How To Become A Permit Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a permit specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A permit specialist is in charge of all things to do with construction permits. This means that amongst their many duties, they are tasked with processing, checking, and explaining duties tied to permits, such as examining properties and buildings for compliance with the building codes, running reports to ensure that all permits are valid and up to date, preparing and submitting applications for new permets or renewal of old ones, submitting reports, cooperating with employees and government agencies in order to get the permit, and otherwise assisting.

Naturally, the permit specialist must have a fair amount of knowledge when it comes to building permits, laws and regulations tied to them, and building codes. This also includes a basic understanding of architectural drawings and designs.

A person hoping to work as a permit specialist generally needs to have some sort of university-level degree and a couple of years of experience working in similar positions, generally office administrative work. Many employers will also accept a mix equivalent in terms of education and experience. On average, the permit specialist earns more than $47,000 a year. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon academic qualification, having previous experience, and possession of the aforementioned skills.

ScorePermit SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,620

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 65.27%

male 34.73%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Complexity Level

1.8

Complexity Level is simple

7 - challenging

Key steps to become a permit specialist

Explore permit specialist education requirements

Most common permit specialist degrees

Bachelor's

55.4 %

Associate

21.5 %

High School Diploma

11.1 %

Start to develop specific permit specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
GIS	10.99%
Construction Drawings	8.26%
Data Entry	7.82%
PowerPoint	7.77%
CAD	6.37%

Research permit specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage coordination, implementation and installation of next generation telemarketing system, an nt-base, client server environment.
Compile folders, documents, drawings, structural calculations, RF reports and applications for zoning and building submittals.
Work closely with FINRA and NFA to ensure proper licensing and registration requirements are meet at a firm level.
Inspect certifications for authenticity and adherence to FAA regulations.

Prepare your permit specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your permit specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a permit specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Permit Specialist Resume templates

Build a professional Permit Specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Permit Specialist resume.

Apply for permit specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a permit specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do permit specialists rate their job?

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Permit Specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Cons

Work seems to be none-stop sometimes, especially since we are under staff. Work keeps me on my feed, but need to hire more people.