Should you pull a permit for someone else?

Published November 4, 2026 · Rules read November 4, 2026

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• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors. One short section near the end says what it does and doesn't do here.
• The contractors' quotes come from Reddit threads posted from 2024 to 2026, checked against the live site or our archive. Accounts that sell software or services are left out.
• Not legal advice. I read each state's statute, rule or city code myself and quote it, but rules change and your town adds its own. Have a lawyer in your state read anything you're about to sign.

No, not for a job you won't run. The name on the permit is the contractor of record: the inspector deals with you, the code holds you to the work, and in most of the places I checked, letting someone else use your license or registration to get a permit is grounds to discipline it. In Utah, pulling a permit for someone who needs a license and doesn't have one is a class A misdemeanor.⁴ The legal version is to take the job yourself: your contract with the owner, the other crew working as your sub, your supervision on site, and the permit fee in your price.

It's one of the first asks a new license brings. A newly licensed Florida general contractor wrote in July: "as soon as contractors hear that I'm licensed they either tell me license is a waste of time, I pay $500 a job and a GC pulls my permits for me, others ask me if I can pull permits for them."¹ Another new owner was offered $2,500 by a relative to pull the permit for a $200,000 addition, with no license or insurance behind the work.² A builder whose flipper customer wanted him to pull the permit for his own crew asked Reddit about it. The top reply was "Don't do it," and he edited his post: "alright dang y'all talked me out of it. Not doing it."³ In the contractor threads we collected from August 2024 to November 2026, permits came up in about one remodeler thread in eight, and about eight threads were contractors asking about lending a license or pulling a permit for someone else.⁴⁰

This page covers the permit. If a company wants your master electrician or plumbing license behind it full time, that's a qualifier deal with its own rules: see someone asked to use your master license and asked to be the master of record.

Who the permit makes responsible: the contractor of record

Most codes don't define "contractor of record." Connecticut's home improvement law is one that uses the phrase, for a registered contractor "acting solely as the contractor of record for a corporation."⁵ In practice it means whoever's name and number are on the permit. Here's what that name signs up for.

The inspections. New Jersey's permit application names "the responsible person who will be in charge of the work and who is responsible to the owner for ensuring that all work is installed and completed in conformity with the regulations."⁶ In Massachusetts every building permit application carries the construction supervisor's "name, signature and license number," and if that person stops supervising, "the work shall immediately cease" until another license holder is on the record.⁷ In Denver the permit holder keeps the inspection record card until final approval.⁸

The defects. A Massachusetts construction supervisor "shall be fully and completely responsible for all work for which he or she is supervising," even when they're "only a subcontractor or contractor to the permit holder." Anyone may file a complaint against the license, up to three years after the agreement or the last work.⁷ Denver tells homeowners the same thing in one line: "The permit holder bears responsibility for the work covered by the permit."⁹

The insurance. If the crew on your permit has no workers' comp and someone gets hurt, the law looks up the chain. In Massachusetts the insurer of the person who hired the uninsured contractor pays the injured worker's compensation.¹⁰ In New Jersey, "Any contractor placing work with a subcontractor shall, in the event of the subcontractor's failing to carry workers' compensation insurance ... become liable for any compensation which may be due."¹¹ On paper, a crew working under your permit looks like your sub. Your liability policy was written around the operations you described to your insurer, and a job you didn't run is not one of them. I found no statute that voids it, so ask your agent in writing before anyone's name goes on a permit.

Your license. The board that issued it can discipline it. The rules for each state are below.

The liens. Subs and suppliers who don't get paid look for a name. One reply to the flipper's question listed "Being named on mechanics' liens filed by any subs or vendors that don't get paid."³ The crew that did the work may have no lien of its own: Minnesota (for a knowing violation), Idaho and Louisiana deny one to a contractor who lacked the license or registration the job needed.^{12, 13, 14} When the homeowner won't pay them, the argument is about work with your number on it.

A California remodeler put it shortly: "If you pull the permit YOU are the GC no matter what anyone is saying."¹⁵ A builder who turned down an out-of-town contractor's request explained why: "that job would have my name on it for all of eternity."³

The four asks, and the answer to each

"Pull it for me and I'll do the work"

This one usually comes from another contractor. If they hold the license or registration the job needs, they can pull their own permit, so ask why they want yours. If they don't hold it, pulling the permit for them is the thing the rules name. Minnesota can sanction a licensee who "has applied for or obtained a building permit for an unlicensed person."¹² Utah makes it unlawful to apply for a permit "for the benefit of or on behalf of any other person who is required to be licensed ... but who is not licensed."⁴ Davenport, Iowa says no license holder may "obtain a permit under his license and then subcontract, sell or otherwise assign the work covered by the permit to a person or firm who does not have a valid license."¹⁶

Say yes only if it's your job. The Florida GC above worked out the legal version himself: "for it to be legal I would need to sign the contract, ... I would be responsible for the job and I would inspect the job to make sure it's done correct."¹ That means your contract with the owner, the other crew as your sub with its own insurance certificate and comp, you on site at the stages your code requires, and your invoice. Price it as your job, because it is. If they won't work that way, the permit stays theirs to get.

