Methodology
How we calculate closure rates and which permits we count for Fort Worth.
What is a closure rate?
When a contractor pulls a building permit in Fort Worth, 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.
Which permits are included?
Fort Worth's Development Services Department publishes all permits issued through the Development Services permit center. We include construction permits that represent real construction or trade work:
| Permit Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Residential Building Permit | New homes, additions, remodels |
| Commercial Building Permit | Commercial new construction, additions, remodels |
| Residential Accessory Struct | Garages, sheds, carports, and similar structures |
| Commercial Accessory Structure | Commercial accessory buildings |
| Electrical | Electrical wiring, panels, and service work |
| Mechanical | HVAC and mechanical system installations |
| Plumbing | Plumbing installations and modifications |
| Plumbing Backflow | Backflow preventer installations and testing |
No contractor data
Fort Worth's open data does not include a contractor or applicant field — only the property owner. Because of this, the leaderboard ranks addresses by closure rate instead of contractors. This shows which properties have the most unclosed permits, rather than which contractors leave permits open.
If Fort Worth adds contractor data to its open dataset in the future, the site will switch to contractor-based rankings.
What is excluded?
We exclude permit types where low closure rates are systemic or the type doesn't represent inspectable construction work:
| Permit Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| Commercial Grading Permit | 1.3% closure rate — systemic non-closure for site grading |
| Design Review | Administrative design review, not a construction permit |
| Urban Forestry | Tree-related permits, not construction |
Deduplication
About 4% of rows share a permit number. Like Boston, this happens when a single permit covers multiple parcels or addresses — each parcel generates a separate row.
We deduplicate on permit number, keeping the row with the earliest issue date and most complete data. A status reconciliation step ensures that if any duplicate row had a \"Closed\" status, the surviving row inherits it.
Status classification
Fort Worth permits use a \"Finaled\" status to indicate successful completion. We classify statuses as follows:
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Finaled | Counted as closed — work inspected and approved |
| Closed / Close / Closed By Rule / Complete | Counted as closed |
| Issued | Counted as open — permit active, work not yet completed |
| Expired | Counted as open — permit expired without final inspection |
| Void / Withdrawn / Denied | Excluded — permit cancelled or rejected |
| Pending / Plan Review / In Review | Excluded — pre-issuance statuses |
| Hold / Awaiting Client Reply | Excluded — administrative hold |
We classify Expired as \"open\" because it indicates the permit was never closed through a final inspection. Data is updated hourly during business hours.
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., Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing). 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 CFW Development Permits Table on Fort Worth Open Data. The dataset is updated hourly during business hours.
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 Fort Worth Development Services Department at [email protected].