Confirm the location
San Antonio, another city, and unincorporated Bexar County can have different authorities and rules.
For San Antonio and Bexar County property improvements
Worried about work without permits? Find the facts before choosing a fix.
Confirm which office was responsible, search the complete record, compare it with the work, and ask what is required now.
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Who made this site?
Bexar County Home Buyers, a private home-buying company. The tools are free and do not send us your answers. Discussing a possible purchase is a separate choice.
Start here
Which situation sounds most like yours?
You do not need to know the professional term. Choose the closest statement.
The basics
Do the right work in a clear order.
Describe the work plainly
Write what changed physically without first labeling it legal, illegal, safe, or unsafe.
Search every record lane
Check address variants, building records, trade permits, plans, inspections, corrections, and final status.
Match paper to house
Compare the approved scope, dates, plans, and inspections with what actually exists.
Check physical condition
Permit status and present safety are separate questions; qualified review may be needed for both.
Get the next step in writing
Ask the responsible office what records, plans, tests, corrections, and inspections apply now.
Free tool
Find the record before choosing a repair.
“Unpermitted” is not a conclusion until you confirm the location, work date, scope, record, and inspections.
Next steps
One thing at a time.
What to do
- Confirm the authority responsible when the work occurred.
- Search every address form and related trade record.
- Save complete results, numbers, scope, and inspection history.
What to do
- Photograph the work safely and gather plans, invoices, and contractor details.
- Match the official scope to the physical work.
- List what is found, missing, open, final, or different.
What to do
- Ask the office for the current correction or close-out path.
- Use qualified designers, contractors, trades, or engineers as required.
- Compare documenting, correcting, removing, or selling with verified facts.
Official sources
Go to the agency responsible.
Rules and accounts change. These links open the official source.
Safety comes first.
Call 911 for immediate danger. Do not expose, energize, test, disturb, or cover questionable electrical, gas, structural, sewer, fire, pool, excavation, mold, asbestos, or lead-related work. Use appropriately qualified professionals.
Common questions
Clear answers to get started.
Confirm dates, rights, and requirements with the responsible agency or qualified professional.
Does no search result prove there was no permit?
No. Address formats, old systems, separate trade records, and jurisdiction boundaries can matter. Ask the responsible office how to confirm.
Does a permit prove the work is safe now?
No. Permit history and current physical condition are separate evidence questions.
Should I open walls or remove the work?
Not from generic guidance. Doing so can create safety, structural, utility, environmental, tenant, insurance, and evidence problems.
Can the house still be sold?
A sale may be possible, but uncertainty can affect disclosure, inspection, insurance, lending, price, and contract terms. Do not make unsupported claims.
What if the house is outside San Antonio?
Confirm the correct city or unincorporated-county authority and the work date before using forms or rules.
Next step
Find the record. Match the work. Ask for the responsible path.
Use the free tool first. If you later want to discuss selling the property in its current condition, that conversation is optional and separate.