"Skip the permit, it's cheaper"

Homeowners ask this, and so do landlords and flippers. Permits do cost real money in some towns: "Permits here cost at minimum a $1k. Usually $2-3k," one remodeler wrote, in a thread where another said, "I'll do either, and I don't offer a discount for off permit."¹⁷ Plenty of contractors skip the small ones. One who never pulled permits for fences got fined for one.¹⁸

The answer is no, and the permit stays in the price. Starting without a required permit is your violation as well as the owner's. In Massachusetts, "work was performed without a building permit" is grounds to suspend or revoke a construction supervisor license, and a building law violation is a prohibited act for your home improvement registration.^{7, 19} New Jersey's consumer rules say no contractor "shall commence work until he is sure that all applicable state or local building and construction permits have been issued," and the town can fine up to $2,000 per violation.^{20, 21} Connecticut: "No contractor shall commence work unless each applicable building or construction permit has been obtained."⁵ Virginia lists "Failure to obtain a building permit or applicable inspection, where required" as a prohibited act, and Utah makes it a class A misdemeanor.^{22, 4} In Colorado you may not get paid at all: "If a contractor is required to have specific licenses and permits to undertake work, the contractor cannot recover compensation for its services when the contractor fails to obtain such licenses or permits."²³

And the work outlives the deal. A thread that drew 621 comments started with a contractor whose client "didn't want to pull permits and just wanted to get it done." The house sold, and the new owner wanted the loft work redone free.²⁴

"I'll pull it as the homeowner"

Most places let owners pull permits for work on the home they live in. That route is for the owner's own work, or a job the owner really runs. It doesn't cover your license, and it usually costs the owner a protection.

• Massachusetts allows it, at a price. A homeowner can pull the permit and hire people, but "such homeowner shall act as supervisor," and a homeowner who pulls their own permit loses the state's guaranty fund. If you hold a construction supervisor license, you're still responsible for the code "whether or not the licensed contractor secured the permit."^{7, 25} Details below.
• New Jersey: whoever fills in the application, a contractor doing the home improvement has to have its registration number on it.⁶
• Omaha: a homeowner "may not obtain permits in their name and use unlicensed contractors to perform the work."²⁶
• Denver: the owner does the work or hires Denver-licensed contractors, a helper "cannot accept payment," and "A licensed Denver contractor may not serve as a designated worker."^{8, 9}
• Utah: an owner may build for their own use, but anyone else who builds it "must be licensed," except unpaid helpers.⁴
• Connecticut and New York City: the homeowner exemptions cover the owner's own hands. Connecticut's trade-license exemption is for owners working on the single-family home they live in, and New York City waives the home improvement license for a "Homeowner performing his or her own work."^{27, 28}

If you're licensed for the job, there's little reason to let the owner carry the permit. They lose protections, and you lose control of the inspections your final payment depends on. Offer to carry it, with the fee in your price. If the owner really wants to run the job, work for them on your own contract for your own part, and let them deal with the inspector.

"Just sign the permit, I'll pay you $X"

This is renting your license. The prices in the posts I read: $500 a job in Florida, $2,000 in Michigan, $2,500 from a relative, $5,000 floated by a builder to a flipper.^{1, 2, 3} The Michigan story shows how it ends: the license holder "never stepped foot in the house to see what he was putting his name on, and then inspection failed."¹

Say no. Most of the rulebooks below name it, the fines in them run as high as $25,000 per finding, and the license you earn your own living with is on the line too. The best reply in the threads was to the relative: "Zero. Don't care if they're a relative or what-don't pull this permit or have any involvement unless it's solely you/your crews." Another added, "doing this is also an easy way to get your license suspended/revoked."²

Massachusetts: the CSL, your HIC registration and the homeowner exemption

Two cards meet on a Massachusetts permit for a one- or two-family home.

The construction supervisor license (CSL) is the one the permit runs on. The application carries the supervisor's "name, signature and license number," and the supervisor or a licensed designee has to be on site to approve set stages, such as foundations and framing.⁷ The code doesn't use the word "lending," but it describes the deal. Grounds to reprimand, suspend or revoke include "failure to properly supervise a project or be present at a work site as required," "any violation of 780 CMR" and "work was performed without a building permit."⁷ A Massachusetts carpenter described the ask from inside a job: "the crew(s) the client hired doesn't have a construction supervisor's license (required in MA to pull permits if not the homeowner). I, however, do have my CSL." The reply: "Shady. You, as the permit holder will be left holding the bag if something goes wrong. That includes callbacks and warranties."³⁰

