Five trades, filed separately
This is what Cincinnati has that Cleveland does not. The city records HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, elevator and excavation permits as their own types rather than folding them into one building permit, so a contractor can watch their own trade and nobody else's. HVAC alone runs to 48,794 permits, the largest single type the city files.
- HVAC — the replacement season, one address at a time
- Plumbing — re-pipes, water heaters, sewer lines, gas
- Fire protection — sprinklers, standpipes and alarms
- Elevator — a small list and a specific trade
- Excavation and fill — ground being opened before anything is built
Barricading is the one to watch
The city files “Code Enforcement - Barricading Buildings” 17,787 times. It is not a complaint about a building; it is the record that somebody was sent to board one up, with the date. As an early signal that a building is coming empty, nothing else this city publishes is as direct.
Wrecking, before anything rises
Demolition is permitted and published under its own type. On a block that is about to change, the wrecking permit usually arrives first.
Counts run 7 September 2026.