Project stages explained
What each of the seven stages means, what usually comes next, and what a GC or a specialty contractor should do at each one.
Every project in ClearTract sits on the same seven-stage path, from the first planning filing to a finished building. Knowing where a project is tells you whether it’s worth a call today, next month, or not at all.
The stage tracker
Open a project and look just under the address. The tracker shows all seven stages left to right. Stages the project has reached are filled in blue, and the current one is highlighted. Stages still ahead are grey.
A few extras can appear around it:
- Appealed, Continued or Extended: a small label above the tracker when the city’s status says so. The project is still alive, but expect a delay.
- This project ended at Denied (or Withdrawn): a red banner replaces the tracker. The project didn’t go ahead.
- Stage unknown for this record: we couldn’t place it on the path from the public record.
- Further permit activity: one permit on the project has moved further than the stage shown, for example a trade permit that’s already been issued.
In the list, the Status column shows a small version of the same tracker with the stage name under it. Click the arrow next to the name to jump to the project’s Timeline.
Stage by stage
Pre-Entitlement
A planning application is filed and not approved yet. Next comes a hearing or staff decision. GC: this is your earliest signal. Find the owner and architect now, before a builder is chosen. Sub: too early to bid, but worth watching if it’s a big job in your market.
Entitled
Planning approved; no building permit yet. Next, the design team prepares permit drawings. GC: the owner is often lining up a builder now. Sub: start building relationships with the GCs likely to win it.
Submitted for Permit
A building permit application is in. Next, the city reviews it. GC: if a builder isn’t on the project yet, this is late but not too late. Sub: find out who the GC is and ask to be on the bid list.
Permit Pending
The city is reviewing the permit (plan check, corrections, fees). Next, the permit is issued. GC: usually already chosen. Sub: bids are often being gathered now. This is a prime window.
Permit Issued
Approved to build. Next, work starts. GC: mostly for tracking competitors and relationships. Sub: the last window before work starts. Call the GC directly.
Under Construction
Work has started, shown by at least one inspection on the record. GC: for history and relationships. Sub: late trades and suppliers can still find work, especially finish trades.
Completed
Finished. Both: use it to learn who builds what in your area and to plan the next approach to the same owner.
To see only the stages that matter to you, use the Status filter. Builders usually want Pre-Entitlement through Permit Pending; trades usually want Submitted for Permit through Permit Issued. See Find projects.
The badge: what we found
Next to the city’s status, at the top of the project, a badge says what kind of records we’ve linked:
- Entitlement only: a planning case, with no building permit linked yet
- Entitlement + permit: both a planning case and a permit
- Permit only: a permit with no planning case. Common for smaller jobs that don’t need a planning approval.
The badge is about which records exist, not how far along they are. The tracker shows progress.
Stages can lag reality
Stages come from the public record: the status the city publishes and the dated events in the project’s history. A city updates its records on its own schedule, so a project can be further along on site than ClearTract shows. A permit can be issued days before the city publishes it, or work can start before the first inspection is recorded.
If timing matters, check the Timeline tab for the latest dated event, and confirm with the contact before you act. Dates marked (est.) are estimates. To see how current each city is, see How fresh is the data.
Still stuck? Email [email protected] and a person will reply.