The home improvement contractor (HIC) registration is the consumer side. Your number goes on "Every contract, building permit and advertisement." A "violation of the building laws" is a prohibited act, and the law counts your subs' conduct as yours "whether or not an express relationship exists," as long as the work is within your contract. Violations are unfair or deceptive acts under Chapter 93A, with administrative penalties up to $2,000 each, and knowingly and willfully breaking the chapter can bring a $2,000 fine or a year in jail.¹⁹ Breaking the building code itself carries up to $1,000 or a year per violation, and "Each day during which a violation exists shall constitute a separate offense."¹⁹

The homeowner exemption. A homeowner doing permit work is exempt from the CSL rule, "provided that if a homeowner engages a person(s) for hire to do such work, then such homeowner shall act as supervisor." The code's homeowner owns and lives in (or will live in) a one- or two-family home, and "A person who constructs more than one home in a two-year period shall not be considered a homeowner."⁷ Towns take a signed form. New Bedford's reads: the homeowner "assumes responsibility for compliance with the State Building Code." Belmont's application warns that an owner who pulls their own permit "will not have access to the arbitration program or guaranty fund."²⁵ And the code adds a note for you: "Any licensed construction supervisor who contracts to do work for a homeowner shall be responsible for performing said work in accordance with 780 CMR ... whether or not the licensed contractor secured the permit for said work."⁷

Your contract decides it anyway. Chapter 142A makes every home improvement contract tell the owner which permits the job needs, "that it shall be the obligation of the contractor to obtain said permits," and "that homeowners who secure their own permits will be excluded from the guaranty fund."¹⁹ The state's sample clause: "The following building permits are required and will be secured by the contractor as the homeowner's agent."²⁹ Our Massachusetts contract template has that clause, and the Massachusetts HIC page covers the three legal ways to take a permit job if you don't hold a CSL yet.

New Jersey: the UCC, your HIC registration and the permit

New Jersey has no general contractor license. You hold a home improvement contractor registration, and permits come from the town's construction office under the Uniform Construction Code (UCC).

What the permit records. When a contractor does a home improvement, "The registration number of the contractor shall appear on the permit application." The application names the person "responsible to the owner for ensuring that all work is installed and completed in conformity with the regulations." Plumbing, electrical and HVAC work "shall not be undertaken except by persons licensed to perform such work pursuant to law, except in the case of a single-family homeowner on his or her own dwelling," and the licensed trade signs and seals its own subcode form.⁶

Lending your registration. Anyone who "otherwise transfers a registration" faces a civil penalty of up to $15,000, then $25,000 for each later violation. Breaking the registration act is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act, and knowingly breaking it is a fourth-degree crime.³¹ A New Jersey reply in a thread about a campground job: "Under no circumstances should you let a random contractor work under your permit."³²

Skipping it. The consumer rules say no contractor "shall commence work until he is sure that all applicable state or local building and construction permits have been issued," require copies of inspection certificates "before final payment is due," and make it unlawful to hide that your price leaves out "building or installation permit fees."²⁰ The construction office can fine "Any person or corporation, including an officer, director or employee of a corporation" up to $2,000 per violation for starting without a required permit, with the order to pay "issued immediately upon the discovery," and it can stop the job.²¹

The homeowner route. Even if the owner fills in the application, your registration number goes on it when you're doing the work, and the trade exception covers only the owner's own single-family home.⁶ An owner who builds a new home themselves signs an affidavit and promises to tell any buyer within 10 years.⁶

Where it's heading. The 2023 licensing act says a town may issue a home improvement permit "only to" the licensed contractor doing the work, an individual doing it who doesn't need a license, or a single-family homeowner doing their own trade work, and that "A contractor shall be liable for any fines or penalties resulting from a failure to obtain any permit necessary to complete the home improvement." By my reading of its effective-date section, that part has applied since February 1, 2026, but the individual license it refers to doesn't exist yet, so ask your construction office how it applies it.³¹ More on the registration and the coming license: the NJ home improvement license page. The permit language for your contract: the NJ contract template.

Pulling permits for an unlicensed contractor: 11 more states and cities

These are the other places our readers are licensed. I read each rule on November 4, 2026. "Not named" means the source I read is silent, which isn't the same as allowed. Your city can add its own rules, and most permits are local.

Read across and the pattern holds. Where a rule speaks to it, the license or registration belongs to the person who runs the work, and the homeowner route belongs to the owner. None of these places has a version where your number goes on the permit and someone else runs the job.

