Methodology
How we calculate closure rates and which permits we count for Mesa.
What is a closure rate?
When a contractor pulls a building permit in Mesa, 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?
Mesa publishes building permits across several permit type codes. We include the three types that represent inspectable construction work:
| Permit Type | Description |
|---|---|
| COM | Commercial permits |
| RES | Residential permits |
| SVC | Service permits (signs, use permits, miscellaneous) |
What is excluded?
We exclude permits with a permit type of N/A (322 rows). Additionally, statuses that represent permits still under review or not yet issued are excluded from closure rate calculations:
| Excluded Status | Reason |
|---|---|
| Approved | Not yet issued |
| Revisions Required / Revisions Received | Still in review |
| Fees Due / Fees Paid | Pre-issuance stage |
| Under Review / In Review / Submitted | Pre-issuance stage |
| Ready to Issue | Not yet issued |
| Plan Review | Pre-issuance stage |
| Temporary C of O | Intermediate status |
Deduplication
Mesa permit numbers are effectively unique in the source dataset (only 83 duplicates out of 153K rows, 0.1%), so no city-specific deduplication adjustments are needed.
Status classification
Mesa uses a mix of finalization and certificate statuses. We classify them as follows:
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Finaled | Counted as closed |
| Closed | Counted as closed |
| Finaled – C of C Required | Counted as closed |
| Finaled – C of O Required | Counted as closed |
| Issued | Counted as open |
| C of C Issued | Counted as open — certificate issued but not finaled |
| C of O Issued / CofO Issued | Counted as open — occupancy certificate but not finaled |
| Issued - Self Certified | Counted as open |
Permit type sub-filters
The leaderboard can be filtered by permit type or by work type keyword:
| Filter | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Residential | Permit type = RES |
| Commercial | Permit type = COM |
| Electrical | Work type contains "Electrical" (e.g., Res (OTH) -- Electrical) |
| Plumbing | Work type contains "Plumbing" (e.g., Res (SFR) -- Plumbing) |
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., Electrical, 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 Building Permits dataset on the City of Mesa Data Hub. The dataset is refreshed nightly.
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 City of Mesa Development Services at [email protected].