Yes |
| Insulation | Yes |
| Fire Alarm Systems | Yes |
| Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) | Yes |
| Accessory Structure | Yes |
| Carport / Detached Garage / Deck / Shed | Yes |
| Pool - Private Property | Yes |
| Restore After Fire | Yes |
| Retaining Walls | Yes |
| Change of Use / Moving of Building | Yes |
| New Stove Wood/Pellet | Yes |
| Signs (Ground, Wall, Projecting, Roof, Billboard) | No — signage only |
| Fence | No — typically low closure |
| Carnival / Crowd Management / Temporary Tent / Temporary Mobile Home | No — temporary or event |
| Wireless Antenna / Wind Turbines | No — specialized infrastructure |
| Zoning Determination | No — administrative |
| Other / N/A | No |
Status mapping
Worcester uses a binary Record_Status field:
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Complete | Counted as closed |
| Active | Counted as open |
Applicant identification
Worcester’s dataset includes a Contractor Name field populated on approximately 82% of permits (raw). After filtering “N/A” sentinel values, effective contractor fill is approximately 64%.
Sentinel values (N/A, NA, NONE, N/A - NO CONTRACTOR) are treated as missing contractor data and excluded from the leaderboard.
Geographic data
The Address field contains the full address including city, state, and ZIP code (e.g., “90 ACUSHNET AVE Worcester MA 01606”). We parse this to extract the street address and 5-digit ZIP code separately. No neighborhood or ward data is available in this dataset.
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., All Types (no sub-filters)). 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 Building Permits FeatureServer published by City of Worcester Inspectional Services. The dataset covers ~50K permits from 2021 to present and is refreshed daily.
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 City of Worcester Inspectional Services at .