What it costs if it goes wrong

Discipline. Suspension or revocation of the license you earn your own living with, plus a fine. In the table they run from $1,000 in Idaho to $25,000 per finding in New York City, or 10% of the contract in Louisiana, and Denver can keep you from reapplying for five years.^{13, 28, 14, 8}

Town fines for the missing permit. Up to $2,000 per violation in New Jersey, and up to $1,000 per violation in Massachusetts with every day a separate offense.^{21, 19}

Criminal charges. In Utah, pulling a permit for an unlicensed person, letting your license be used and skipping a required permit are each a class A misdemeanor.⁴ Massachusetts building code violations can bring up to a year in jail.¹⁹ On the borrower's side, presenting someone else's license is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia and a class B misdemeanor in Connecticut.^{22, 5}

Losing the right to collect or lien. The unlicensed crew on your permit often can't sue or lien: Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota and Arkansas all say so in some form.^{13, 14, 12, 36} So when the homeowner stops paying, the fight lands on the name on the permit. Skip the permit on your own job and the risk turns on you: Colorado's courts say a contractor who fails to get required licenses or permits "cannot recover compensation for its services."²³ Even a lien can backfire. In one thread a mason held a $7,500 lien on unpermitted work, and the top reply was "NEVER do unpermitted work for someone. You know better."³⁷

Insurance. Workers' comp for an uninsured crew can climb to the contractor above it in Massachusetts and New Jersey.^{10, 11} Expect your liability insurer to read the permit, the contract and who you actually hired before it pays anything.

The work found at sale. Buyers' inspectors and towns find unpermitted work, and the owner calls whoever did it, as the loft thread shows.²⁴ Denver can record a violation notice "in the real property records of the Clerk and Recorder" until the work is fixed.⁸

What to say: two short scripts

When another contractor, a relative or a flipper asks for your permit:

"I can't put my number on a job I'm not running. The permit makes me the contractor of record, so the inspector, the callbacks and my license board all come to me. I'm happy to bid the whole job as the contractor, and you can work it as my sub with your own insurance. Otherwise the permit has to be yours."

When the homeowner wants to skip it, or pull it themselves:

"The permit's in the price: [town fee] to the town and [your fee] for my time to file it and meet the inspector. The inspector checks the work before the walls close, and when you sell, it's on record. I don't do this job without one. If you pull it yourself, you become the one the town holds responsible, [in Massachusetts: and you lose the state's guaranty fund]. I'd rather carry it."

Then put the permit on the quote as its own line, the way you'd show any cost. Our estimate template starts with it. Contractors price it two ways. One charges "The cost of the permit plus 35% or $350 fee which ever is greater, to cover my time for filling out the permit paperwork."³⁸ Another bills his time "even if the permit is denied (and it can be a lot of time)."³⁹ Tie your last payment to the final inspection, which New Jersey's rule on inspection certificates already points to.²⁰

More for new contractors

• How to find work as a new contractor: where your first customers come from, with a free first customers plan.
• Angi vs Thumbtack: should you pay for leads yet, with a free lead cost calculator.
• Google Business Profile for contractors: setup, verification and your first reviews, with a free checklist.
• How much to set aside for taxes: self-employment tax, quarterly payments and your state, with a free calculator.
• Hiring your first employee: W-2 or 1099, workers comp and what a helper really costs, with a free checklist.
• Contractor insurance: what you need from day one, what it costs and what can wait, with a free checklist.
• Change order template and hidden damage clause: rot behind the wall, charge more or eat it.
• Punch list template: stop a small list holding your final payment.
• When a customer won't pay, the lien deadlines and a demand letter, by state: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Virginia.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel has no permit tracking: no field for a permit number, no inspection dates, no reminders. What it does cover is the money side of this article. Add "Building permit and inspections" to your price book, and it goes on any quote as its own line with your town fee and your time. Put your permit clause in the shop-wide terms text, which is copied onto every quote, and the customer signs the quote on screen. A photo of the permit card can go in the job's files, which only your team sees. Deepsel's Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team; Pro is $29 a month for unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pull a permit for another contractor?

Not for a job you won't run. If the other contractor holds the license or registration the work needs, they pull their own permit. If they don't, pulling it for them is named in the rules: Minnesota can sanction a licensee who “has applied for or obtained a building permit for an unlicensed person,” and in Utah getting a permit “for the benefit of or on behalf of” someone who needs a license and doesn't have one is a class A misdemeanor. The legal version is to take the job yourself, with your contract, your supervision and the other contractor working as your sub.

Is it illegal to pull a permit for someone else?

In most of the places I checked it's at least grounds to discipline your license, and in some it's a crime. Minnesota, Louisiana, Virginia, Utah, New York City and Denver name letting someone else use your license, or pulling a permit for an unlicensed person. Connecticut bars transferring a registration and presenting someone else's as your own. New Jersey fines anyone who transfers a home improvement registration up to $15,000, then $25,000. Massachusetts doesn't use the word, but a construction supervisor who doesn't supervise the job on the permit can be suspended or revoked.

Can a homeowner pull a permit and hire a contractor?

