For a Fort Worth property, use the City’s permit record to follow the work and its separate issued-CO route to look for a certificate of occupancy. Start with OneAddress if you have only a street address. The City’s public-records guide points to Accela for permits and a separate page for previous COs. The certificate is a separate document from the issued building permit.
Choose the record that answers your question
Fort Worth’s issued-records page separates building-permit maps, a specific-permit table and a full download from its Certificates of Occupancy table. It also directs permit-status checks to Accela. These are useful starting points for different questions; a map symbol or table entry points to the underlying document.
- What permit activity is associated with this address? OneAddress’s official landing text offers a street-address search covering permits and other City data. Use the permit information as a lead to the record number.
- What happened on the permit? Follow the City’s Accela link. Match the permit number, property and work description before interpreting inspection results.
- Was a CO issued for the space? Follow the CO-table link on the issued-records page, then seek the matching certificate if you need its actual scope.
This guide concerns the City of Fort Worth’s Development Services records. Before searching, establish that the site is within that authority’s jurisdiction; a mailing-city name alone can mislead. A county appraisal account can help identify land; Fort Worth permits carry their own numbers. For the boundary problem, use our city-versus-county records guide.
Carry the address into Accela without losing the project
Keep the street address, suite or building designation, approximate work dates and any permit number together. Use OneAddress to identify permit activity, then carry the known permit number into the City-linked Accela route.
When you can open a record, preserve the exact identifier before changing filters or moving to a different search. Compare the work description and the part of the property involved. Two permits at one street address may concern different suites or different construction. If you already have the number, searching that identifier is more useful than repeatedly changing the address spelling.
The City’s current inspection FAQ says trade permits are obtained separately from the building permit, with inspections scheduled for each required permit type. That makes a missing trade result a separate question. Record each inspection’s permit number, type, date and result; one passed inspection covers that permit type only.
Compare the CO with the space and work you are checking
The useful comparison is between documents that cover the same space. If you find a CO entry, retain whatever certificate or record identifier and date it actually supplies. Obtain the certificate when your question depends on the named use, suite or conditions. Leave a missing field blank rather than borrowing it from another permit at the same street address.
For example, a reader checking a tenant space should compare the suite designation on the certificate with the suite in the permit description. A certificate for an earlier occupant or a different suite is a lead for the present space. If later work is involved, keep its inspection and closeout evidence with that later permit. The general permit-versus-CO guide explains the document distinction; Fort Worth’s separate search routes tell you where to look locally.
There is a difference between finding an issued-CO table row, retrieving the certificate, and establishing the current status of subsequent work. Write down which of those steps you completed. An issued permit doesn’t prove that the recorded work was finished, and a historical certificate describes the building at the time it was issued.
When a Fort Worth address, older permit or CO is missing
The City’s pages leave the earliest year of online permit and CO coverage unstated, so older certificates may need a records request.
- Address search comes up empty: check the street number and name against your property documents, try the base address without the suite, and confirm jurisdiction. Keep the suite separately so a broader match stays tied to the right unit.
- A permit exists but the CO is missing: use the separate issued-CO route, then request the actual certificate for the identified space and period.
- The portal fails to load: record the URL and error. The City’s public-records guide gives Development Services assistance at 817-392-2222. An access error says nothing about whether a permit exists.
For an unresolved older file or missing document, use the City’s Public Information Request instructions. They provide an Open Records Center and email submission to publicinfo@fortworthtexas.gov. Request existing permit, inspection or certificate records, naming the address, suite, known numbers, approximate dates and specific missing document. The page explains that the process covers existing records rather than questions, so ask for a copy. Lubbock uses a similar Open Records route; see how to request an existing Lubbock certificate of occupancy.
A focused request could read: “Please provide the existing certificate of occupancy for the identified suite, together with any associated permit reference. The issued-permit search located the permit number supplied below, but the certificate itself is still missing. The address, suite and approximate period are listed below.” Replace those descriptions with your own verified details. Keep any response describing the search scope or missing records; an unsuccessful online search alone doesn’t establish unpermitted work.
Nearby Grand Prairie is set up differently; see Grand Prairie permit records, issued-permit reports and older COs.
If the work involves air conditioning or electrical contractors, our Texas contractor license lookup explains how to check them in TDLR.
Official Fort Worth pages checked October 16, 2026.