Usually, but the permit doesn't cover the contractor's license. In Massachusetts a homeowner can pull the permit and hire people if the homeowner acts as supervisor, and loses the state's guaranty fund for it. In New Jersey a contractor doing the home improvement still has to put its registration number on the application. Denver requires Denver-licensed contractors for any work the owner doesn't do, Utah requires anyone the owner pays to build to be licensed, and Omaha says a homeowner “may not obtain permits in their name and use unlicensed contractors to perform the work.”

What happens if you don't pull a permit?

For the contractor: a town fine (New Jersey allows up to $2,000 per violation for starting without a required permit, and Massachusetts up to $1,000 or a year in jail per building code violation, each day counted separately), discipline on your license or registration, a consumer-law claim from the customer in states like New Jersey and Massachusetts, and in Colorado possibly your right to be paid. For the house: the work can surface at inspection or sale, and Denver can record a violation notice in the property records until it's fixed.

What is a contractor of record?

In construction, it's the contractor whose name and license or registration number are on the permit: the one the inspector deals with and the code holds responsible for the work. Connecticut's home improvement law uses the phrase for a registered contractor “acting solely as the contractor of record for a corporation.” On Google the same phrase mostly means an HR service for hiring freelancers, which is something else.

How much should a contractor charge to pull a permit?

The town's fee plus your time, on its own line. One general contractor charges “The cost of the permit plus 35% or $350 fee which ever is greater,” and another bills his time “even if the permit is denied.” In New Jersey, if your price leaves permit fees out, the contract has to say so.

How much do people offer to use a contractor's license for a permit?

In the posts I read: $500 a job (Florida, 2026), $2,000 (Michigan, 2026), $2,500 for a relative's $200,000 addition (2025), and $5,000 floated by a builder whose flipper customer asked (2025). Compare that with up to $10,000 per violation in Minnesota, 10% of the contract in Louisiana, $15,000 for transferring a New Jersey registration, $25,000 per finding in New York City, and the license itself.

Sources

Reddit quotes are as posted, from threads checked against the live site or our archive in November 2026; accounts that sell services or software are left out. Statutes, rules and city codes were read on the official site where it serves the text, otherwise on Justia's or Cornell LII's copy, as marked.

1. r/GeneralContractor, "License rental" (July 19, 2026), a newly licensed Florida general contractor: "as soon as contractors hear that I'm licensed they either tell me license is a waste of time, I pay $500 a job and a GC pulls my permits for me, others ask me if I can pull permits for them." and "for it to be legal I would need to sign the contract, ... I would be responsible for the job and I would inspect the job to make sure it's done correct." Reply from Michigan: "I know someone who paid a GC $2,000 for using his license, the GC never stepped foot in the house to see what he was putting his name on, and then inspection failed" [partial]. reddit.com, read November 4, 2026.
2. r/GeneralContractor thread 1i269zl (January 15, 2025), a new license holder asked by a relative to pull the permit for a $200,000 addition: "He said he'll be paying me $2500 to pull the permit"; replies: "Zero. Don't care if they're a relative or what-don't pull this permit or have any involvement unless it's solely you/your crews." and "doing this is also an easy way to get your license suspended/revoked." reddit.com.
3. r/GeneralContractor, "Ever pimp out your license to someone else to pull a permit?" (September 11, 2025, 156 comments). Replies: "Never attach your name to anything in a legal way that you don't have control over... Just a recipe for disaster."; "I had a contractor from out of town call and ask me to pull the permit and I wouldn't have to work the job. I turned it down, as that job would have my name on it for all of eternity."; "Being named on mechanics' liens filed by any subs or vendors that don't get paid." The poster's edit: "alright dang y'all talked me out of it. Not doing it." reddit.com, read November 4, 2026.
4. Utah Code (versions in force through December 31, 2026; renumbered January 1, 2027): 58-55-305(1)(d) and (e), owner-builder exemption, "a person other than the property owner ... who engages in building a residential structure must be licensed", unpaid helpers excepted (le.utah.gov); 58-55-501(6) "applying for or obtaining a building permit for the benefit of or on behalf of any other person who is required to be licensed under this chapter but who is not licensed", (7) "failing to obtain a building permit when required by law or rule", (10) "allowing one's license to be used by another except as provided by statute or rule" (le.utah.gov); 58-55-503(2)(a) class A misdemeanor, citation fines "up to $1,000", "up to $2,000" and "up to $2,000 for each day of continued offense" (le.utah.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-427: (b)(1) "Present or attempt to present, as such person's own, the certificate of another"; (c) class B misdemeanor; (d) civil penalty "not more than one thousand five hundred dollars per violation"; (e) certificates "shall not be transferable or assignable"; (g) a home improvement contractor "acting solely as the contractor of record for a corporation"; (i) "No contractor shall commence work unless each applicable building or construction permit has been obtained". cga.ct.gov, read November 4, 2026.
6. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15, Construction permits, application: (a)1 the owner's name and address; (a)3 "the responsible person who will be in charge of the work and who is responsible to the owner for ensuring that all work is installed and completed in conformity with the regulations"; (b)1i owner-built new homes, an affidavit and disclosure to purchasers "within 10 years"; (b)2i trade work only by licensed persons "except in the case of a single-family homeowner on his or her own dwelling", (b)2ii the trade's seal and signature on its subcode form; (b)8 "The registration number of the contractor shall appear on the permit application." Cornell LII copy, law.cornell.edu, read November 4, 2026.
7. 780 CMR 110.R5, Licensing of Construction Supervisors (unofficial copy dated April 28, 2025): definition of "HOMEOWNER" ("A person who constructs more than one home in a two-year period shall not be considered a homeowner"); 110.R5.1.3.1 homeowner exception ("such homeowner shall act as supervisor") and its note ("whether or not the licensed contractor secured the permit for said work"); 110.R5.2.8 grounds for reprimand, suspension or revocation, items 3, 4 and 8; 110.R5.2.9.1 complaints by "Any person" within three years; 110.R5.2.12 on-site presence; 110.R5.2.15.1 and 110.R5.2.15.2 responsibility, including as "only a subcontractor or contractor to the permit holder"; 110.R5.2.16 permit applications ("name, signature and license number"; "the work shall immediately cease"). mass.gov; 110.R5.1 also on law.cornell.edu. Read November 4, 2026.
8. 2025 Denver Building Code, administration: 107.4.1 recording a notice or order "in the real property records of the Clerk and Recorder"; 127.1(6) "Allowing one's license or certificate to be used by another person", (7) "Acting as agent, partner, associate or in any capacity with persons to evade the provisions of this code"; 127.4 suspension or revocation "for up to three (3) years", no reapplication "for a period of up to five (5) years"; 131.4 homeowner (owner-occupier) permits, "A licensed Denver contractor may not serve as a designated worker", 12 months' occupancy; 140.4 inspection record card "maintained by the permit holder until final approval". denvergov.org, read November 4, 2026.
9. City and County of Denver, "Applying for Permits as a Homeowner": single-family homes only; "The permit holder bears responsibility for the work covered by the permit."; hire "contractors who are licensed in the City and County of Denver to perform any work you are not doing yourself"; "The designated worker cannot accept payment for their services". denvergov.org, read November 4, 2026.
10. M.G.L. c. 152, section 18: where an insured person contracts with an independent contractor who subcontracts the work, "the insurer shall pay to such employees any compensation which would be payable to them under this chapter if the independent or sub-contractors were insured persons", then may recover from "the uninsured independent contractor or the uninsured sub-contractor". malegislature.gov, read November 4, 2026.
11. N.J.S.A. 34:15-79(a): "Any contractor placing work with a subcontractor shall, in the event of the subcontractor's failing to carry workers' compensation insurance as required by this article, become liable for any compensation which may be due an employee or the dependents of a deceased employee of a subcontractor." Justia copy, law.justia.com, read November 4, 2026.
12. Minnesota Statutes: 326B.84(12), grounds for sanctions, a licensee who "has knowingly allowed an unlicensed person to use the licensee's license number for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining a building permit; or has applied for or obtained a building permit for an unlicensed person" (revisor.mn.gov); 326B.082 subd. 7 "up to $10,000 for each violation" and subd. 16 misdemeanor (revisor.mn.gov); 326B.805 subd. 6(3), owner exemption, speculation presumed for "more than one property within any 24-month period" (revisor.mn.gov); 326B.845 subd. 2, an unlicensed person who knowingly violates the law "has no right to claim a lien" (revisor.mn.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
13. Idaho Code: 54-5205(2)(k) and (l), owner exemptions (legislature.idaho.gov); 54-5208, an unregistered contractor "shall be deemed to have conclusively waived any right to place a lien" (legislature.idaho.gov); 54-5214, certificates "shall not be assignable nor transferable" (legislature.idaho.gov); 54-5215(2), civil penalty "not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)", and (d) fraud, deception or "a misrepresentation" in "applying for or securing a building permit" (legislature.idaho.gov); 54-5217, misdemeanor, and no action to collect without proving registration "at all times during the performance" (legislature.idaho.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
14. La. R.S. 37:2157(A)(13) owners supervising work on their personal residences, one a year, and (A)(15)(a) an owner who "physically performs the home improvement work on his personal residence" (legis.la.gov); 37:2158(A)(8)(a) "Permitting a license to be used for any purpose by any person other than the person to whom the license is issued" and (14) "Assisting a person to circumvent the provisions of this Chapter" (legis.la.gov); 37:2159(D), no "statement of claim or a statement of lien or privilege" for a contractor who failed to get a required license (legis.la.gov); 37:2164(A), a fine "of up to ten percent of the total contract or the value of the work bid or being performed", plus "administrative costs and attorney fees" (legis.la.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
15. r/Contractor thread 1osqvl5 (November 9, 2025), a California remodeler whose client brought his own subs: "If you pull the permit YOU are the GC no matter what anyone is saying." reddit.com.
16. Davenport Municipal Code chapter 15.30, Contractor Licenses: "No license may be loaned, rented, assigned or transferred. No holder of a valid license shall obtain a permit under his license and then subcontract, sell or otherwise assign the work covered by the permit to a person or firm who does not have a valid license." ecode360.com, read November 4, 2026.
17. r/Contractor thread 1rcmo8v (February 23, 2026): "I'll do either, and I don't offer a discount for off permit." and "Permits here cost at minimum a $1k. Usually $2-3k." reddit.com.
18. r/Contractor thread 1r4khtx (February 14, 2026), San Antonio, fined for a fence: "I never pull permits for fences. I do it for all my remodel work (kitchens and baths etc) but fences usually take 2 days and no one ever pulls them." reddit.com.
19. M.G.L. c. 142A: section 2 (the contract must tell the owner of "(i) any and all necessary permits, (ii) that it shall be the obligation of the contractor to obtain said permits, and (iii) that homeowners who secure their own permits will be excluded from the guaranty fund provisions of this chapter"), malegislature.gov; section 13(c) "Every contract, building permit and advertisement shall display the contractor's or subcontractor's certificate of registration number", malegislature.gov; section 17(10) "violation of the building laws of the commonwealth or of any political subdivision thereof", conduct of subcontractors "whether or not an express relationship exists", Chapter 93A, malegislature.gov; section 18 administrative penalty "not to exceed two thousand dollars", malegislature.gov; section 19 "knowingly and willfully violates ... a fine of not more than two thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both", malegislature.gov. M.G.L. c. 143, section 94(a), building code violations "a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, for each such violation", malegislature.gov. Read November 4, 2026.
20. N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2(a), Home Improvement Practices under the Consumer Fraud Act: 6.viii, unlawful to "Misrepresent or fail to disclose that the offered or contract price does not include ... building or installation permit fees"; 10.i "No seller contracting for the making of home improvements shall commence work until he is sure that all applicable state or local building and construction permits have been issued"; 10.ii inspection certificates to the buyer "before final payment is due". Cornell LII copy, law.cornell.edu, read November 4, 2026.
21. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.31, Compliance: (b)1 penalties for "Any person or corporation, including an officer, director or employee of a corporation"; (b)4 for failure to obtain a permit "an order to pay a penalty shall be issued immediately upon the discovery of the violation"; (d) stop construction orders; (e)2 "Up to $ 2,000 per violation for failure to obtain a required permit prior to commencing construction". Cornell LII copy, law.cornell.edu, read November 4, 2026.
22. Virginia: 18VAC50-22-260(B)(19) "Allowing a firm's license to be used by another", (20) "Acting as or being an ostensible licensee for undisclosed persons", (33) "Failure to obtain a building permit or applicable inspection, where required" (law.lis.virginia.gov); Code of Virginia 54.1-1115(A)(3) "Presenting or attempting to use the license or certificate of another", a Class 1 misdemeanor (law.lis.virginia.gov); 54.1-202 penalty "shall not exceed $2,500 for each violation" (law.lis.virginia.gov); 54.1-1101(A)(7), one primary residence per 24 months (law.lis.virginia.gov); 54.1-1111(A), a license number or a written statement of exemption before a permit issues (law.lis.virginia.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
23. Aspen Drilling Co. v. Hayes, 876 P.2d 86 (Colo. App. 1994), citing Benham v. Heyde (Colo. 1950): "If a contractor is required to have specific licenses and permits to undertake work, the contractor cannot recover compensation for its services when the contractor fails to obtain such licenses or permits." The driller in that case had its permit and won. courtlistener.com, read November 4, 2026.
24. r/Contractor thread 1gmtgh6 (November 8, 2024, 621 comments): "He didn't want to pull permits and just wanted to get it done." The new owner of the house wanted the loft work redone free. reddit.com.
25. Massachusetts one- and two-family building permit application, town copies of the state form: Belmont (April 2025), note 1, "An Owner who obtains a building permit to do his/her own work, or an owner who hires an unregistered contractor ..., will not have access to the arbitration program or guaranty fund under M.G.L. c. 142A", and the Homeowner License Exemption page (belmont-ma.gov); New Bedford, "Building Permit Application Homeowner License Exemption", homeowners may "engage an individual for hire who does not possess a license, provided that the owner acts as supervisor" and the homeowner "assumes responsibility for compliance with the State Building Code" (newbedford-ma.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
26. Omaha Municipal Code 43-287, a licensed contractor must hold "each required permit for such work, containing the name of the contractor authorized to do the work", "The license holder shall supervise, and shall be responsible for, all work performed under his or her license", licenses "non-transferrable"; 43-288, "A homeowner/property owner may not obtain permits in their name and use unlicensed contractors to perform the work on their property." library.municode.com, read November 3, 2026.
27. Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-340(11), exemption for persons doing electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling and sheet metal work "in and about single-family residences owned and occupied or to be occupied by such persons", subject to inspection. cga.ct.gov, read November 4, 2026.
28. New York City Administrative Code 28-401.3, "LICENSE. A license, registration, certification or other evidence, issued by the department" (codelibrary.amlegal.com); 28-401.16 "No holder of a license issued under this chapter shall authorize, consent to or permit the use of his or her license by or on behalf of any other person" (codelibrary.amlegal.com); 28-401.19 suspension, revocation and "a fine not to exceed $25,000 for each finding of violation" (codelibrary.amlegal.com); NYC Department of Buildings, "Home Improvement Contractor Permit Requirements": the license is not required for a "Homeowner performing his or her own work" (nyc.gov). Read November 4, 2026.
29. Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, "Home Improvement Contract Sample Language": "The following building permits are required and will be secured by the contractor as the homeowner's agent: [list permits] (Owners who secure their own permits will be excluded from the Guaranty Fund provisions of MGL chapter 142A.)" mass.gov, read November 4, 2026.
30. r/Carpentry thread 1riz9lt (March 2, 2026), Massachusetts: "Location: MA. ... the crew(s) the client hired doesn't have a construction supervisor's license (required in MA to pull permits if not the homeowner). I, however, do have my CSL."; reply: "Shady. You, as the permit holder will be left holding the bag if something goes wrong. That includes callbacks and warranties." reddit.com.
31. N.J.S.A. 56:8-146, a violation of the registration act is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act, and a knowing violation "is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree" (Justia copy, law.justia.com); P.L.2023, c.237, approved January 8, 2024: section 34, N.J.S.A. 56:8-146.1, a person who "otherwise transfers a registration ... shall be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $15,000 for the first violation and not more than $25,000 for the second and each subsequent violation"; section 14, N.J.S.A. 45:5AAA-14(c) and (d), permits "only to" the three listed applicants and "A contractor shall be liable for any fines or penalties resulting from a failure to obtain any permit necessary to complete the home improvement"; section 40, "sections 7, 8, and 14 through 20 shall be effective on the first day of the 25th month next following enactment", with the license sections waiting for the board's rules (pub.njleg.state.nj.us). Read November 4, 2026.
32. r/Construction thread 1v3qhbd (July 22, 2026), a New Jersey campground job: "Under no circumstances should you let a random contractor work under your permit." reddit.com.
33. Iowa Code chapter 91C (2026): 91C.1, a person "who performs work or has work performed on the person's own property is not a contractor"; 91C.8(5), administrative penalties "not more than five hundred dollars in the case of a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars for each violation in the case of a second or subsequent violation". legis.iowa.gov, read November 4, 2026.
34. City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, "Residential" permits: homeowner contractors "must submit a notarized 'Affidavit claiming exemption from licensure' to obtain permit; form will be forwarded to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors." brla.gov, read November 4, 2026.
35. Nebraska Contractor Registration Act: 48-2104(1), a person who "performs work or has work performed on his or her own property ... is not a contractor"; 48-2114(2), administrative penalty "not more than five hundred dollars in the case of a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars" after. nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 4, 2026.
36. Arkansas Residential Contractors Licensing Law (Residential Contractors Committee compilation, revised April 2026): 17-25-505(c) Class A misdemeanor, each day a separate offense; 17-25-510(b)(3) "Presenting or filing the license certificate of another", civil penalty "not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than four hundred dollars ($400) for each day"; 17-25-513(1) and (2) owner exemptions; 17-25-515, no action to enforce the contract or "For quantum meruit". labor.arkansas.gov; 17-25-513 also on law.justia.com. Read November 4, 2026.
37. r/Contractor thread 1l58x25 (June 7, 2025), a masonry contractor holding a $7,500 lien on unpermitted work; top reply: "NEVER do unpermitted work for someone. You know better." reddit.com.
38. r/GeneralContractor thread 1ih4gip (February 4, 2025): "The cost of the permit plus 35% or $350 fee which ever is greater, to cover my time for filling out the permit paperwork." reddit.com.
39. r/Contractor thread 1qta2o2 (February 1, 2026), a general contractor in Washington: "I will pull permits for clients, but they will have to pay me for my time even if the permit is denied (and it can be a lot of time)." reddit.com, read November 4, 2026.
40. Deepsel research, r/Contractor, r/GeneralContractor, r/HandymanBusiness and related subreddits, August 2024 to November 2026: "permit" appeared in 13.1% of remodeler threads; 16 threads matched lending a license or pulling a permit for someone else, about 8 of them real asks once ads for qualifier services were removed. Counted November 2, 2026.